Flood-hit Ogun fish farmers seek Tinubu, Abiodun’s intervention

The Ijebuland Fish Farmers’ Association has appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, to provide emergency relief materials and compensation to fish farmers whose investments were destroyed by flash floods that ravaged parts of Ijebu-Ife and Ijebu-Igbo last week.

The association said the floods, triggered by two days of torrential rainfall between July 13 and 14, 2026, washed away fish ponds and catfish and damaged production assets belonging to over 150 fish farmers, valued at over N700m.

Speaking during a press conference held on Thursday at Eriwe Farms Village, Ijebu-Ode, the association’s secretary, Mr Oluyemi Oludayo, said the disaster had dealt another devastating blow to fish farmers who were only beginning to recover from prolonged market gluts and recent insecurity in the area.

According to him, the affected farmers are located at the Mojalake Fish Farm Cluster, Ijebu Ife, along the Sagamu-Ore-Benin Expressway in Ijebu East Local Government Area, as well as fish farming communities in Ijebu-Igbo, including Egbe Semi Jeje, Odogbolu, Mercy Model and West End, all within Ijebu North Local Government Area.

Oludayo said, “Just when the prolonged glut in the fish market was easing and demand for catfish was beginning to improve, our members were again hit by devastating floods caused by heavy rainfall that lasted for two days.

“The disaster has resulted in the destruction of fish, ponds, solar pumping machines, solar panels, gas cylinders and other production assets worth over N700m.”

He explained that fish farmers in Ijebu-Igbo alone lost investments estimated at over N300m, blaming the flooding on blocked waterways, inadequate drainage systems, unchecked urban development and the failure of relevant authorities to dredge and desilt the Ogbere Stream.

“The Ogbere Stream, which serves as the major channel for evacuating floodwaters from the town, has become too narrow and shallow due to years of neglect. Consequently, it overflowed its banks after the heavy rains, destroying fish farms and other investments,” he said.

The association called on the Ogun State Government to immediately commence the construction and rehabilitation of drainage systems, remove structures obstructing waterways, and dredge the Ogbere Stream to increase its capacity.

Oludayo also attributed losses estimated at over N400m suffered by fish farmers at the Mojalake Fish Farm Cluster in Ijebu-Ife to flooding allegedly worsened by the ongoing reconstruction of the Sagamu-Ore-Benin Expressway.

While commending the Federal Government for rehabilitating the highway, he argued that the project lacked adequate drainage infrastructure.

“We are not against the road project. We welcome development. However, we are concerned about the manner in which the project is being executed.

“The reconstruction, with heavily reinforced concrete pavement but without adequate drainage, has channelled huge volumes of water directly into the Mojalake Fish Farm Cluster, leading to predictable flooding,” he said.

The association urged the Federal Ministry of Works to immediately construct appropriate drainage channels to redirect stormwater into the Ade River and also dredge the river to prevent future flooding.

Oludayo further criticised what he described as the government’s reactive approach to flood management, saying authorities had continued to issue flood warnings without investing sufficiently in drainage infrastructure, affordable housing, and the routine clearing of rivers and waterways.

According to him, annual dredging and desilting of rivers across Ijebuland would significantly reduce flooding and protect lives, livelihoods and investments.

He recalled that in 2022, over six fish farm clusters reportedly lost investments worth more than N500m to flooding, while fish farmers in the Odogbolu-Ayepe axis allegedly suffered losses exceeding N300m in 2025 after the Uren River overflowed.

He added that affected farmers had yet to receive compensation.

“The victims have been left without any form of assistance. Some have not recovered from those losses, while others continue farming under constant fear whenever the rainy season begins,” he said.

Oludayo disclosed that fish farmers in the Ikangba-Agoro area had previously spent over N30m in 2023 to dredge the Yemule River through self-help before receiving government intervention months later.

He added that the farmers again spent over N20m this year to dredge the river before the July rainfall.

“The responsibility of dredging rivers and clearing waterways should not rest on struggling farmers. It is the responsibility of government and should be carried out routinely,” he added.

The association demanded the immediate distribution of relief materials to affected farmers, payment of compensation for destroyed investments, routine dredging of rivers and streams across Ogun State, provision of single-digit agricultural loans, affordable solar-powered pumping equipment, and the establishment of the proposed agricultural marketing board to address recurring fish gluts.

Mr Hafeez Bada, Chairman of the Ijebu Igbo Fish Farmers Association, and his counterpart for Mojalake Farm Clusters, Ijebu Ife, Engr Isah Hussaini, begged the government at both the state and federal levels to come to the aid of the fish farmers, saying that the ugly incident had led to some of their members being hospitalised.

Engr Hussaini said, “The losses are unbearable. I personally lost over N40m. Some of our members have had to be hospitalised. We really don’t want to lose any of us. We are only begging Gov Dapo Abiodun and President Tinubu to please come to our aid. We have been left with nothing to sustain our families. We beg for this much-needed help.”

The chairman of the Ijebu Land Fish Farmers Association, Mr Lazarus Okole, and Mr Eko John Nicholas, spokesperson of the association and national coordinator, Food and Farmers Rights Campaigns, also begged for urgent help from both the state and federal governments, saying that only adequate compensation could help the affected farmers to recover from the shocking incident and return to business.

The association also urged the Federal Government to include catfish and other protein sources in school feeding programmes to tackle malnutrition among pupils and called for increased public investment in agriculture to address rising food inflation and the cost-of-living crisis.