Heavy rainstorm destroys buildings, others in Ekiti

A heavy rainstorm has wreaked havoc in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, and neighbouring communities, destroying properties worth millions of naira.

The two-hour storm on Saturday caused extensive damage to residential buildings, public institutions, commercial structures, and electrical facilities.

Electrical poles and telecommunication masts were toppled, while roofs were ripped off buildings, leaving hundreds homeless. Areas worst hit in Ado metropolis include Oke-Ori Omi, Odo Are Much, Bank Road, Fajuyi Area, Okesa, Oke-Ila, Odo Ado, and Isato-Oke.

During an on-site assessment on Sunday, Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji described the destruction as “monumental and worrisome.”

Represented by his deputy, Chief Monisade Afuye, the governor sympathised with the victims and pledged government support through timely interventions to rebuild damaged structures.

“You could see that the destruction was massive, and there is no way it won’t be a financial burden to those who were affected. Though we are happy that no life was lost, this is a major thing for us.

“We have always been advocating that our people should do turnaround maintenance on their buildings before the start of the rainy season. The government was also encouraging tree planting around residential buildings to serve as windbreakers. These are the best ways to prevent some of these occurrences.

“We sympathised with those affected. Like we have said earlier, we won’t abandon them. We are with them, and the government will surely intervene and give the support required to rebuild these damaged structures”, he promised.

The governor directed the Ekiti State Emergency Management Agency (EK-SEMA) to conduct a thorough evaluation and enumeration exercise of those affected in collaboration with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

He appealed to the federal government to intervene timely in the Ekiti rainstorm incident, regretting that thousands across the 16 local governments have become homeless, while some had already lost their means of livelihood.