Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has said the state’s partnership with the World Bank, through the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEW-MAP), would put an end to perennial flooding in some areas of the state.
Dr Fayemi stated this in Ikere Ekiti on Monday when he led some officials on an inspection of channelization projects and Gully Erosion Control work in Ikere-Ekiti as well as other project sites in the state.
The Governor said the erosion control project is being accorded urgent attention in order to ensure the projects are completed before the rainy season, in order to checkmate the massive flooding usually experienced in the areas.
Accompanied on the inspection by the NEW-MAP Project Coordinator, Dr Akinyemi Akinyugba and the Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Barrister Iyabo Fakunle -Okhiemen, Governor Fayemi said his administration was passionate about environmental safety of the people as outlined in its development agenda.
The Governor who inspected the channelization of Aiya I and II Gully Erosion Control Work in different parts of Ikere, including the 2.6km Bisi Aloba – Adun Ogbon channelization project, the newly completed Ajolagun bridge which had cut off thousands of residents from the main town for many years as well as Afao – Oreibu community gully erosion control project, told journalists at the end of the exercise that he was satisfied with the quality of work done by the contractors.
Scores of residents of the areas trooped out to appreciate the Governor for the timely intervention in the erosion matter, even as he disclosed that the World Bank was also monitoring the project in order to ensure quality work and timely delivery.
Dr Fayemi who also inspected the Ekiti Cargo and Passenger Airport project site, assured Ekiti people that the project would be commissioned before he leaves office in October. He said he would continue to invest in essential, economic and social projects aimed at improving the quality of lives of the people as well as reposition Ekiti as preferred destination of choice to investors.
“I have said repeatedly that we would work till the Last day in office and whatever it takes for us to deliver on the promises we have made to our people, we would do that. This network of roads and channelization for erosion management in Ikere is just one aspect of that, if you’ve seen all the places we’ve been to, it is a network that takes care of all the flooding issues that we’ve been having in this large community here in Ekiti south.
“I am sure that the contractors will finish the work on time and of course, we are mindful of the rains but we still have quite a bit of time, you can see that by the time they link all the channelized areas and resurfaced the roads and the drains, it should be finished by March latest and rain would not have taken over at that time so that the communities would no longer be under the threat of being submerged by water.
“That is what we are trying to address here with this erosion management project.” He added.
On the airport project, Dr Fayemi said: “This was the agreement we had that this project would be finished, the runway, the terminal building, the taxi way, the access road to the airport, control tower, everything will be ready and the professionals will not sign up to a contract if they are not sure they can finish it and you heard what they are doing with the runway alone which had now gone to 2.3km out of the 3.2km that we have for the runway, and this is the most critical part of the job”.
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