Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, announced that his administration will start demolishing private and commercial buildings along waterways.This action aims to improve surface and underground drainage, particularly in the Government Reservation Areas (GRA) of Benin City.
The government will compensate property owners with verified documents, while others will be relocated to safe areas.
The Governor, via Chief Press Secretary Fred Itua, announced yesterday, an upcoming multifaceted flood control project in the state capital, set to begin after the heavy rains and expected to be completed in the near future.
The government is dedicated to ensuring that the process prioritizes empirical data and is genuinely
focused on the safety and well-being of residents in Edo, avoiding any cosmetic or politicized actions.
The speaker emphasized that the new initiative will be comprehensive, transparent, and focused on achieving a permanent solution, in stark contrast to the previous administration’s efforts, which suffered from mismanagement, incomplete execution, and misallocation of funds under the pretense of erosion
control.
The Governor emphasized his administration’s commitment to a strict anti-corruption stance, ensuring that all funds allocated for projects will be transparently managed for their intended purposes, focusing on the protection of lives, property, and the environment. He expressed confidence that the recurring issue of seasonal flooding, which has significantly impacted communities and livelihoods in Edo, will soon be resolved.
To address these challenges, Okpebholo has engaged a team of environmental and hydrology specialists
to analyze the successful flood control measures established in Akwa Ibom and Rivers States under the
governance of Godswill Akpabio and Nyesom Wike, respectively.
He continued that the initiative reflects the administration’s pragmatic governance approach, focusing
on learning from effective models and implementing proven solutions to achieve tangible benefits for the populace.
Okpebholo highlighted that the effective flood management models adopted by Akwa-Ibom and Rivers States serve as credible examples for the potential implementation of similar systems in Edo State, particularly in areas vulnerable to flooding.
The exercise was strategically timed as the rainy season approaches its peak, according to him.
The initiative presents experts with a rare chance to observe and evaluate the real-time impacts of flooding in Benin City and other at-risk areas within the State.
The emphasis will be on analyzing the landscape, the current drainage systems, and the areas prone to overflow and erosion.
The technical teams from four companies will perform detailed feasibility studies and environmental assessments to develop a long-term and sustainable solution for the flooding issues in Benin City.
He stated that the findings and recommendations will be presented to my office for detailed assessment and future execution.
