Kogi Govt worried over non adherence to development control

Kogi State Deputy Governor, Yomi Awoniyi has described as unfortunate how attempt by government at making sure development control is enforced is being thwarted by people who do not see the sense in government’s good intention.

Awoniyi expressed dismay that some people still take delight building in flood prone areas, despite government appeals and the incidence that happened in 2012 which saw houses built in flood plain submerged.

Awoniyi, lamented the situation where people blamed government for not being sensitive to the plight of the people, but lamented a situation where people are still carrying out building development in flood prone areas even after the 2012 episode, that saw houses built on flood plains destroyed.

The Deputy Governor register his displeasure on some people's conduct when he made an assessment on the impact of flood on some affected communities in Lokoja.

Awoniyi, described Adankolo, Gadumo and Ganaja areas of Lokoja as a flood basin, urged
people to stop building along the flood plains, described the routine of having to evacuate people and providing relief materials on an annual basis as a sad situation.

The Deputy Governor said while he appreciates the historical attachment people have to riverine communities, he said adequate steps have been taken to ensure that as from Monday, camps are set up for internally displaced persons that would be evacuated.

Awoniyi maintained that relief materials, food stuffs, net, medical items are on the way to ensure that the camps are better managed than it were in 2012.

Awoniyi said appeal would continue to be made for people to leave the flood plains, but said in future, clear sanctions would be put in place to ensure that people’s behavior towards insisting on building in flood prone areas is not condone.