…..as NEMA, EKSG officials assess extent of damage
The Ekiti State government has distributed relief materials worth several millions of naira to students of the Ekiti State University (EKSU) whose off campus hostels were affected by flooding occasioned by the heavy rainfall last the weekend.
Distributing the relief materials which included cash gifts, food items, disinfectants and other household materials to about 200 students affected by the flood, the State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi said his administration has taken steps aimed at curbing a recurrence of the natural disaster.
Dr. Fayemi who was represented at the presentation made at the University’s main auditorium by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Biodun Oyebanji and the Chief of Staff, Mr Biodun Omoleye, expressed concern about the students’ wellbeing, especially as many of them have been sacked from their residences by the flood.
The presentation was made on Tuesday in the presence of the institution’s vice Chancellor, Prof Edward Olanipekun and the leadership of the students Union, just as the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), joined by Ekiti State officials on an assessment tour of several parts of the state affected by the flooding.
Governor Fayemi, told the visibly excited students that the relief materials were procured to meet their immediate needs; assuring that government would soon come up with a comprehensive package that would cater for the losses incurred by the students.
The governor said the distribution of the relief materials to students ahead of other people whose properties were affected in the towns was a demonstration of the parental roles of the government to students.
He urged the students not to be discouraged by the present challenge and advised them to stay away from dilapidated structures and areas that are prone to flood.
The Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof Olanipekun thanked the governor for swiftly responding to the plights of the students; saying that the gesture is a demonstration of his love for the university community.
Olanipekun said the governor’s directive to the State Fire Service to evacuate students who were trapped in the flood was timely as the situation could have gone awry if not for the quick intervention.
He disclosed plans to build on-campus accommodation for staff and students so as to bring life to the varsity community especially when academic activities have ended for the day.
Earlier on Monday, NEMA’s Acting Director –general, Air Commodore Akupe Iyamu; in company with Ekiti State top officials had gone round many local government to assess extent of damage done by flooding.
The timely presence of the NEMA boss was at the instance of the state Governor, Dr fayemi who briefed the NEMA Chief Executive of the extent of the damage done by the torrential rain.
Air Commodre Iyamu disclosed that the agency would immediately support the affected people with relief materials as a way of bringing succour to them. He added that the intervention would forestall any form of epidemic that may arise from the flood.
He advised the people of the state to always get necessary approvals before erecting their buildings in order to check this kind of occurrence in future adding that it was wrong to build houses on water ways.
According to him, “Flood in this part of the world is a consequence of bad behaviour, this is not the time to start saying this is my ancestral home, no, you must be alive first before you can defend those narratives. This is purely a water place that they built on, you cannot control nature, it does what it likes at a particular time. We cannot, no, what we do is they have to relocate to higher ground.”
Governor Fayemi assured NEMA of his administration’s willingness to collaborate with the agency to explore long-term and more sustainable solutions to both natural and human-inflicted disasters.
He assured the affected people that government is working assiduously to urgently bring them back to their normal course while it addresses long term solution.
The governor added that the Swift response of government and NEMA has shown that the well-being of the people was Paramount to them.
He explained further that some palliative interventions put in place by the state government in preparedness for the flood have helped to reduce the effects to the barest minimum
