Lagos community, Teledalase cut off from city
Residents of Teledalase Community in Lagos commute the city via canoes
Published By: Isa Isawade
By Kazeem Akande
Teledalase Community in Maidan Orile, Ikosi-Isheri LCDA, Lagos State, has been cut off from the city for two years, with no hope of reconnection, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
According to residents of the community, the big carnal, which passes through the community needs to be dredged to ensure the free flow of water when it rains.
They said the Maidan Footbridge, which was used by residents to cross to the other side of the LCDA, collapsed two years ago.
The residents also alleged that they had experienced different environmental challenges in the last two years and had written and consulted some government representatives.
According to them, the situation is worse because their children cannot go to school during the rainy season, for fear of being drowned in the carnal. They also revealed that many had become homeless in the community due to flooding.
NAN observed that due to the collapse of the footbridge, residents of the community had to pay to be taken by canoe, whenever they needed to go to the city for school, hospital, market or even business.
The Community Leaders and Residents of Teledalase said they had been appealing to the government to come to their aid, by fixing the collapsed bridge, which disconnected them from the larger society.
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Mr Alepro Ehijapor, Chairman of the Community Development Committee (CDC) in Araromi Community told NAN that the stress of commuting from the area was stressful as well as painful, especially for the elders in the community.
“We have been abandoned by the government and that’s why we are appealing for quick resolution before the situation becomes worse,” he said.
Canoes replaced collapsed bridge as the only means of connection by residents of Teledalase to Lagos cities
The community leader, also added that it was an enormous risk to transport pupils by canoe to school daily, and appealed to the government to rescue the community.
Ehijapor also urged government to build a big embankment, to prevent the flood from overflowing its banks into the community.
“We want government to build an embankment to prevent the flood from overflowing its banks into the community during heavy rains, as majority of the houses are already affected.
“Our school children are also at risk of not getting education because most of them do not bother going to school when the carnal overflows, during rainy seasons,” he said.
Mr Adebayo Kareem, a Former Community Development Council (CDC) Chairman of Araromi Weigh Bridge in the community, also said that the environmental challenges were beyond the Community Development Associations (CDAs) and the CDC.
