The Governor of the State of Osun, Adegboyega Oyetola, has sympathised with residents of the State over the adverse effects of Tuesday’s floods that ravaged some areas in the State, particularly Osogbo, the State capital.
Oyetola said government is working hard to forestall future occurrence of the ugly incident as efforts had been put in place to ensure safety against natural disasters.
Governor Oyetola, who spoke during an on-the-spot assessment and inspection tour to some affected areas in the State, also urged residents to stop indiscriminate refuse disposal in the State as it was established that many of the incidents were caused by drainage and waterways blockage.
Oyetola expressed sympathy over the incident and assured that necessary steps would be taken to address the situation as relevant agencies, including emergency response and disaster management teams had been contacted.
Addressing residents of Alie community in Olorunda Local Government Area of the State, Oyetola called for attitudinal change to environment management by the residents.
He said the time had come for residents to adhere strictly to environmental safety tips, saying this remained the only way to permanently put an end to the menace.
“I went round to see things for myself and I’ve seen that the damage was much. We have seen areas requiring interventions like dredging activities. This, we will attend to with immediate effect.
“I sympathize with the residents of the various communities troubled by flood. The rain was indeed torrential, and that informed our tour around the capital city to assess the impact.
“I sincerely sympathize with our people who have lost property to the flood. It was unfortunate, especially as it didn’t spare any quarter.
“From our observation, some of the waterways had blockages due to indiscriminate waste disposal by residents. In some cases, some people have mounted structures (either residential or business) on water passages.
“What we must realise is that water will always find a path for itself. Water can never be hindered, hence the need to always accord its rite of passage.
“What we are concerned about is the safety of our citizens. At this stage, we are not so much bothered about the location of the incident, whether it is a state road or federal road. What matters to us is the safety of the lives and property of our citizens,” Oyetola said.
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Some of the areas visited by the Governor were Oke-Ijetu area, Alie community, Gbodofon community, Alekunwodo area, GRA and Lameco areas.
The Governor was accompanied by his Deputy, Mr. Benedict Alabi; Secretary to the State Government, Prince Wole Oyebamiji; Chief of Staff to the Governor, Dr. Charles Akinola; Deputy Chief of Staff, Prince Abdulah Binuyo; Commissioner for Environment and Sanitation, Hon. Sola Oladepo; Special Adviser on Environment and Sanitation, Hon. Rufus Oyegbile; Commissioner for Works and Transport, Engr. Remi Omowaye; Special Adviser on Works and Transport, Engr. Olatoke Olaniyan; Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Mrs. Funke Egbemode; Commissioner for Regional Integration and Special Duties, Engr. Olalekan Badmus, among others.
It is earlier reported that, three persons were feared dead, the Govt House fence also collapses on Tuesday night when flood swept through Osogbo, capital of Osun State after a heavy downpour.
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Several parts of the capital, including Ibu-Amon bridge, Jetu stream, Oke-Onitea stream, Rasco area via Old Garage, Oke Baale, Powerline, Testing ground, Obate, and Awesin in Erin-Osun were badly affected.
About 25 meters of the perimeter fence of the Osun Government House also collapsed.
Reporters gathered three persons died at Oke-Onitea and Okejetu areas while attempting to pass through the flood.
One of the victims was said to be a motorcyclist using the road at Oke-Onitea area while another unidentified man was swept away.
Another house owner died in the flood at Awesin, a resident, Olawuyi Adeleke confirmed.
Security operatives diverted vehicular movements from Lamco junction and Oke-Fai en route the Government House so a temporary perimeter fence can be constructed.
At Powerline, the rail track was endangered as flood eroded all the sand beneath the tracks away, suspending only the iron on air.
Spokesperson of Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) Osun Command, Daniel Adigun, confirmed a man drowned at Oke-Onitea and a woman died at Okejetu area.
The corpses, he said, were recovered on the spot.
Osun State Government called for calm among residents and assured victims it was already assessing the impact of the floods.
A statement by the Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Mrs. Funke Egbemonde, informed government has activated its emergency response system, comprising stakeholders in disaster management, including environmental management officers, health workers, and security agencies to respond efficiently to the incident where necessary.
Governor Adegboyega Oyetola on Wednesday evening conducted on- the- spot assessment of the areas affected by the flood.
