By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Tragedy occurred on Wednesday morning when a Toyota Corolla car got stuck in a bad spot at Fomon bus stop, Ewu Owa, Gberigbe road, Ikorodu Lagos
According to eyewitness accounts, three occupants of the car came down and began making efforts to push it out of the deep spot covered with flood water.
All of a sudden one of the men slumped right there in the flood. He was brought out and people gathered as expected.
They made diverse efforts to revive him. He was rushed to a hospital nearby where he was declared dead. So sad! The man was said to have come from Abuja to meet his in-laws to discuss burial arrangements for his late wife.
He was on his way to the meeting when the car he was in, got stuck in the ‘Ewu Owa River’.
The tragedy again tells of the untold devastating effect of the Gberigbe road which has gone from bad to worse over the years. It’s always traumatic whenever it rains.
In a day, you could count over fifteen vehicles including tricycles and motorcycles that get stuck in that bad spot at Fomon bus stop.
Sadly, some jobless boys that go by the name, Omonile (owners of the land) have since been cashing out of stranded motorists. They collect as much as 5,000 to help push out trapped vehicles. When it’s beyond them, they ‘organise’ heavy-duty trucks to tow the vehicles out but the vehicle owner must, of course, hire a chain for 7,000, except he has one, to free his vehicle from the clutches of the flood.
It’s been a common thing to watch motorcycle (Okada) riders, plunge into the flood water with their passengers on a daily basis.
You’ll always see people begging for water to wash off the mud on them. The effect on transportation costs is a story for another day. Residents in this Gberigbe axis cannot wait for the government to do something on this notorious road. (Saturday Vanguard)