Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has commiserated with residents of Iwo following the devastating flood that ravaged the town on Friday after hours of torrential rainfall.
In a statement issued on Monday by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, in Osogbo, the governor described the disaster as “monumental” and lamented the huge personal and material losses suffered by affected residents.
“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,” Adeleke stated.
The governor assured that his administration would intensify measures to protect lives and property from similar disasters in future.
He disclosed that resources had already been deployed to expand waterways in Iwo and neighbouring communities, complementing earlier interventions.
Adeleke also directed the state’s Commissioner for Environment to conduct an on-the-spot assessment of the damages and propose lasting solutions to the recurring flood menace in the area.
“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,” he said.
The governor explained that his administration had earlier embarked on preventive measures, including dredging the Aiba waterways to improve water flow and avert flooding.
He added that fresh efforts had now been mobilised for the channelisation of more waterways to forestall a recurrence.
Adeleke further appealed to residents to support government initiatives by refraining from indiscriminate dumping of refuse in water channels, stressing that collective action was key to addressing the problem.
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