Oyo Assembly Sounds Alarm: Urgent Flood Mitigation Measures Needed Across State

IBADAN, OYO STATE – With the rainy season’s full intensity looming, the Oyo State House of Assembly has issued a stern call to action, urging the Executive Arm of Government to immediately scale up sensitization and implement localized flood risk mitigation strategies across the state. The move comes as the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) forecasts severe flooding in numerous communities, including those within Oyo State, between April and November 2025.

The motion, passionately sponsored by Hon. Olusola Owolabi, representing Ibadan North East 2, underscored the critical need for proactive measures to avert the devastating floods that have historically plagued the state. NIHSA’s 2025 Annual Flood Outlook (AFO), themed “Flood Resilience: Focusing on Communities Preparedness and Adaptation Strategies for Flood Management,” projects that 1,249 communities across 176 Local Government Areas in 33 states, including Oyo, are at high risk of flooding. An additional 2,187 communities in 293 LGAs across 31 states face moderate flood risks.

“While flooding is a recurring natural disaster in Nigeria, it is also a preventable one,” Hon. Owolabi stated, emphasizing that the flood outlook has progressed beyond general predictions to pinpointing specific communities at high or moderate risk. Indeed, the Oyo State government has already taken some steps, including approving the dredging of 11 flood-prone rivers across the state in April 2025, in areas like Iseyin, Oyo, Ibadan, Igbo Ora, and Ogbomoso.

In response to the Assembly’s resolution, several key directives have been issued:

1.Oyo State Flood Management and Control Agency: This agency is tasked with initiating widespread community-based flood sensitization campaigns. This will involve working in close synergy with the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Information and Orientation, and all Local Government Authorities. The agency is also urged to prioritize sustained flood infrastructure maintenance, execute new flood control works in identified high-risk areas, and actively engage community leaders, religious institutions, and local associations in the sensitization process. It is worth noting that the Oyo State Government plans to establish a permanent statewide Flood Management Agency, with a bill for its creation submitted to the House in early 2025, building on the work of the Ibadan Urban Flood Management Project (IUFMP).

2.Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters: This ministry is directed to instruct all Local Government Chairmen to deploy motorbikes equipped with megaphones for repeated flood awareness announcements, particularly in remote and riverine communities. Furthermore, they are to oversee the clearing of blocked water channels, drainage paths, and waterways, and assist in identifying vulnerable households to establish local emergency evacuation plans where necessary.

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3.Ministry of Information and Orientation: This ministry is called upon to appeal to the general public for their cooperation with flood sensitization officials. This includes urging citizens to promptly report blocked drains and waterways, refrain from indiscriminate waste disposal, and actively support local efforts aimed at reducing flood risks.

As the full onset of the rainy season approaches, the proactive measures called for by the Oyo State House of Assembly, in alignment with national forecasts and ongoing state initiatives, aim to safeguard lives, properties, and livelihoods across the state.