Some residents of the Bode Saadu community in the Moro local government area of Kwara state are currently counting their losses, while others have been displaced after Wednesday evening flooding caused by intermittent downpours.
The Nigerian Tribune gathered that the downpours overflew the Arinun Bridge located in the area and submerged many houses in the area.
It was also gathered that houses on the river bank were flooded, forcing some residents to seek accommodation elsewhere.
Bode Saadu community is located on the Ilorin-Jebba federal highway and located a few kilometres from Jebba dam.
Residents of the area, who spoke with the Nigerian Tribune, said that flooding is a constant occurrence in the Jebba community, adding that “this time around, it is the turn of Bode Saadu.”.
They said that the flood occurred as a result of the inability of the high volume of water to pass through the makeshift bridge on the express road.
Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, who visited the affected areas on Thursday, sympathised with the victims and immediately directed the State Emergency Management Agency to provide relief materials for the victims as engineers inspected the area.
He said some of the buildings would not have been affected if they had vacated the floodplain and warned residents against building houses on floodplains.
Accompanied by the state commissioner for special duties, Hon. John Bello, and special adviser (special duties), Abdulrazaq Jiddah, the governor went around the affected areas in the community to get a firsthand account of the situation.
In their remarks, residents of the area commended the governor for the visit, which they said again pointed to his commitment to the welfare of the people.
“We are here to commiserate with the people of Bode Saadu and make sure that everybody is okay and look at the causes of the flood,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the visit.
“We have realised that with the major work going on with the dualisation of the Ilorin-Mokwa Road by the Federal Ministry of Works, they have built a temporary bypass. Somehow, there are some challenges around the bypass, which experts will look into. That is the cause of the flooding. The Director of Highway Federal Ministry of Works and other experts are on their way here to find an immediate solution to the problem. We have also deployed the State Emergency Management Agency for some relief measures.”.
The governor also appealed to residents of the state to always steer clear of setbacks, adding: “One of the major challenges we have nationwide is people not observing setbacks.
“It is a major problem. Half of the buildings wouldn’t have been affected if they had observed the right setbacks.
“We will intensify our efforts to ensure that people observe setbacks for the safety of all.”
John Bello, who hailed from the axis of the state, commended the governor for the visit.
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