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When the rain began on April 4, 2026, residents of Isashi in the Ojo Local Government Area (LGA) of Lagos State knew what would follow.
As the downpour persisted, streets quickly filled with water, turning parts of the community into flooded pathways.
Akanbi Tayelolu, a trader and resident of the Ojo Local Government Area (LGA) of Lagos State, sat in his shop in Oke Street, Signboard, Iyana Isashi, watching passers-by struggle to navigate the flooded pathways. It was around 1 pm, and children who had just closed from school were heading home.
With no alternative, the schoolchildren waded through the murky flood, clutching an electric pole to cross the road, risking electrocution and exposure to polluted water.
The situation remained the same every other day it rained. When it rained on the morning of April 26, 2026, Oke Street was flooded with discarded nylon and plastic bottles floating on the murky water.
Isashi Struggles With Poor Roads, Flooding
Residents of Isashi told News Central that deplorable roads plague the community, but the road in Oke Street, which leads to the community’s school and health centre, is the worst. According to residents, the road, which is barely motorable when it rains, has been deplorable for years.
The poor road conditions and routine flooding in the community disrupt residents’ lives and businesses. Children who walk on the road to get to school or home when it rains are exposed to skin infections and other medical conditions, and electrocution when they clutch on to electric poles. Children and adults also risk falling into gutters.
A resident, Hammad Abiodun, said he has never seen the road in good condition since he moved into the community and that it has deteriorated over the years. Abiodun said that some residents also fall while struggling to access the roads.
Mariam Lawal, another resident, recounted that her child fell into a gutter on a rainy day while they were returning home from the mosque after Friday prayers.
Residents, in separate interviews with News Central, said the local and state governments are passing the buck to each other, and neither has taken responsibility for road repairs.
“The road has been bad since I moved in. It is affecting both the old and the young. Whenever it rains heavily, many of them fall inside the gutter or into a pothole here,” said Abiodun.
“We have been reaching out to the government to no avail. They would tell us they would fix it, but do nothing. When we get to the government at the grassroots, they would redirect us to the state government. And the state government will redirect us to the local government. They keep tossing us around.”
Traders said they record slow and little sales on rainy days, which they attributed to the floods and the deplorable road.
Olakunle Toheeb, a trader, said no customer is willing to walk into the flood to reach her shop.
“The condition of the road is terrible. Pedestrians and motorists can’t pass on the road. They keep tossing us about. Whoever is responsible for repairing the road should do the needful. My customers are not encouraged to pass the road to come and patronise me because they have to put their legs in the dirty water,” Toheeb lamented.
Akanbi Taiyelolu, another trader who expressed displeasure at the deplorable road, said that traders sleep in their shops when the road is flooded on rainy days because of poor sales.
“We are displeased with the deteriorating condition of the road. Whenever it rains, people fall into the gutter, and schoolchildren fall. The government should not abandon us. We can’t make sales when it rains. We just sleep and wake up in our shop.
The residents appealed to the government to come to their rescue and repair the roads.
