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| Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State (left) chatting with the World Bank Task Team Leader, Mr. Sateh El-Arnaout (right) during the visit of the World Bank Task Team to his office in Ibadan on Tuesday |
Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has vowed that the city of Ibadan and the entire state will never be ravaged by flooding again, going by the proactive measures already taken by his administration.
The governor disclosed this in Ibadan on Tuesday while receiving the World Bank Team on Ibadan Urban Flood Management Project in his office.
Governor Ajimobi, while reiterating his administration’s commitment to preventing a re-occurrence of 2011 flood disaster, said that a committee had been put in place to work closely with the World Bank towards a successful implementation of flood management project.
It would be recalled that immediately after the flood disaster which ravaged Ibadan, the state capital, on August 26, 2011, the state government immediately embarked on the dredging of 43 rivers and streams across all the 33 local government areas of the state.
Besides, government also carried out massive sensitization of members of the public on the need to maintain clean environment through regular environmental sanitation and waste disposal.
Observers are of the view that but for the proactive measures already taken by the state government, the impact of the recent over 30 hours heavy downpour in Ibadan would have been greater.
Governor Ajimobi said that his government was fully prepared to tackle the complexity of flooding and its various challenges, including the political will to effectively prevent loss of lives and property through flood in the state.
In his remark, the Leader of the team, Mr. Safeh El-Arnaout said that the partnership of the World Bank with Oyo State on flood management would include manpower capacity to effectively ensure a long term flood management programme.
Towards this end, the team leader said that a sum of $220 million would be committed to the project, with Oyo State contributing $20 million as counterpart funding.
He assured that the project would turn the flood into an opportunity by using it to provide water supply for the people of the state.
El-Arnaout commended Governor Ajimobi for demonstrating strong political will to prevent a re-occurrence of flood disaster in the state.
