Legendary Afrobeat musician, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, gave scant consideration to the evil side of water when he composed the song “Water No Get Enemy” in 1975. Water, no doubt, is essential to life and survival as was encapsulated by the musician in the song, considering the numerous uses for which it is indispensable, namely drinking, cooking, bathing and washing, among others.

But this life’s necessity about which Fela raved also has its awful side, especially if it come in the form of flood, which has continuously wreaked havoc across the globe. Indeed, many individuals, families or communities that had experienced one form of flood disaster or the other will dispute Fela’s submission on water’s friendliness.

Among them are the three families in the flood disaster that claimed the life of a six-year-old pupil, Success Ezenwafor, on the Awka-Nibo-Nise-Enugu-Ukwu Ring Road in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State. The night before, it had rained cats and dogs and continued into the following day until noon. Some parents, especially those with bitter experiences of flood related calamities, had decided not to allow their children go to school on account of the downpour. For them, a day absence from school would not impact negatively on their wards’ academic performances.

Others who defied the rain either drove their kids to school themselves or accompanied them to ensure they got there safely. But the parents of the kids involved in the unfortunate incident did not foresee the untoward experience. One of them, Chikwado Nwoye, who is also a teacher, said the Tuesday’s incident was her first experience ever. According to her, she would not have taken her kids to school if she had anticipated the ugly situation. She said in the worst case scenario, she would have taken another route.

Narrating her ordeal in an interview with The Nation, Nwoye said the family had offered special prayers inside the vehicle before embarking on the journey to school on that fateful day. She said there were 10 of them in the bus including the driver and his two kids, three kids from Success’ family, herself and her three children.

She said: “We normally observe our routine family devotion before leaving the house every morning. But that particular morning, I remembered requesting that we prayed again inside the bus, which was something unusual.

“I think we were the first to pass through that road on that day. We left around 6.30am. Besides, we didn’t see a single vehicle until we got to the point of the flood. Otherwise, we would have reversed. Actually, I sat at the back of the bus, so I didn’t see the flood.

“It was when the driver started struggling with the steering that I realised we were in trouble. He attempted to reverse but he could not. Trapped in the middle of the flood, the bus was tossed up and down. We spent more than three hours in the raging flood. Other vehicles coming from both sides reversed. Others waited for the water to recede.

Our bus had not got to the middle of the flood when the engine suddenly went off. We started praying, including the children. At some point, we switched over to praising God. The force of the flood was so much that the bus started tilting. Suddenly, it tumbled close to a bushy area. By then, we had drunk some quantity of water. I can’t explain how the rest of the children stood up inside the bus.

“In course of the vehicle tumbling, I found myself and my second son outside the vehicle, across the road, right within the swampy area. I suddenly raised my head and that of my son and found grasses within the area which I held while also holding my child with the other hand.

“As the rain persisted, the water level kept rising. I told my son that what we were holding was Jesus, not grass, and he would not allow us to be carried away. I heard a voice whisper to me to look back and, behold, there was a tree behind us. I struggled and held the tree while still holding my child. I sighted my daughter on top of the water inside the bus.

“Meanwhile, the driver, who also found himself outside the vehicle, was struggling to get out of the flood. By then, the flood was gradually receding. It was at that point that those who were watching from a safe distance summoned courage to come to our rescue.

“The Mayor also came together with the local vigilante who rescued us with the help of ropes which they also used to pull the bus out of the flood before bringing out the kids. We were immediately taken to the hospital for medical attention.”

One of Nwoye’s sons, Gracious, said the deceased pupil, Success, in course of the bus tumbling, hit his head on glass window which already had cracks. He said Success suddenly fell off the vehicle and was swept away by the floodwaters. “We saw him being carried away by the flood until we didn’t see him again.”

His father, Dr Ugo Nwoye, said the little daughter had refused to go to school that fateful day; an act he described as unusual but he quickly dismissed. He wished he had listened to the girl, which probably would have averted the bitter experience.

Earlier, police spokesperson, Tochukwu Ikenga, had confirmed that the Command’s Safe School Operatives rescued nine victims after receiving a distress call about the flood incident. He however said the Commissioner of Police, CP Nnanna Oji Ama, had ordered an expanded search operation for the missing pupil and urged residents to provide any useful information that could aid the rescue effort.

