Daniel Ayantoye
Residents of Ogbomoso, Oyo State, have called on Governor Seyi Makinde to tackle the flood crisis that has devastated their community.
Some parts of the city were submerged following the downpour on Wednesday and Thursday.
Several homes were destroyed and millions of naira worth of property, including electronics, were lost to the flood.
The flooding was attributed to the overflow of the Ora River, which cuts across the eastern part of Ogbomoso.
Residents of the affected areas, particularly Owode, expressed their frustration and helplessness after being displaced from their homes, forcing them to seek shelter with relatives and friends.
One of the affected residents, Dorcas Odekola, in an interview with our correspondent on Saturday lamented that her house was submerged, resulting in the loss of valuable items.
“My house was completely submerged. We lost a lot to the flood, our valuables, electronics, everything. It was a horrible experience, and we had no choice but to stay with one of my sons. We are pleading with Governor Seyi Makinde and our leaders to come to our aid because we have nowhere else to turn,” she said.
Another resident, Mrs Olawuyi Abosede, expressed shock over the magnitude of the flood, noting that in her 20 years of living in the area, she had never witnessed such severe flooding.
She said, “The government needs to assist us by fixing the submerged houses and clearing the blocked waterways, which caused the flooding. Something should be done to avoid reoccurrence please.”
However, the state Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade, in an interview with Sunday PUNCH, assured residents that the State Emergency Management Agency has already begun efforts to address the situation.
“They only became aware this morning (Saturday). Had they been informed earlier, SEMA would have responded to the situation in Ogbomoso last night. Actions are now being taken to manage the crisis,” he stated.
He added that the chairmen of Ogbomoso South and Ogbomoso North local government areas were on standby, awaiting the arrival of SEMA personnel to help mitigate the damage caused by the floods.
Copyright PUNCH
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
Contact: healthwise@punchng.com
The post Oyo residents urge Makinde to address flood crisis appeared first on Healthwise.