By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukwu
Flooding has left a trail of destruction in parts of Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, with residents counting heavy losses after torrential rainfall submerged homes, destroyed properties and wiped out livelihoods.
The downpour, which lasted several hours on Tuesday, May 20, flooded major streets in the area including Udok, Udofa, Essien Imoh, Idua Road and Almighty Road. Residents woke up to waterlogged homes, soaked belongings and ruined businesses, as the floodwater swept through the neighborhoods with little resistance from the blocked drainage system.
Among the worst hit is Gift Udia, a poultry farmer and mother of four, whose small business was decimated when the floodwater breached her compound.
“I went out around 6am to check on the birds because I was supposed to vaccinate them that morning. But when I got there, I discovered that the fence of the poultry had collapsed and water had entered the place. All my 500 chicks were dead,” she said tearfully.
Udia said she had taken a loan through a cooperative contribution scheme to set up the poultry farm, which had been her family’s only source of income since her husband lost his job.
“We survive on that farm. I pay my children’s school fees from the profits. Now everything is gone, and I don’t even know how to repay the money I borrowed,” she lamented, calling on the state and federal governments, as well as emergency management agencies, to intervene.
Mr. Daniel Inyang, another victim and resident of Udok Street, said his house was submerged, with property worth millions of naira destroyed.
“Everything in my house was soaked — beds, foams, electronics, foodstuff, even our clothes. The water entered through the doors and windows. We couldn’t save anything,” he said.
He blamed the flooding on years of neglect of drainage systems, noting that gutters in the area are blocked due to poor waste disposal practices.
“People keep dumping refuse in the gutters. The government also needs to build bigger drainages that can handle the volume of rainwater we now experience,” he said.
Governor Umo Eno has repeatedly urged residents to take environmental sanitation seriously by clearing gutters and avoiding the dumping of refuse in drainages. He warned that unchecked practices could lead to ecological disasters like flooding.
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) recently listed Akwa Ibom among states expected to experience prolonged and heavy rainfall in 2025, forecasting between 250 to 290 rainy days, with a heightened risk of flooding and waterborne diseases like cholera.
As the rains begin, Eket residents say their fears are already becoming a reality, and they are pleading for urgent intervention to avert a deeper crisis.