EKSG Cautions Owners Of Old Houses

Special Adviser, Office of the Deputy Governor, Hon. Bamitale Oguntoyinbo, Oye Local Government Caretaker Chairman, Hon. Ogungbuyi Akindele, Deputy Chief of Protocol to the Deputy Governor, Mr. Kayode Arigbede and Special Adviser to the Governor on Infrastructure, Mr. Kayode Jegede listening to one of the rainstorm victims in Oye-Ekiti , Chief Johnson Odetola appealing for government assistance in repairing his house.

Ekiti State Government has advised owners and inhabitants of ancient and dilapidated houses in the state to renovate and re-roof such old buildings to prevent them from sudden collapse..

The Special Adviser, Office of the Deputy Governor, Hon. Bamitale Oguntoyinbo gave the charge in Ilogbo and Oye-Ekiti where he led the state government delegation to inspect houses that were ravaged by rainstorm over the weekend.

He said Governor Kayode Fayemi was really disturbed at the havoc wrecked by the rainstorm in some communities in the state but thanked God that no life was lost.

Hon. Oguntoyinbo who noted that most of the houses badly affected by the rainstorm were actually old and in state of disrepair, advised people still living in such houses to relocate to better places and make arrangement to demolish such dilapidated houses so as not to constitute danger to other residents in the area.

The Special Adviser also urged Local Government Caretaker Chairmen and their committee members to move round communities in their local government areas to identify such buildings that have become death traps and mark them for demolition.

He also enjoined the Caretaker Chairmen to organize and intensify awareness campaign to educate the people to plant trees around their houses and stop indiscriminate dumping of refuse in the water ways and drainages to forestall future occurrence of similar disaster.

Hon. Tale Oguntoyinbo assured the victims in the communities visited that the government will not abandon them to their fate. He added that government would provide succor to them by providing relief materials such as building materials and other logistics that will make their houses habitable again through the Ekiti State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).

The Owalogbo of Ilogbo-Ekiti, Oba (Dr.) Edward Oke Ajayi who spoke on behalf of the victims of the rainstorm disaster in his community thanked Governor Fayemi for his love for the people and for showing genuine concern for the welfare of the people.

He called on the government to quickly give whatever it wanted to give to the victims so that they can repair their houses and make them habitable again soonest as most of the victims in the town are very old men and women, even widows whose source of income could hardly cater for their daily feeding not to talk of mending the badly damaged buildings.

In Oye-Ekiti, the Oloye of Oye, Oba Oluwole Ademolaju who also thanked the Governor for identifying with the victims, also commended him for being responsive to the needs and yearnings of Ekiti as evident in the various developmental projects already completed and those which are still going on across the state.

Some of the places affected in Ilogbo-Ekiti by the rainstorm, apart from residential houses, included the on-going renovated classroom blocks at Ilogbo High School, Ilogbo Health Centre and the mission house of Christ Apostolic Church, Oke-Ooye. In Oye-Ekiti, several residential buildings and shops were badly damaged. The  Oye Methodist Local Church and a Catholic Church were also affected.

Among the government delegation were the Deputy Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Hon. Olatunji orisalade, Special Adviser on Infrastructure and Public Utilities, Mr. Kayode Jegede, General Manager of Ekiti State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Mr. Femi Osasona, Caretaker Committee Chairman for Ido/Osi, Hon. Kehinde Ogunlade and others.

Last modified: March 6, 2013