The police had also advised parents, guardians, school authorities and motorists to exercise extreme caution around flooded roads, bridges and waterways, especially during periods of heavy rainfall.

Worried over the whereabouts of their missing child, the family of Success, together with some church members, friends and colleagues, swung into action, engaging the services of local divers as well as drones. Efforts made to trace him all through the day were however futile until the following morning when his body was eventually found within the same area. His remains were later buried in his hometown, Ula, Ekwulobia, in Aguata Local Government Area of the state.

Father of the deceased, Engr Christian Ezenwafor, said the late Success, a boy of many parts, remained difficult to describe. According to him, the deceased left indelible marks in the life of whoever crossed his path, adding that he would be sorely missed by the entire family, the school and the church.

He said: “I lack the words to describe my son, Success. He is too difficult to explain. In fact, he is really success. The impact he made in the life of the family, especially my wife and I, is unquantifiable. He is someone always ready to say sorry. On a daily basis, he would ask his mother if she loves him, especially when he did something wrong.

“Success was always jovial, playful, friendly and always smiling. He was adventurous and inquisitive; always eager to know. He asked questions that were beyond his age. Anytime he was sick, you would know that someone was not around. The entire house would be quiet. But he rarely fell sick.

“Last Sunday, he received several special gifts, including that of ‘well behaved child’, despite his hyper active nature. According to his teacher, Success would always want to do things that were beyond him. Even when he was not qualified, he would insist on being captured. He was always early to church activities and would arrange the seats, waiting for others to come.

“We will definitely miss him. I don’t know how he entered our hearts. I’m just begging God to delete all these memories from my heart, especially considering the way he died – taken through the chariots of flood. I also pray God to help the mother to overcome this irreparable loss.

“More importantly, I pray against premature death in my family, body of Christ and beyond. Success’ death calls for sober reflection on the brevity and frailty of life. On that fateful day he was leaving for school, he kissed me twice. That was Success for you. Before going to bed, he must kiss the mother and sometimes kiss me.”

The Chairman of Awka South Council Area, Prince Chinedu Okafor, who confirmed the rescue of the other seven children and two adults from the incident with adequate medical attention at the hospital they were taken to, commended the youths of Isiagu community for their courage, gallantry and prompt intervention and commitment during the rescue operation.

“The response to the incident demonstrated the importance of community cooperation, particularly during emergencies, and appreciated all individuals and groups who contributed to the rescue efforts,” he said.

While reiterating the commitment of his administration to the safety and welfare of residents, the chairman urged the public to exercise maximum caution during periods of heavy rainfall.

Particularly advised motorists, school children, parents, commuters and residents to avoid flood-prone roads, waterways and other potentially hazardous locations whenever there is heavy rainfall.

“We appeal to residents not to undertake unnecessary journeys or expose themselves and their loved ones to avoidable risks during flooding,” he added.

Confirming the recovery of the body of the missing child, Okafor expressed sadness over the loss, just as he conveyed his deepest condolences to the family of the deceased child. “We commiserate deeply with the Ezenwafor family over this heartbreaking loss. I spoke with a member of the family, who said they are understandably distraught.

According to him, Success’ father vividly remembers his final moments with his son before he left for school. Success kissed his father on both cheeks, said goodbye and boarded the shuttle bus for school. Tragically, he never returned home. Two other children from the family who were also involved in the incident were fortunately rescued.

Expectedly, reactions have continued to trail the ugly incident. While some attributed the ugly incident to government’s negligence of its avowed responsibility, others blamed it on the driver who they alleged insisted on navigating through the flood, probably to become another biblical Moses.

A climate change reporter, Alfred Ajayi, blamed the tragic development on climate change and failure of governance.

Ajayi said “The tragic death of six-year-old Success is a painful reminder of the growing dangers posed by extreme weather. Hours of intense rainfall can overwhelm communities and climate change is increasing the likelihood and severity of some forms of heavy precipitation.

“But the tragedy is not simply a story about the weather; it is also about how prepared our communities are to protect children and other vulnerable people when such events occur.

“For years, residents have repeatedly raised concerns about blocked drainage channels, inadequate waterways, poor waste disposal and weak flood-management infrastructure.

“When heavy downpours turn roads into dangerous torrents and drainage systems cannot cope, the consequences can be devastating.

