Oyo State government orders the demolition of 200 houses in the state

About 200 persons will be rendered homeless as the Oyo State Government has ordered the demolition of about 200 illegal structures at Ojoo round-about area of Ibadan as it announced that 24 rivers would be dredged as part of its effort to curb flooding in the state.

According to the state Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Isaac Ishola, ordered the removal while monitoring the weekly environmental sanitation within the state capital.

He said the state government would not allow any person or group of persons to jeopardise its efforts in ensuring a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.

“We have received several letters from Ojoo Police Station that the said illegal market is a security threat,” said the commissioner.

The commissioner also said during his visit to Ikere Gorge Dam, beside Iseyin, that there was an ongoing sensitisation campaign to ensure total compliance with environmental sanitation rules and regulations in the state.

The government noted that the World Bank would assist in the dredging of the 24 rivers and that the exercise had already been approved.

Ishola said that the visit to the dam was to ascertain the level at which waste water is being discharged in order not to cause overflowing of other dams which could lead to flooding.

 

“The 2011 flooding was as a result of overflow of Eleyele dam reservoir. Therefore, we will visit every dam in the state as part of measures put in place by government to mitigate re-occurrence of the disaster,” Ishola said.

 

He called on the people of the state to help the government in its efforts to fight against disaster as the year’s rainy season begins, urging them to desist from dumping refuse into drainages when it rains and stop erecting kiosks on culverts to allow free flow of water.

 

Ishola commended the Federal Government’s effort for putting in place the necessary machinery for the effective use of the Ikere Dam, pledging that there would be synergy between the state and the FG.