Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
Scores of Ibadan residents were rendered homeless and property worth millions of naira destroyed during a heavy downpour that flooded many homes on Tuesday evening in different communities of the Oyo State capital.
The rain lasted for about four hours during which flash floods were experienced in many parts of the city, including Olodo, Onipepeye at Old Ife Road, New Garage, Oke-Ado, Gbekuba, Ososami, Eleyele, Ami-Adio and Apata.
The flood reportedly destroyed farmlands and washed away fish ponds at Olodo and Omi-Adio. No lives were reportedly lost to the flood.
Governor Seyi Makinde on Wednesday paid a visit to communities affected by the flood, paying condolences to the affected people and reiterated the commitment of his administration to finding a lasting solution to the issue of flooding in the state.
The governor, who was accompanied by officials of the state Ministry of Public Works, Ibadan Urban Flood Management Project (IUFMP) and Oyo State Emergency Management Agency (OYSEMA), inspected the havoc wreaked by the flood at various locations including Iwo Road, Olodo, and Onipepeye.
Makinde noted that the state under the IUFMP has a drainage masterplan, and he has directed local government chairmen to write letters for approval to the state, promising that the letters would be approved immediately so that they would commence work on the infrastructure.
The governor vowed that the people that built their houses on the flood plain would be relocated, noting that some residents of the flood areas had already relocated on their own.
He also stated that IUFMP has dredged some rivers in the state capital in order to prevent flooding, adding that by the time the government executes all projects under the IUFMP, the issue of perennial flooding in the state would be solved.
Makinde further said the Ministry of Public Works would evaluate property destroyed after which possible solution would be implemented, adding that within the next 18 months an appreciable improvement on flood management in the state would be experienced.
Four die in road crash at Aleshinloye Roundabout
In another development in the capital, four persons were said to have lost their lives on Wednesday morning after an articulated lorry rammed into a passenger car and three motorcycles at Aleshinloye Roundabout, Ibadan.
The vehicle reportedly suffered brake failure before arriving at the roundabout where it crashed into a taxi and the motorcycles heading towards Dugbe. Three among the passengers in the taxi and one commercial motorcyclist were said to have died on the spot.
The Police Public Relations Officer for the state, Olugbenga Fadeyi, who confirmed the accident, said four women lost their lives to the accident, saying a truck, a commercial Micra car and four motorcycles were involved in the accident, while four other people sustained varying degrees of injury.