Synagogue Church accused of building on canal

Residents of Agodo in the Egbe-Idimu Local Council Development Area of Lagos State have alleged that part of the buildings constructed by the Synagogue Church of All Nations in the area have blocked the main canal in the community.

They said the development has stopped the flow of water from drainage channels in the neighbourhood into the canal, thereby causing flood whenever it rains. The canal links Egbe under-the-bridge and Ore-Isheri.

The residents, who are seeking succour ahead of the coming rainy season, lamented that flood had destroyed their property and forced some landlords to abandon their houses.

Report says no fewer than 12 streets have been affected by the flood which has now damaged a large number of houses in the area.

A resident on Abati Street, Alhaja Kudirat, said her neighbour, identified as Saheed, had abandoned his two-bedroomed flat due to the development.

She said, “Flood destroyed his (Saheed’s) property. He left the house and has not come back since then. Another landlord was forced to leave because of the flood. My house is also affected, but I have no other place to go.”

Mr. Omotosho Asubioshjo, a landlord on the same street, said SCOAN’s overseer, Prophet T.B. Joshua, had promised to provide an alternative drainage channel behind the buildings’ fence to connect drainage channels on Ajisegiri, Abati, Ogbewi and Abanise streets.

He said, “He (Joshua) made the promise in December. We have cleared the bush for over a month now, but we have not heard anything from him. Our drainage channels used to discharge water into the canal between Egbe under-the-bridge and Isheri, but the church’s buildings have blocked it.”

Mrs. Ada Nkwo, a resident of Ajisegiri Street said her family always moved to her sister’s house during rainy season.

She said, “The moment our gutter is filled up, the water spills into our compound. Most times, water will be coming out of the tiles and our premises will be full of refuse. It is water that damaged all our chairs and the electronics. It is only a television set that we have at home now. Anytime rain falls, my children and I go to live in my sister’s house in Ikotun. We have been experiencing this since we moved here three years ago.”

Olanrewaju Olanrewaju, pastor of a Celestial Church of Christ on Jamiu Raji Street, said, “I went for a meeting last year when it started raining. By the time I got home, my compound and some parts of the church had been flooded.”

Another landlord on 51 Ogbewi Street, Mr. Alex Adekanye, told The Punch that he accommodated many displaced residents in his house every year.

“It has been like that for about four years now when the buildings blocked our canal. This place is high, so my house is able to escape the flood,” he added.

Another person, Ajayi Abolaji said the incident had been reported to the Egbe-Idimu LCDA and the monarch of the community.

He said, “About seven houses are affected on Ajisegiri Street. We reported to Egbe-Idimu LCDA chairman last year and he promised that something would be done about it.”

Abolaji added that the owner of a newly completed building opposite the facilities did not move in for fear of the flood.

A teacher, Mr. Olaleye Olajide, said, “The flooding began in 2011 when he (Joshua) started a major construction here. It was flood that sent my brother away from this community. The government should come and see what we are facing. There should be free flow of water. It is the church’s buildings that are preventing the water from flowing.”

Daniel Ogechukwuka, the President, Abanise Waterside Community Youth Association, which is not far from Agodo, said eight streets were affected by the flood in his community.

He said some engineers were sent by the church to assess the area after two letters were written to it, adding that residents were still expecting the church to address the flood.

He said, “Four engineers came from the church and we took them round and showed them where the buildings are blocking the canal. By February now, it will be raining and everywhere will be flooded again.”

A security man attached to the buildings, who declined to give his name, said, “We constructed the road and drainage channels on this street (Ajisegiri Street). Contact the main church, they will tell you the way forward.”

A representative of the church, Mr. Jegede Niyi, said, “They (residents) actually wrote two letters to the church to seek assistance on the dredging of the main canal for free flow of water to Isheri and on the issue of refuse blocking their gutters and drains generated by the neighbourhood. They also asked us to help them create a link to the main drainage channel that led to Isheri. After series of meetings, we decided to help them create parallel drainage channel of about five feet wide that will collect water from Ajisegiri to about four other streets. But the one (canal) at Isheri is solely the responsibility of government. As of Saturday, the church commissioned a contractor to handle the work on the blocked drainage channel as requested by the residents.”