Aftermath of the heavy rains on Wednesday, the Commissioners for Environment and Water Resources, Rt. Hon. Kehinde Ayoola and his counterpart from Works, Prof. Raphael Afonja went round the city yesterday.
The Oyo state Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Hon. Kehinde Ayoola, expressed displeasure at the existence of several structures on waterways which point to there not have building plans.
Hon. Ayoola,urged the community residents to quickly move away when it rain and stop endangering their lives by remaining in their flood-prone buildings.
He particularly enjoined inhabitants and owners of structures on waterways and floodplains to temporarily evacuate, especially whenever it rained.
“Our people should stop doing things that help flood like putting buildings on waterways, dumping refuse on waterways. These houses we see probably don’t have town planning approval. We are going to arrest the situation, and we are not just making promises,”Nigerian Tribune quoted Ayoola in a report.
The government officials visited Olodo, Wofun, Kute, Jerinyin and other areas of Ibadan.
Speaking, Secretary, Oyo State Emergency Maintenance Agency, (OYSEMA), Lukman Arasi said the agency would roll out emergency measures once it ascertained the extent of damage and got the approval of state governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde.
Meanwhile, on the part of community, Ekerin, Olodo of Olodo, Chief Kamorudeen Gbadegesin decried the recurrence of flood in Olodo area, noting that they had had to offer sacrifices to appease the water goddess.
He decried that people from near and far usually dumped refuse in the stream in the area thereby resulting in recurrence of flood in the area.