Oyo State
Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, has said all structures on waterways and floodplains
obstructing the free flow of rivers may have to give way, to forestall further
loss of lives and property in Ibadan, the state capital.
Ajimobi said
this during an on-the-spot assessment of areas affected by flood that submerged
some buildings and other valuables in some areas in Ibadan after a five-hour
downpour, on Tuesday.
The places
visited included Orogun, Shasha Alfonso, Egberi and Oki Rivers in Olodo, and
Onipepeye, all within Ibadan
The governor
was represented by his deputy, Chief Moses Adeyemo, who was in company with
officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), led by the Zonal
Coordinator (South-West), Mr. Yakubu Sulaimon.
He used the
opportunity to admonish residents to desist from bad habits that have been
found to cause flooding, noting that the lives of citizens and their property
were precious and would be protected by the government. Aside ongoing dredging
of river channels, he said other preventive measures would be taken to prevent the
ugly experience of the past when flood caused monumental loss of lives and
property in Ibadan.
“When the
government says don’t build on waterways or river course, some people always
say the government is wicked. This (flooding) is the result of disobedience to
such directive. Henceforth, we are not going to condone such transgression. All
structures on waterways will have to give way. We are not going to open our
eyes and allow our people to be victims of any disaster.
“Even, a
single soul is very important to us and we are not going to allow lives to be
lost to avoidable disasters because we don’t know what such person will become
in the future. I sympathise with those that were forced to vacate their homes
because of flooding.
“Let me use
this opportunity to say that the collapsed bridge at Oki Olodo, in Egbeda Local
Government will be rebuilt. In fact, let me say this will happen before the end
of the year.”
Ajimobi
appealed to residents in the state to comply with building regulations, adding
that government would not relent in its sensitisation efforts.
Meanwhile,
NEMA has disclosed that more than 300 houses were ravaged by flood on Tuesday
morning in different parts of Ibadan, Oyo State capital.
An early
morning rain which lasted about five hours wreaked havoc in many parts of the
city on Tuesday.
Yakubu made
the disclosure in an interview with newsmen in Ibadan during an inspection of
the affected areas, led by Otunba Adeyemo.
Some of the
affected areas included Wofun and Oki at Olodo, Akobo, Idi-Ape, Gbekuba, Apata,
Omi Adio, Orogun and Bodija. Property worth millions of naira were destroyed in
many houses submerged by flood.
Elsewhere,
Ajimobi received Corps Marshal of the Federal Roads Safety Commission (FRSC),
Boboye Oyeyemi, where he called on the commission to develop a database for
easy distribution of drivers’ licence throughout the country.
The governor
said his administration has put the security of lives and property on the front
burner since he came on board, and added that the support and cooperation of
citizens were essential for the law enforcement agents to nip crimes in the
bud.
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