“These are areas where effective government planning, enforcement, maintenance and emergency preparedness can reduce risk. A flood may be triggered by rainfall, but the scale of its human impact is often shaped by decisions about infrastructure and public safety made long before the rain begins.

“Success’ death should therefore prompt more than expression of sympathy. It should compel authorities to examine what happened, identify whether warnings, drainage systems, school-transport arrangements and emergency responses were adequate, and address the recurring conditions that make flooding so dangerous.

“Climate change may be making extreme rainfall a greater challenge, but government at every level still has a responsibility to anticipate these risks, maintain waterways and drainage infrastructure, enforce appropriate standards and protect children from preventable hazards.

“No family should have to send a child to school wondering whether the next downpour could turn the journey into a fight for survival.”

A resident of the town, Tony Okafor, described the incident as unfortunate, lamenting “frightening proportions” of flooding, especially in recent times.

According to him, homes and roads have been submerged, property destroyed and, tragically, human beings swept away by raging floodwaters. He however observed that the blame has always been shifted to the governor. “But let us ask an uncomfortable question: does Governor Chukwuma Soludo manufacture rainwater and unleash it on Ndi Anambra? Certainly not.

“This, however, is not an attempt to absolve the government of responsibility. Far from it. Soludo’s government must answer for everything within its power to prevent, mitigate and respond to flooding.

“Where drainage infrastructure is inadequate, waterways are obstructed, planning regulations are breached or emergency responses fall short, the government must be held accountable.

“But accountability should not become the convenient fiction that the governor personally causes every flood. The truth is that we have collectively abused, distorted and, in some places, practically murdered our environment.

“We build on natural waterways and drainage corridors. We block gutters with refuse. We convert flood channels into building plots. We pave over surfaces that once absorbed rainwater.

“We indiscriminately excavate soil, destroy vegetation and disregard town-planning regulations. Sometimes, we watch these violations happen and say nothing—until the flood arrives.

“Then nature presents the bill, and suddenly someone becomes the ‘rainmaker.’ That is not intelligible. It is an oversimplification of a complex problem.

“Anambra’s flooding has multiple dimensions: intense rainfall, topography, inadequate drainage in some areas, poor land-use practices, environmental degradation and failures in planning and enforcement.

“Government must therefore do its part. But Ndi Anambra must also do ours. We cannot destroy waterways, block drainage channels and violate planning rules, then expect government alone to save us from the consequences.

“The governor is not the rainmaker. But he is the governor—and government must be held accountable for what government can control. At the same time, citizens must accept responsibility for what citizens can control.

“Flooding is everybody’s problem. Therefore, preventing it must become everybody’s responsibility. Responding only after the damage is done is like providing medical care for a corpse in the morgue.

“What Anambra needs is not merely reaction after disaster but collective prevention before the next rainfall.”

A parent, who identified himself simply as Dr Ostende, said: “I have been deeply saddened and profoundly uncomfortable since I saw this lifeless picture of the little schoolchild, the innocent angel whose life was tragically cut short when their bus was swept away by flood on its way to school.

“What makes the tragedy even more painful is that it appears to have been an avoidable incident. When other motorists, faced with the terrifying force of the running flood, turned back for safety, the decision to proceed into such dangerous waters placed precious and innocent lives in needless jeopardy.

“There is no room for carelessness when one is entrusted with human lives, particularly the lives of innocent and defenceless children. A child enters a bus believing that the adults responsible for their safety will exercise the wisdom, caution and responsibility required to bring them home safely.

“This little angel had dreams yet to be lived, stories yet to be told, a future yet to unfold. That future has now been cruelly silenced by carelessness of an adult and more so an aged man. May this heartbreaking loss awaken in all of us a deeper sense of responsibility.

“Human life must never be treated as something to gamble with. When nature warns us with danger, wisdom demands that we stop; not that we dare the danger.”

A cleric, Rev. Chijioke Nwokeke, said: “As believers, we always will submit to the will of the Almighty God, believing that He knows all things and if He (God) did not allow it wouldn’t have happened.

“As humans I sincerely believe that the death is avoidable. Government should not allow another precious life to be lost at that same spot before something meaningful is done to fix the problem.

“Issues like this exposes how seriously we as a people are prepared for emergencies.” (The Nation)