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Fish farmers in Ikangba/Agoro in Odogbolu local government area of Ogun State have appealed to the State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun to give them some assistance in order to cushion the effects of loses suffered as a result of flood that ravaged their fish farms recently.
They also called on government to find solution to forestall the recurrence of the disaster in the area.
The farmers, who spoke during a peaceful protest to the Oke Mosan Governor’s office in Abeokuta, said they lost about N500m investment to the July 8 flood which swept away their fish ponds.
Speaking on behalf of the farmers, Mr. Eko John Nicholas blamed the disaster on lack of dredging of Yemule river and improper channelling of drainages along ‘deplorable’ Ikangba/Agoro road.
He said, the victims spread across five fish farmers’ clusters of Ifeoluwa, Asejere, Progressive, Joye and Kajola.
The farmers were armed with placards with different inscriptions such as, “Governor Abiodun, save our soul; N500m investment washed away by flood,” “Dredging of Yemule River is Long overdue, Gov Abiodun, help us fix Agoro and Ikangba road,” among others.
Eko said, when it rains, water spills over the Yemule river’s bound into the fish farms, which according to him, are located more than a kilometre from the river, saying that more than 20 farmers were just discharged from the hospital due to shock they suffered over the loss.
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On their demands, he said “We are calling on the governor to as a matter of necessity to help us dredge Yemule stream to make it wide and deep enough to accommodate the volume of water that is coming from the construction sites. With that, the water would not overflow its bound.
“Also, the Ikangba/Agoro road otherwise known as old Lagos road, it has been a nightmare to the residents and it also contribute to the flood due to lack of drainage and proper channelling. We are also begging the governor to help us fix the road.
“Most importantly, the governor should assist us by granting us soft loan to help us stand on our feet again. As I speak, over 20 of our members just left hospitals yesterday and day before yesterday. They are just recuperating from the shock suffered as a result of the disaster.”
Addressing the farmers, the General Manager of the State Agricultural Development Corporation, Bolu Owootomo assured that the government would address their demands as soon as possible.
Owootomo hinted that officials of government would visit the area within seven days to access the damage and proffer a lasting solution on the flooding.
He said as a responsible government, Governor Dapo Abiodun’s administration would not fold its arms while citizens lose huge investment to flood disaster.
