A damaged bridge on Ladoje Street in Orile-Agege Local Council Development Area of Lagos is putting the lives of pupils of Oko-Oba and Ladoje primary schools at risk, residents of the area have said.PUNCH METRO gathered that there are 992 pupils in the schools and a large number of them cross the bridge every school day.Our correspondent, who visited the area on Wednesday, observed that floods have continued to erode the bridge, the only access road to the schools, and this makes it difficult for the pupils to get to their schools whenever it rains.The incessant rains have also eaten deep into the surrounding access routes to the schools complex leaving a deep gully. The gully, according to some parents, has now become a death trap.Some of them told PUNCH METRO that the floods did not only take over the bridge, which was built across a canal but also blocked the adjoining lands leading to the complex, which houses the two schools.A parent, Mr. Mustapha Okeraimi, said apart from losing property when the canal overflowed, members of the community were forced to send their children on compulsory holidays on many occasions."The floods have continued to be our albatross in this community since the torrential rains that touched most parts of Lagos in July. Since then, our children have been on and off school. Whenever it is about to rain, parents go to the school complex to pick their children in order to prevent them from being swept away by the floods, "Okeraimi said.Okeraimi appealed to the state government and the Orile-Agege LCDA to pull resources together to reconstruct and expand the canal to prevent it from overflowing its bank.For Mrs. Bose Ogunsola, a parent, the sight of parents running helter-skelter to pick their children whenever clouds formed had become quite common in the area.She said the development affected teaching as most parents were forced to come for their children while lessons were still on.Ogunsola said, "Whenever it is about to rain, the schools are always forced to release the pupils and close. Most parents and guardians would have moved their children and wards to private schools if they could afford the tuition."The state government should do something to prevent loss of lives of our children. Are they waiting till tragedy strikes before coming to our aid'"Another resident, Mrs. Sherifat Salaudeen, said the state of the bridge now made her do compulsory school run."I had to take my destiny into my hands and watch over my children. Though the teachers help the younger pupils across the bridge, I still abandon my business and pick them daily after school hours," Salaudeen said.A primary six pupil of Oko-Oba Primary School, who identified himself simply as Ayo, said most of the pupils were fearful whenever it rained because they could easily fall into the canal if they slipped."Though our teachers warn us to be careful while crossing the bridge, because of the ditch, we still dont feel safe. That is why they guide the younger ones whenever it rains and the place is flooded. The government should help us out and save us from danger," Ayo said.The Headmistress of Ladoje Primary School, Mrs. Orebanjo Victoria, refused to comment on the challenges facing the school. However, she said the concerned authorities were aware of the conditions under which the pupils learn."The Local Government Education Authority is aware of the situation and invariably the teaching and learning environment. They are aware of the state of the canal and the accessibility to the schools," she said.When contacted on the phone, Executive Secretary, Agege Local Government Education Authority, Mr. Lekan Majiyagbe, said he was concerned about the situation.He added that his office was working closely with the Orile-Agege LCDA on a palliative measure to ease the problems."I am aware of the state of the canal. It is a project of the state government. The Ministry for the Environment is aware of the situation. They have sent a team of engineers to assess the place. The resources within the reach of the LCDA might not be enough to bring a lasting solution to the danger the canal is posing to the safety of the pupils, he said.
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