The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) has appealed to Ijaiye and Ojokoro residents to desist from blocking of drainage to prevent flooding.
The LASEMA Permanent Secretary, Dr Femi Oke-Osanyitolu, gave the warning in a statement issued and signed by the agency’s Head of Public Unit, Mr Nosa Okunbor, on Friday, July 21, 2023 in Lagos. Oke-Osanyitolu made the appeal during a sensitisation visit to Ijaiye and Ojokoro LCDA.
He, however, assured the residents that the state government would do everything possible to ameliorate the effects of flooding in the state. Oke-Osanyitolu said that people must desist from building houses close to the canal, noting that the area was prone to flooding.
He urged them to desist from blocking drainages with waste materials. Oke-Osanyitolu noted that the flash floods being experienced demanded that residents should stay indoors whenever it rained and allow the flood to recede before embarking on activities.
He appealed to the people to work with the Chairman of the LCDA for safety reasons while also sympathising with families that lost their loved ones to flood.
Oke-Osanyintolu, however, assured the residents that the state government would provide a permanent solution to flooding in Ojokoro after a holistic assessment had been carried out.
Earlier, the LCDA Executive Chairman, Honourable Hammed Tijani, noted that the last two months had been devastating for residents in the area as a result of flood. Tijani said this was the reason while he called on LASEMA to visit and assess the development to take the necessary action.