Flood alert: Oyo Govt set to inaugurate environmental tribunal

OYO State government has concluded arrangements to inaugurate four environmental tribunals by the state governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, as parts of its programme to prevent imminent flood in the state during the last tranche of the rainy season this year.

This was disclosed by the Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Rt Honourable Kehinde Ayoola, while addressing journalists on flood alert and preparedness of the state government on flooding film theatre, Ministry of Information, Mass Mobilisation, culture and tourism, State Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan.

Ayoola stated that the decision is part of series of programme of the State government to prevent flood in the state following an update of 2019 annual flood outlook released by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA).

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He said the agency in its report gave “a frightening prediction of flooding in most states of Nigeria in the last tranche of the 2019 rainy season, with Oyo State, Ibadan, in particular, fingered among the likely victims.”

The flooding, according to the agency report, Ayoola disclosed would be caused mainly by floods from eight countries around Nigeria namely Guinea, Mali, Niger Republic, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin Republic, Chad and Cameroon. He noted that floods from these countries might also be compounded by increasing heavy rainfalls during this period.

According to him, “the government of the day in Oyo state has expressed its unreserved commitment to the full implementation of the Ibadan Urban Flood Management Project (IUMP), the state-owned flood risk mitigation project with funding and technical assistance from the world bank.

“I want to tell you that four environmental tribunals have been approved and will soon be inaugurated by HE. We are aware that there is no way you can keep these cities clean without enforcement, we just have to ensure that we enforce the extant environmental regulations and we are going to do that.

“Between now and the next raining season, we are looking at three different phases of the engagement. We are going to continue to engage with the public, we need to inform ourselves and enlighten and educate the people on the need for them to have their environment kept clean and their refuse properly disposed.

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“I have identified the attitude of our people and it is a function of the heart. So, we will see how we can carry out our advocacy to involve the media, other organizations, institutions, educational institutions from the primary to secondary and tertiary, market people, faith-based organizations including churches, mosques, and others and it will involve everybody.”

“Massive construction works is also ongoing at the sites of the designated 13 priority sites which cut across parts of Ibadan. In the same vein, the overhauling rehabilitation of the now 77-year-old Eleyele Dam is being carried out on schedule, the proposed channelisation of major rivers and water channels in Ibadan under the IUFMP scheme is being processed and would soon commence.”