Traders lose goods to flood in Ogun

Traders at Itoku Market in the Abeokuta South Local Government Area of Ogun State on Thursday lost goods worth millions of naira to flood.

The flood, which followed a short torrential rain, ravaged many stalls in the market, destroying wares in its wake.

The affected places were sections with high concentration of traders in local herbs, roots, assorted traditional relics, locally-made artifacts and animals, including live and dead reptiles.

Some of the traders affected had some tales of anguish to tell. They said the flood had destroyed their means of livelihood.

A trader, Mrs Simiatu Okunade, said the daytime flooding had destroyed their means of livelihood.

Okunade said, “The flood has devastated us.”

Another trader in beads and ornaments, Mrs. Shakira Arisekola, said she had to source for money to restart her line of business because there was little she could salvage from her wares.

A traditional birth attendant, Mrs Anke Kumapayi, and a herbalist, Chief Morufu Akiode, maintained that apart from the items washed off by the flood, the incident could also reduce the efficacy of the local herbs.

The state Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, who visited the market to assess the extent of damage, said some structures would be demolished in the area to prevent a recurrence.

Amosun, who gave the assurance that the government would reach out to the affected persons to cushion the effect of their losses, expressed his readiness to sustain infrastructural development across the state.