By Barth Ikiebe
Residents of SkyView Estate Extension behind Benin Airport, Edo State have raised alarm over the ravaging flood from the Airport Compound.
The affected area, situated off ADP road at Oko-Ogba, is a small community of mostly retirees from federal and State agencies.
It is sandwiched by Airport Road and Ogbebuya, Ekehuan, in Benin City.
The settlement is a developing one, quiet, peaceful and would have been a haven for retirees and lovers of tranquility.
Unfortunately, it shares its boundary with the Benin airport at the northern flank. Being the neighbour of such a big establishment which should have been a blessing, has now become a curse.
One of the Retirees, who pleaded anonymity, stated that for over a decade, the airport has deliberately been channeling its huge flood water to the community, such that whenever it rains, torrents of water cascade down to the community, washing away earth roads, creating gullies, and making their efforts to save homes and land worthless.
“Every dry season, we the residents of Skyview Extension mobilize our resources to fill gullies and reclaim whatever is left of our earth roads, but, as soon as the rains begin, all our efforts come to nothing”, the source lamented.
He noted that after many years of attempts to get the airport management to be sensitive to their plight, without success, they are left with no choice than to cry out for help to both the state and federal governments.
“The annual ding dong between the airport and our community has gone on for too long to the point where we feel drained, exhausted and hopeless. We are apprehensive that calamity looms, if nothing is quickly done to save our homes and land”, he noted.
Curiously, the airport has an internal drainage system which covers most of its premises. All it needs to do, is to extend the drainage to its unserved area. Rather, it has chosen the cheaper option of flooding our humble Community.
We appeal to the State and Federal government to come to their aid, as they are currently like a victim on the Chopping block, waiting for the Executioner.
