adminOgun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has called on the Federal Government to intervene in addressing the periodic flooding that affects the Isheri community in the state’s Ifo Local Government Area.
Abiodun made the call while receiving the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Tsev, who paid him a courtesy call in his office at Oke-Mosan Abeokuta, on Tuesday.
He noted that the magnitude of the flooding was beyond the state government’s capacity, hence the call for prompt attention from the federal government.
“Yesterday, I was in Isheri North where we bordered Lagos. The whole of that area is flooded and that is one of our most valuable parcel of land with Estates for upper and medium income earners and we also have lots of industries there because of its proximity to Lagos State.
“We need the federal government’s not just attention, but intervention, but Intervention because the remedial action that is required to resolve this crisis is beyond what the state can handle and of course, we do not even have the expertise and beyond expertise, we do not have the financial capacity to solve the problem.
“This place is completely build up and we are not going to start demolishing houses. The level of investments in that area is so high. We must have a team from the state government, Ministries of Water Resources, Environment and of course Humanitarian Affairs to see what we can do collaboratively, to bring immediate term relief to our people. We should also work towards medium term and more sustainable long term solutions to the problem.”
The governor acknowledged that dams are built to provide water for people, businesses, and agriculture, but expressed regret that the state has been plagued by persistent flooding in recent years.
He blamed this on a lack of purpose-built channels and the building of structures on flood plains and drainages, and said it was time to take action and find a permanent solution.
As there is a connection between sanitation and health, he said the state was aware of the Clean Up Nigeria, Water Sanitation Hygiene, and e-Wash projects run by the ministry.
Assuring that steps would be taken to address the issues, Prof. Tsev said he was in the state to visit the ministry’s facilities at the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority, which included the Oyan Dam and farms.
He added that a long-term solution needed to be found for the issue as the ministry was concerned about the ongoing flooding brought on by the flow of water from Oyan Dam.
“We are in Ogun State to take a total assignment of what is happening with a view to prevent it . The flooding can be prevented and we will be in Ogun and Lagos states, to see what can be done to tackle the problem once and for all.
“We are also here to see how open defecation can be eliminated as well as how the State can key into our various programmes like the Clean Up Nigeria, Water Sanitation Hygiene programme and the e- Wash programme.”
