Severe flooding has displaced several residents of Okitipupa in Ondo State following a relentless three-day downpour, leaving homes submerged and daily life disrupted across the community.
A visit to affected areas on Saturday revealed widespread damage to properties in parts of the Okitipupa Local Government Area, with residents lamenting the destruction caused by poor or blocked drainage systems.
The worst-hit neighbourhoods include the Okitipupa-Erinje axis, Omawa, Kuneyin, Apata, Igbodigo, and Ayeka—areas largely lacking functional drainage infrastructure.
In separate interviews, residents expressed deep concern over the flooding and appealed for swift government intervention.
Mr. Ganiyu Akinfenwa, a resident of Erinje, said the community had long suffered from poor drainage.
“We’ve been calling on the government to construct proper drainage systems. The erosion caused by heavy rains cannot be controlled without it,” he said.
Mr. Tosin Akindolire from Apata described the scale of damage as overwhelming, noting that blocked drains contributed to the floodwaters entering homes.
“Our drainage is filled with plastic bottles and nylon bags. When it rains like this, the water has nowhere to go and just floods into houses,” he said.
He urged the local government to urgently clear the blocked waterways.
Mrs. Catherine Ebisemiju of Omawa said that in addition to property loss, commercial activities had come to a standstill.
“People couldn’t go out to do business because of the heavy rain. Many of our homes are waterlogged,” she said.
A community leader in Igbodigo, Michael Orogbemi blamed ongoing road construction projects for worsening the situation.
“The construction work is affecting us. Water is overflowing from half-finished drainages into people’s homes,” he said. “We’re asking the government to speed up the construction and stick to the timeline.”
Reacting to the development, the Chairman of the Okitipupa Local Government Area, Mr. Andrew Ogunsakin confirmed the incident and assured residents of a quick government response.
“The council secretary has already visited the affected communities. We will intervene promptly to prevent future flooding across Okitipupa and its environs,” he said.
