Many felt the weather that was to herald the four hours rain which eventually shook Sharamansur quarters in Funakaye local government to foundation was normal .
They soon realized that it was a deceitful atmosphere that merely suggested to many, the quick need for serious passion before heading to farm or the daily routine.
To the unsuspecting council chairman of the local government in Gombe state, Hon. Adamu Cheldu, who was at the time drawing the day’s routine and movement, it was a desired atmosphere that would douse the tension associated with public office, especially at the weekend.
To the average farmers in the locality, a looming happiness that juggled the zeal to plant and weed their farms of unwanted thorns. Of course, to all the affected 50 households whose 79 houses were destroyed, it was another bright day that later spelt doom and calamity.
The same rain that kept many indoors forced the over 7,000 villagers out as the 79 houses were submerged with no options left for the owners who had all in a frenzy gone into spontaneous prayers, daring the worst, especially the cries from neighbours whose common voices bite harder into their hearings.
The situation defied prayers; they were forced out as water continued streaming in. While outside, the affected neighbours watched their houses collapsing like a pack of cards.
At the council’s boss house, the constant phone calls which he initially ignored for concentration on the day’s planning before his wife succeeded in convincing him to pick the seventh which eventually tore Cheldu away from his family as he merely looked straight into his wife’s eyes to say: “dear, akoyi damua” (dear, there’s problem.)
The question: “menini?” (What happened?) By his wife was unanswered as Cheldu was already out into the rain without umbrella.
His official driver that was later summoned by his wife however met him drenched him at the scene of the natural disaster.
According to the chairman: “the most pathetic (though commendable) was the sight of the council boss assisting in struggling to save properties from going with the flood.
Adamu Dahiru, a villager, “since the founding of the village 70 years ago, such torrential rain never happened,” no wonder all the stakeholders including the state government and public-spirited individuals and politicians promptly swung into action to salvage the situation that has rendered no fewer than 300 homeless and hopeless.
Dahiru, a village teacher recalled that the rain started at about 6:am and lasted four hours, “at the end, many of us are now squatting with our neighbours who took in our wives and children till enduring respite come from either government or corporate organisations,” he said, adding that: “at the end, fellow villagers are now assisting us with accommodation and palliatives to ease our agonies.”
Lamentations, and regrets took over the entire area as the hitherto happy villagers suddenly became sad over the natural calamity occasioned by the heavy downpour.
Another villager, Usman Musa, a 29-year-old businessman in the locality wept before The Guardian that: “I feel bad, I can hardly replace my property that was destroyed by the rain. Though I lost many things, some people lost all they ever worked for.”
While only few saw it as divine machination, many including the village head realised it was an avoidable calamity that could have been averted if only the contractor that constructed the drain channel from the Bajoga old cemetery to the Federal Government Girls College (FGGC) had done a good job on the local government contract.
There were always rainfalls and flooding, “but none had ever been this devastating, “says Mai Angoa (the village head).
The monarch who on behalf of others lamented the effect of the flooding in their lives, heaping the blame on the former All Progressives Congress (APC) Bajoga West ward chairman, Muhammed Tella of Melle ventures who warned bid for the contract, “the contractor did not do good job on the channel and the culverts at all, we have been having flooding since he was contracted but we never had it this devastating,” he said.
It was discovered that the water that accompanied the heavy downpour passed through the small channel worked by the contractor, Tella and headed to the one from the FGGC to face the larger one at the Potiskum express road from where it finds its way.
But, the villagers were convinced that the channel by Melle construction company couldn’t hold the water that spilled over and entered the houses to wreak havoc.
The village head, however,urged the council boss to re-award the construction of an enduring water channel that would withstand any torrential pressure.
The position of the village head was however exemplified by the council chief, Adamu Cheldu who took the state government’s delegation led by the Deputy Governor, Manassah Jatau on a tour of the area.
Cheldu informed the delegation that included the Secretary to the State Government (SSG,) Prof. Ibrahim Njodi, some commissioners and top government officials that “the problem and the cause of this flooding is lack of waterways; we don’t have enough channels and drainages to contain the volume of water especially when it falls like that in the future.”
He added that aside from the more publicised Bajoga flooding, another one actually happened at Ashaka area where two people were hospitalised, one dead and another ten households rendered homeless.
The state government expressed concern over the disaster by sympathising with the villagers as the deputy governor disclosed that: “we have been on ground since we heard of the flooding and of course today won’t be the last visit by the state government.
“That I am even here with top four government aides means we are seriously concerned. I can assure you that why we deploy people to the area and our visit today is to assess the situation and for us to know what to do to avert and assist the affected citizens,” he disclosed.
The Funakaye chairman later told newsmen: “I did all I could to save some properties because you will agree that it is saddening to watch all you laboured for being washed away by flood, I merely empathised with the victims more so, it is easier to save than to replace.”
Director General of state Emergency Management Authority (GOSEMA), Muhammed Garba told newsmen that the National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) had warned that Funakaye tops the list of the likely to be affected flooding in the country.
Meanwhile, while the state government responded to the occasion with the Victims Support Foundation (VSF) COVID-19 relief materials of 5-kg beans; 7.5kg maize; 2.5litre groundnut oil; 10kg rice, mat and blanket for each household after the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Jubril Barde had visited the people with 5o cartons of macaroni, spaghetti and ten bags of Semovita for each family.
Also, the governorship candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP,) Khamisu Mailantarki was in the village with N100,000,000 for each family affected by the disaster.
