…….as rainwater stagnates in front of Baba Authority Church and AP Filling Station, residents question hygiene standards where edibles are sold and urge both government action and social responsibility
For over a week, drainage channels along a major stretch of Ondo Road in Akure, the Ondo State capital, have been filled to the brim with stagnant water, refuse, and weeds. The blockage, directly in front of the Freedom Apostolic Revival International Ministry, FARIM, Akure and the popular AP Filling Station, is now raising concerns about flooding, road damage, and public health.
Despite ongoing heavy commercial activity tied to a special church programme running day and night, the gutters remain uncleared, forcing rainwater to spill onto the road and pedestrian paths.
Photographs obtained, show murky water sitting in clogged drainages, with trash and mud blocking free flow. Vehicles and pedestrians are seen navigating flooded portions of the roadside.
Residents say the situation worsens each time it rains. With NiMET recently warning of possible flash floods in several parts of the country due to torrential rains, many fear this section of Ondo Road could be among the first to be affected.
“This is a gateway into and out of Akure, via Ondo Road. Every day, hundreds of vehicles pass here. If the rains come harder, the water has nowhere to go except onto the road,” a road user said. “It’s despicable that we are seeing this on a major road.”
The FARIM Akure, has been holding a special week-long service, drawing large crowds and vendors who now occupy the open space around the church to sell food and other items.
But the situation has sparked questions about hygiene and social responsibility.
“Where is the place of hygiene in a place where edibles are being sold?” one concerned resident asked. “This is a church environment. A church is supposed to mold the people and also model good conduct for the community. How can we sell food beside dirty, stagnant water and overflowing gutters?”
The same issue was observed near the AP Filling Station adjoining the church on the same lane, where blocked gutters have also led to water pooling on the road, remain unattended to.
Community members say while religious and commercial activities are welcome, basic sanitation cannot be compromised, especially in a public and spiritual gathering.
The situation highlights a dual responsibility gap.
Residents are calling on the Ondo State Ministry of Environment, Akure South LGA, and sanitation agencies to urgently evacuate the drainages before the next heavy downpour.
At the same time, there are appeals to the church leadership, vendors, and residents to take ownership by desilting gutters, providing waste bins, and ensuring food is sold in hygienic conditions.
Environmental and health experts warn that blocked drainages, with open food sales, can put the public at risk of waterborne diseases, cholera, and malaria, in addition to flooding and road deterioration.
Akure thrives on faith, commerce, and movement, but development without environmental responsibility leaves both people and infrastructures vulnerable.
A place of worship should not only preach values, but also model worshippers and their vendors, on doing the needful in such an environment to uphold values and virtues that includes cleanliness, order, and care for the environment.
Residents’ are of the appeal that they should clear the gutters now, protect the roads, uphold hygiene and prevent flood.
