Disasters
THE Disaster Management Unit of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Oyo State on Monday held a rally to sensitise residents on the impact of flood in the society.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the sensitisation rally involved a walk which commenced at the NSCDC’s headquarters at Agodi, Ibadan.
The walk passed through Bodija market, Agbeni market, Ogunpa market and Oja’ba market before terminating at Beere area of Ibadan.
NAN reports that residents were advised to refrain from indiscriminate dumping of refuse as well as building on water ways in order to prevent flood and other disasters.
Addressing newsmen on the sidelines of the programme, the Oyo State NSCDC Commandant, Iskilu Akinsanya, said the corps was embarking on the campaign in order to fulfill its mandate of protecting lives and property.
“Part of NSCDC’s core mandate is to prevent disaster in disaster-prone areas and we have alerted the public that they should not build or dump refuse along the water ways.
“We have written to the government, and yet people are not ready to listen.
“What happened last week in the state as a result of flood is very pathetic.
“As a result of that, we cannot allow people to die ignorantly, so we want to go to the public to educate and sensitise them that they should not dump refuse or build along the water ways.
“This is rainy season and anything can happen, but we will not allow it because lives and property of human beings are very critical to the government,” Akinsanya said.
Mr Lugard Slaku, the Zonal Coordinator of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in the South-West Zone, said there was need to create awareness as a result of rain which had been heavy.
“We need to create awareness on impact of flood so that people would be aware and prepare so that the impact will be mitigated.
“Flood is real just as COVID-19 is real; natural disasters such as flood are real and we have been seeing it everywhere.
“If we keep doing the same thing , we will keep seeing the same result.
“If we keep dumping refuse along water ways, we still expect the same result and the impact will be more,”Slaku said.
The NEMA coordinator urged the people of Oyo State and Nigeria in general to stop dumping refuse and building on water ways.
“If you live by a river bank, get alternative house and relocate when floods are coming, you can always come back after the rainy season,” he said.
Mrs Fakorede Oyebisi, a trader at Bodija market, pledged that traders would no longer dump refuse on water ways.
NAN
– Jul. 13, 2020 @ 14:19 GMT |
Tags: Flood: NSCDC initiates sensitisation campaign in Oyo
