Ekiti has begun preparations for flooding — Oyebanji

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Ekiti has begun preparations for flooding — Oyebanji

Arising from early warnings and predictions that there would be longer rains this year, Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji has disclosed that the state has begun early preparations for flooding to avert disasters that could affect indigenes in the state.

Oyebanji made this disclosure during a visit to the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, where he solicited support from the Agency to send more interventions and support to the state.

He said, “I’m here to say thank you to NEMA on behalf of Ekiti State Government for their support. We have received the forecast this year from NiMET and we have noted that the rains this year will be longer and that the state has to be proactive to flooding and other natural disasters.

“As a state we have commenced early preparations towards that. In areas that are prone to flooding, we’ve commenced dredging on our own and we’ve also began to alert the people to be prepared.

“We are also partnering with the local government to see to it that we reduce the effect of this. But we can do more if we have the support of NEMA, that is why I have come to the Agency so that they can focus more on Ekiti State in respect to their interventions and support.”

Responding, the Director-General, NEMA, Mustapha Habib Ahmed, commended the Ekiti State Governor for his early action but counselled on setting up Local Emergency Management Committee, LEMC, in the state.

According to him, “I want to commend the Executive Governor on his preparation for flooding. He has already started clearing drainages in Ekiti. To prove to me that he is doing that, he has invited me to come to the State to see what they are doing there.

“But I would advice that we setup local emergency management committee immediately in Ekiti. Let us come there when you’re to inaugurate them. Every disaster is local, it starts from the community, sir, we have to collaborate and work hand-in-hand, to ensure what happened last year, does not repeat.”

In another development, the NEMA DG was given a “Selfless Service Award and Thank You Card” by the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, ASAN and the Nigeria Civil Service Union, NCSU.