Some residents of Bode Saadu community in the Moro local government area of Kwara are currently counting their losses, following Wednesday evening’s flooding caused by intermittent downpour.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the downpour submerged many houses in the area, with many residents displaced.
Many houses on the river bank were flooded, forcing several residents to seek accommodation elsewhere.
NAN reports that Bode Saadu community is located on the Ilorin-Jebba federal highway and located a few kilometres to Jebba dam.
Residents who spoke with NAN said that while flooding remained a constant occurrence in the Jebba community, “this time around, it is the turn of Bode Saadu”.
They said the flood resulted from the inability of the high volume of water to pass through the makeshift bridge on the express road.
Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who visited the affected areas on Thursday, sympathised with victims.
He immediately directed the State Emergency Management Agency to provide relief materials for the victims, just as engineers inspected the area.
The governor said some of the buildings would not have been affected if they had vacated the floodplain, warning residents against building houses on floodplanes.
Accompanied by the state’s Commissioner for Special Duties, Mr John Bello, and the governor’s Special Adviser (Special Duties), AbdulRasaq Jiddah, the governor went round the affected areas in the community.
“This was for him to have a first-hand account of the situation.”
In their remarks, residents of the area commended the governor for the visit, which they said showed 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,” the governor said.
“We have realised that with the ongoing dualisation of the Ilorin-Mokwa Road by the Federal Ministry of Works, a temporary bypass was built.
“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 there to find an immediate solution to the problem.
“We have also deployed the State Emergency Management Agency for some relief measures,” he added.
The governor also appealed to residents of the state to always steer clear of setbacks.
“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 efforts to ensure that people observe setbacks for the safety of all,” he said.
(NAN)