BY ABASIFREKE EFFIONG
Wednesday’s evening rainstorm has destroyed properties in four communities in Ibesikpo Asutan local government area.
Properties destroyed include, roof of the Ibesikpo Asutan local government legislative building; network mast and fence at the local government secretariat, and about 40 stalls and a borehole at Nung Udoe main market.
Also destroyed are shades at Nung Udoe timber market, electrical poles on Okpob street, Nung Udoe; three classroom blocks at Brotherhood Secondary School, Ikot Ide Akpakpan; private residences in Nung Udoe and Ikot Akpa Etok and mast belonging to Nung Udoe branch of Ecobank.
Two people were injured by falling shades in the market last night.
Chairman traders association in Ibesikpo Asutan, Mr Jude Edet said 75 traders were dislodged by the disaster.
“We have lost so much to yesterday’s rain. As at yesterday, by our inventory 75 shops were destroyed. If we want to quantify our lost, it is in millions.
Edet said the incident has caused the affected traders to take their wares to the road side.
He said the traders are willing to pay if government constructs a modern market facility for them and appeal 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. I have directed that some of the security men in the out-station be withdrawn to come and mann the council.
“I have alert the DPO to ensure that he sends police here on surveillance.
“We call on government to come to the aid of the council. If we leave it to the local government, we won’t get anything done because of paucity of funds”.
The chairman Ibesikpo Asutan transition committee while inspecting affected facilities at the council and the market said destruction caused by the storm was beyond the capacity of the local government council.
“The level of destruction here runs into hundreds of million. So it is beyond our capacity”
“Some people have been injured, this is a sad period. It is not just the market, private homes in other communities have been affected. We have never witnessed this in the history of this local government”
When reporters visited the scene by 8:15 a.m. today, the transition chairman and the DCO were already at the council taking stock of facilities destroyed.
Udofia said after taking stock of the number of victims and the quantum of destruction, the council will liaise with State agencies to get aid for the victims.
The chairman commiserated with traders and indigenes of the local government affected by the incident.
Udofia the State government to come in and give us a befitting saying the market needs redesigning to provide adequate drains.
One of the timber dealers, Usoro Usoro said 11 shades were affected at the timber market.
Some of the traders Emmanuel Sylvester Ekpo, Idongesit Anietie Nyong called on the government to come to their aid.
On Okpob street, Nung Udoe, electric poles fell by the storm have destroyed 12 houses according to a member of the Nung Udoe village council, Anninakid John Usoro.
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 is a PTA project and was roofed last weekend.
Mrs Ekpo called on the State government to fix the classrooms.
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