By Aliyu DANLADI
Some residents of Magboro community along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Ogun on Thursday expressed mixed feelings over the early rainfalls recorded there early in the year.
TBI Africa said that some told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that it had brought them happiness and excitement.
Magboro community recorded two heavy rainfalls between Tuesday and Wednesday.
They said this was because it had brought an end to the heat, terrible dust and the hazy weather condition they had been experiencing since Year 2018.
Others said that it had damaged the untarred roads within the community and they might not be motorable for some time.
Both, however, said that most of the roads within the community were in deplorable conditions, and that they were always exposed to dust from motorists plying the routes.
A commercial motorcycle rider, Ibrahim Ahmed, said that he was excited about the rain because he would not bother about dusty body and hair anymore.
“You know because of our bad roads, everywhere has been dusty since the beginning of the year.
“My association members and I go about our daily activities wearing nose masks and face caps.
“Assuming we started work at 6 a.m., before 11 a.m., our hairs and skins would have covered by dust.
“It makes us look dirty and this is always a turn-off to most passengers,” Ahmed said.
Another rider, Idris Musa, said that the rain had helped minimise dust as they now worked without nose and face masks.
“This period is a blessing to us and it has come just at the right time.
“It has even helped to reduce heat.
“Now, we will not have to worry about respiratory ailments that we experienced in the past, ” he said.
A road-side fruit seller, Mohammed Rabiu , said that the fruits he displayed started to look dirty because they have been covered by dust.
”I always wash them in water because of dust.
”I don’t give room for dust to stay on my market because my customers will be discouraged and not patronise me.”
Rabiu said that with the raining season setting in, he had reduced the frequencies within wish he was washing his fruits.
Similarly, some workers at a filling station in the community said that they had been waiting for the season to commence because dust had started to affect them.
One of them, Ope Ayeni, told NAN that his job as a fuel dispenser required him to stand by the pump and beckon to vehicles coming into the station.
“Sometimes, some customers drive in with speed and create more dust in the process.
”It is not healthy to inhale dust for too long in the day because by the following day, ones throat would be itchy and he would have developed cough.
”Since the street is now wet following the rainfall, we are free from respiratory ailments. We are excited and grateful to God,” he said.
However, Abayomi Oyemi, an accountant who resides within the community expressed a different opinion about the season.
According to him, the roads are in bad condition after the downpour and they will become worse with accompanying floods.
He said, “I really hope our community leaders do something about the roads before the raining season starts fully.
“This place may be an eyesore after the next five rains.
“I admonish the local government officials and other residents like me to think of ways to work on our bad roads so things don’t get out of hands,’’ Oyemi said.“
Also, Mrs Julianah Idowu, a resident within the community, said that most motorists plying the access road from Magboro to Pakuro to avoid the expressway might have challenges now.
She said that motorists usually experienced traffic gridlocks around Magboro axis due to the ongoing construction along the Lagos –Ibadan Expressway.
They would divert at Magboro and pass through the untarred road to link the Expressway at Pakuro and vice- versa to continue their journeys.
She said that with the raining season setting in, most motorists would not be able to ply the access road again but be trapped in the traffic on the expressway.
