By Dada Ahmed in Lokoja
Many motorists traveling from the northern part of Nigeria to the east have shunned Ganaja-Ajaokuta road, Lokoja in Kogi state, a major road that links the state to the eastern axis of the country,as the flood in many parts of the state continued on Monday.
The Reporters, an online publication, reports that the development is sequel to the unabatedflood which has made the road impassable.
Investigation by the online media showed that commercial drivers and private car owners, who used to ply the road before the flood now prefer Okene-Lokoja road,not minding the long distance to get to their destination.
Our correspondent who visited the Ganaja axis of the road Sunday evening report that local travellers from Ajaokuta, Shintaku and the most parts of the Easter flank of the state were seen disembarking from vehicles to cross the flooded portion with canoe to get to lokoja.
Same for those traveling from Lokoja to the eastern part of the state.
In the same vein, the flood is said to have sacked some members of the State House of Assembly, living in Ganaja village, from their apartments.
Commuters have continued to experience difficult plying part the popular kabawa road in Lokoja due to the effect of flood in the state capital.
Nine out of the 22 local government areas of the state are said to be affected by the flood this year of which Ibaji Local Governmemt is feeling the heat most.
Farmers in Ibaji and its environs are said to counting the enormous loses in their farm produce, besides houses and other valuables they lost to thehe natural disaster.
The Reporters recalls that a two-term Senator, Tunde Ogbeha, who represented Kogi West Senatorial district, has come to the aid of victims of flood victims in Kotonkarfe in Kogi Local Governmemt Area of the state.
Ogbeha, represented by his wife, Esther, at the distrbution of the relief materials in Kotonkarfe, called on the Federal and state government to come to relieve the victims in order to cushion the effect on their well-being.
Kogi state, which experienced the worst flood in 2012,in its 29 years history as a geographical expression, is among the states in the federation NiMET predicted would have flood this year.
The agency, earlier this year, warned residents living along the bank of River Niger and Benue to relocate to safer areas to avert the predicted disaster.
However, some members of the public, in their comments on a radio phoning programme by a private Radio station, Grace FM 99.5 in Lokoja on Monday, also appealed to the state government to look into the flood at Ganaja-Ajaokuta road.
They described the experience of commuters on that road as pathetic, adding that the unfortunate development needed urgent government attention.
