By Awyetu Asabe Hope
Oyo State Government has advised residents to strictly adhere to flood warnings and relocate from flood-prone areas as the rainy season approaches.
The state Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Ademola Aderinto, gave the advice in a statement issued on Tuesday in Ibadan.
He stressed that proactive measures were being intensified to mitigate flooding across the state.
The Commissioner disclose that his ministry was working with the Oyo State Emergency Management Agency in deploying early warning systems under the World Bank-supported Ibadan Urban Flood Management Project.
Aderinto noted that clearing of waterways, drainage channels and rivers was ongoing, adding that the exercise, which began in the dry season, would continue as rains set in.
He urged residents along riverbanks and waterways to move to safer locations, comply with official advisories and report illegal developments obstructing water flow.
The commissioner also cautioned farmers to follow guidance from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) on the 2026 rainfall pattern, warning against premature planting due to possible irregular weather conditions.
He also advised Oyo citizens against open defecation and indiscriminate dumping of waste in waterways, noting that such practices worsen flooding and erosion.
Meanwhile, Aderinto said the state had concluded inspections for intervention sites under the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project supported by the European Investment Bank.
He said the project, backed by Governor Seyi Makinde, would address erosion challenges across the state and is set to move into the implementation phase.