We’re becoming shadows of ourselves, Ijebu Ode fish farmers flood victims lament
..Beg FG, Gov Abiodun for help
Bankole Taiwo, Abeokuta
Members of Ikangba/Agoro Fish Farmers Association via Ijebu Ode, in Odogbolu local government area of the state whose fishes worth over N500m investment were recently washed away by the flood have said that the unfortunate incident is gradually making them to become shadows of themselves.
The fish farmers made this disclosure during their visit to Gov Dapo Abiodun on Thursday pleading for the interventions of both the state and federal government so that they could get back to business.
The fish farmers during the save our souls visit to the Governor’s Office, Oke Mosan, Abeokuta were seen carrying placards bearing various messages like “Gov Abiodun, pls save our souls #N500M investment washed away by flood#”, “Ikangba/Agoro fish farmers plead for your help, Gov Dapo Abiodun”, “Gov Abiodun, help us fix Ikangba/Agoro road now”. “Dredging of Yemule river is long over due, Gov Abiodun, please help us”, among others.
Speaking during the visit, one of the leaders of the fish farmers, Mr Nicholas Eko John explained that “these fish farmers representing over 2000 members of Ikangba/Agoro Fish Farmers Association are at the Governor’s Office to inform him of the disastrous flooding of July 8 which swept away our fishes that were worth over N500m”.
Nicholas said “the fish farmers believed that this flooding incident is not unconnected with the large volume of water channeled from the ongoing construction of Molipa/Imowo expressway by the state government into the already bad Ikangba road with no drainage and this goes into Yemule river which overflows into our various fish ponds”.
He said to avert a re-occurrence of this tragedy, the state government must as a matter of priority fix the impassable Ikangba road with wide drainages on both sides while Yemule river is also dredged so that it could be wide and deep enough to accommodate the volume of water channeled into it from Molipa/Imowo expressway, Ijebu Ode.
Nicholas said that the communities around Ikangba, Agoro and its environs had equally in the recent past pleaded with the state government to help reconstruct the Ikangba road because of the economic importance of the road as well as the untold hardship the residents of the area are usually subjected to especially during the rainy season.
He explained further that “since this incident happened, over 200 farmers that were affected have become shadows of ourselves, in fact as at yesterday, Wednesday, about twenty of our members who were admitted into hospitals because of the shock of this unfortunate incident had just been discharged.
“It has been an harrowing experience because we have lost our means of livelihood, many of us are operating with borrowed funds and really, things have been very tough for us. In addition to our earlier demands, we sincerely beg Gov Dapo Abiodun and the federal government to give us financial support in form of soft loans of single digit that can assist our members to return to business”.
“We don’t want to take to crime neither do we want to populate further the unemployment market, we want to keep contributing our quota to developing the agricultural sector as well as the economic development of our dear Ogun State and the nation at large”.
The fish farmers later submitted their letters detailing their anguish and request to the state government.
Responding, the Senior Special Assistant on Governor’s Office and General Manager of Ogun State Agricultural Development Corporation, Mr Bolu Owootomo empathised with the farmers promising that within seven days, government officials would pay them a visit as a way of knowing how best to handle challenges at hand.
Owootomo assured the fish farmers that all their request and concerns would get to the table of Gov Abiodun for prompt attention.
