Gov. Gboyega Oyetola of Osun has said the state government will remove buildings erected on waterways to prevent flooding in the state.
Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Ismail Omipidan, in a statement on Saturday in Osogbo said the governor made the announcement while inspecting the dredging of Osun River.
Oyetola said the state government had discovered that some buildings were encroaching on the waterways, thereby preventing free flow of water.
“With what we have seen, we have discovered that some buildings are encroaching on the waterways.
“And what this means is that it will be difficult for water to flow freely, and when this happens, flood will occur just like what we experienced last week.
“In our efforts to ensure that this occurrence did not happen again, we will not hesitate to take away some buildings on the waterways to avert flood to guarantee safety of our people,” Oyetola said.
The governor said the dredging and channelisation of the river would help to widen the canals for free flow of water.
Oyetola, however, appealed to people of the state to do away with indiscriminate dumping of refuse on the water ways.
“We must all adhere strictly to proper disposal and management of refuse.
“This is the only way to keep our rivers and waterways safe from this occurrence.
“What had happened here clearly shows that a lot of refuse were dumped, causing blockages, affecting free flow of water, which eventually resulted into flooding,” the governor said.
NAN
