Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, yesterday, sympathised with the people of Iwo on the devastating flood that occurred last Friday due to hours of heavy rainfall.
The governor assured the people of the government’s efforts to prevent the future occurrence of the natural disaster. In a statement by his Spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, the governor regretted the huge personal losses suffered by residents of the town as a result of the flooding incident, noting that his administration will safeguard the lives and property of the people.
The governor said his administration had deployed resources to expand waterways in Iwo and environs in addition to those already done, assuring the victims that the government would take stock of losses and provide appropriate support for them.
“I am devastated to learn about the monumental damage caused by flooding that occurred in Iwo on Friday, following hours of heavy downpour. The scale of the losses suffered by our people as a result of the natural disaster is especially heavy, and I can only imagine the toll on our people in Iwo.
“I want to, on behalf of the state government, convey heartfelt sympathy to everyone affected in one way or the other. As a government, we stand with the people of Iwo in this difficult moment, and assure them of our commitment to support them to overcome the challenges created by the incident.
“Before this incident, our government had taken flood prevention steps, which included dredging of Aiba waterways, among others, to open up water channels and ensure the free-flow of water to avert flooding. The government has mobilised resources for the channelisation of more waterways to ensure that this awful incident does not happen again.
“I have also directed the Commissioner for the Environment to conduct an on-the-spot assessment and come up with a lasting solution. The people can rest assured that we are doing everything possible to tackle flooding,” the statement stated.
Adeleke, therefore, urged the people to support the government in preventing flooding by stopping indiscriminate dumping of refuse on water channels.
