THE Oyo State government on Tuesday informed that a more proactive and effective measure has been put in place to mitigate flood disaster in Ibadan, the state capital in this rainy season.
Also, the government, through its Ibadan Urban Flood Management Project (IUFMP), with support from the World Bank, said it was on top of the situation.
Addressing newsmen at a three-day workshop on the role of the media in mitigating flood risk in Ibadan, organised by IUFMP, held at the Prince Ajibola Afonja Hall of Plaza De Haruna, Oyo town, the state commissioner for Information and Culture, Mr Toye Arulogun urged residents not to panic as they welcome the rainy season, with the government assuring that measures were being taken to prevent disaster as well as ensuring that the flood does not wreck havoc in the state this year.
Arulogun, in his goodwill message/lecture titled ‘ The Imperative of a Cordial Government – Media Relationship on Development Projects’ sought synergy between the government and media in mitigating flood risks in Ibadan.
He highlighted innovative works such as the Ibadan City Master plan, Flood Risk Management and Drainage Master Plan, and the Solid Waste Management Master plan as part of the government’s strategies to halt flood in the city.
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Also speaking at the workshop, Commissioner for Finance and Budget, Mr. Bimbo Adekanbi acknowledged flood as a universal disaster, recalling that the city had been witnessing flooding for a long time, with the first recorded one being in 1951.
The commissioner, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Alhaji Musa Olawoye, lamented that successive governments had offered palliatives, which amounted to merely redressing the damage done to hydraulic infrastructure and cushioning the loses to lives and properties, but without remedying the fundamental causes of the menace.
“Much unlike its predecessors, the Ajimobi administration took the bull by the horns by designing a comprehensive and deep-rooted solution to the longstanding problem, the result of which is the IUFMP. It is gratifying that the project is already delivering masterpiece civil works across Ibadan, and many more will soon commence”, he added.
Other resource persons at the workshop, which began on Monday, included Dr. Adeyinka Lanihun from Communications and Language Arts Department, University of Ibadan and a Media Consultant, Mr Bolaji Oladepo, who recommended a synergy between the media and IUFMP to assist in mitigating flood in Ibadan.
