14th April, 2017
Rainstorm which occurred on Wednesday evening has destroyed property worth million of Naira in four communities in Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom.
Properties destroyed include, roof of the Ibesikpo Asutan local government legislative building, telecommunications mast, fence of the local government secretariat and about 40 shops at Nung Udoe main market among others.
The Chairman traders association in Ibesikpo Asutan, Mr Jude Edet, said on Thursday that 75 traders were dislodged by the disaster.
“We have lost so much to Wednesday’s night rain.
“As at Thursday, by our inventory 75 shops were destroyed. If we want to estimate our lost, it is in millions.
Edet said the traders are willing to pay if government will constructs a modern market facility for them and appealed to the government to provide aid to the affected traders.
The Divisional Crime Officer in the local government, Dorathy Umoh, said the disaster posed a security threat to the local government secretariat.
“The council is not safe. We don’t have enough security men. I have directed that some of the security men in the outstation be withdrawn to assist in beefing security at the council.
“We call on government to come to the aid of the council,” he said.
The chairman Ibesikpo Asutan transition committee, Mr Ilana Udofia, while inspecting affected facilities at the council and the market said destruction caused by the storm were beyond the capacity of the local government.
“The level of destruction here runs into hundreds of million. So it is beyond our capacity.
“Some people were injured, this is a sad period.
“It is not just the market, private homes in other communities were affected. We have never witnessed this in the history of this local government,” he said.
Udofia said the council would liaise with the relevant State agencies to get aid for the victims.
The chairman commiserated with traders and indigenes of the local government affected by the incident.
Udofia appealed to the State government to come in and give the victims relief assistance in this difficult time.
One of the timber dealers, Usoro Usoro said 11 shops were affected at the timber market.
Some of the traders Emmanuel Ekpo and Idongesit Nyong called on the government to come to their aid.
They said, On Okpobo street, Nung Udoe, electric poles fell by the storm destroyed some houses.
He said some victims of the disaster were taking refuge at a church, Christian Fellowship, Okpob, Nung Udoe.
At Brotherhood Secondary School, Ikot Ide Akpakpan, where the storm destroyed three classroom blocks, the principal, Mrs Comfort Ime Ekpo said, “When school resumes in May, there will be no place for the students to stay.”
She said one of the classroom blocks destroyed was a PTA project and was roofed just a week ago.