It was a pathetic scene as a seven-year-old pupil drowned in a drainage channel over the weekend along two lanes at Akwa Efak by Nsikak Eduok Avenue in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital.
It was learnt that the downpour, which occurred on Saturday evening and lasted many hours, submerged homes and destroyed properties worth thousands of naira.
The boy, Jeremiah Alphonsus accompanied by a guardian was struggling to pick his pair of slippers that slipped into the drain, but he fell into the drain and was swept off by the flood water.
Governor Udom Emmanuel, who visited the bereaved family Tuesday at Atan Street in Uyo, expressed sadness over the demise of the boy, saying, “I really feel bad that a little boy could drown in a gutter. This is purely an accident my heartfelt condolences to the entire family.”
Emmanuel explained that it was in a bid to control flooding occasioned by heavy rainfall that the state government embarked on construction of outfall drains, advising pedestrians to endeavor to keep off construction sites during rainfall.
The governor stated that his administration has held meetings on safety measures, with contracting firms handling construction of underground drainages in the state, assuring that construction companies have been directed to cordon off project sites with appropriate caution signpost to forestall similar accidents.
Mr. Ukeme Alphonsus, the father of the deceased, recounted that the sad incident occurred in a drainage outfall at Akwa Efak by Nsikak Eduok while the deceased was returning home in company of a guardian, expressing appreciation to the governor for the visit.
The Governor’s entourage included Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Mrs. Ekerebong Akpan, Head of the State Civil Service, Charles Udoh, Commissioner of Information and Strategy and his counterparts in the Ministries of Environment and Mineral Resources as well as Transport and Petroleum Resources, Dr. Iniobong Essien and Mr. Orman Esin, respectively.
Earlier Tuesday, Mr. Charles Udoh, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy and Dr. Iniobong Essien, the Commissioner for Environment and Mineral Resources, had visited the scene, advising residents to be cautious and to follow the safety rules.
The commissioners, however, sympathised with the family of the victim, assuring residents that the state government would provide necessary safety measures to guide road users from straying into open gutters and big drainages in the city.
They inspected the flood-prone areas of Akwa Efak by Two Lanes, said barricades including wire mesh and iron bars, would be erected to prevent a repeat of the incident.
“Government is committed to taking proactive measures towards providing safety measures for lives and property during this rainy season.
“It is also expedient for members of the public and transporters to be careful as they walk or drive through the streets during the heavy downpours especially near big drains and gutters to guard against death by drowning,” the commissioners said.
