Residents of Bode Saadu in Moro Local Government Area, Kwara State, are currently assessing the damage caused by flooding following heavy rains on Wednesday evening.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, the downpour led to severe flooding, submerging many houses and displacing numerous residents in the area.
Several homes situated near the riverbanks were particularly affected, forcing residents to seek shelter elsewhere.
Some locals noted that while flooding is a common occurrence in the nearby Jebba community, this time, Bode Saadu bore the brunt of the disaster.
They attributed the flooding to the failure of water to flow through a makeshift bridge on the expressway, which caused the water to overflow.
Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq visited the affected areas on Thursday to sympathize with the victims.
He directed the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, to distribute relief materials to those impacted, while engineers assessed the situation.
The governor also emphasized that some of the damage could have been avoided if residents had refrained from building on floodplains, urging the community to heed warnings about construction in such areas.
Governor AbdulRazaq was accompanied by the state’s Commissioner for Special Duties, John Bello, and his Special Adviser on Special Duties, AbdulRasaq Jiddah, as he toured the affected locations.
“This was for him to have a first-hand account of the situation.”
In their remarks, residents of the area commended the governor for the visit, which they said showed his commitment to the welfare of the people.
“We are here to commiserate with the people of Bode Saadu and make sure that everybody is okay and look at the causes of the flood,” the governor said.
“We have realised that with the ongoing dualisation of the Ilorin-Mokwa Road by the Federal Ministry of Works, a temporary bypass was built.
“Somehow, there are some challenges around the bypass, which experts will look into. That is the cause of the flooding.
“The Director of Highway, Federal Ministry of Works and other experts are on their way there to find an immediate solution to the problem.
“We have also deployed the State Emergency Management Agency for some relief measures,” he added.
The governor also appealed to residents of the state to always steer clear of setbacks.
“One of the major challenges we have nationwide is people not observing setbacks. It is a major problem.
“Half of the buildings wouldn’t have been affected if they had observed the right setbacks.
“We will intensify efforts to ensure that people observe setbacks for the safety of all,” he said.