In commemoration of this year’s Children’s Day celebration and in furtherance of its efforts to ensure that children become a part of the fight against perennial flooding in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, the Ibadan Urban Flood Management Project (IUFMP) on Monday created the forum for over a thousand children to come together and unite against the menace of flooding.
The children who are representative of pupils from public primary and secondary schools across all local government areas in Ibadan met at the Banquet Hall of the Premier Hotel and were trained on becoming volunteers in the advocacy against acts that cause flooding and ways of mitigating flood.
The teachers and their students who all got the children unite against flood in Ibadan shirts had a chance to interact one on one with facilitators and also present what they had learnt to prove their readiness to be effective volunteers in the fight against flood.
While declaring the programme open, the Oyo state Governor, senator Abiola Ajimobi represented by the Commissioner for Educatio, Science and Technology, Professor Adeniyi Olowofela stated that the programme is not a mere celebration of children but was only timely as it came up during the children’s Day celebration, adding that it is a medium for educating the younger generation.
“I am here to represent Governor Abiola Ajimobi, this should show that this is not a programme that the governor takes with levity, the governor is sad at the loss of lives and properties as a result of flooding which though a natural disaster, can be prevented.
“This programme is to further educate young ones on their responsibility as children in the home on ways of mitigating the hazard of flooding as research has shown that education is more effective when you catch them young and we know they can also influence adults in their environment as well as their peers,” Olowofela stated.
In his opening speech, the project coordinator of IUFMP, Dayo Ayorinde stated that the programme is a serious one and not just a fanfare to take children out of their homes, adding that children must be taught the importance of maintaining the environment at an early age.
“We mainly used the Children’s day celebration to reach out to pupils in Oyo state as the first step in involving them in the fight against incessant flooding that has become part of life in the city of Ibadan. We have been reaching out to various categories of people and it is now time to pass across the message to students in a way they will understand.
“We are passing across to them the message of how they can contribute to curbing the menace of flooding in Ibadan and Oyo state at large and also make them useful vessels in the war against flooding in Ibadan. They will also be volunteers in the advocacy against flood as they are in the best position to educate their peers,” Ayorinde stated.
The children were also taken through a presentation on causes of flooding and its consequences using graphic illustrations by an environmental consultant, Mr Adeolu Ojo and a drama presentation titled A rose for Sharon, which was written by Tunde Ajayi, the Director of Programmes at the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State.
It was indeed a turning point for the trained children as they start a new journey of saying no to flood in Ibadan as volunteers of the IUFMP. And as the younger generation takes on the battle, the end might indeed be near for flooding in Ibadan.
Flooding is a perennial problem in Ibadan and environs and the August 26, 2011 disaster was one that prompted Senator Ajimobi to vow to put an end to the menace by designing a comprehensive and deep rooted solution to the continuous challenge of curbing flooding and mitigating its effects.
The solution he came up with is the Ibadan Urban Flood Management Project (IUFMP), an initiative of the governor with funding support from the World Bank which is a special purpose vehicle to address all issues relating to flooding in Ibadan; reduce flood risks and improve solid waste management practices in Ibadan, increase knowledge of flooding and solid waste management, improve legal, policy and institutional environment for promoting desirable flood risk reduction behavior and improve flood risk reduction and waste management behaviors by individuals, households and businesses.
IUFMP also has the additional responsibility of working on the City Master Plan, the Flood Risk Management and Drainage Master Plan and the Solid Waste Management Master Plan. The governor’s idea is yielding results as IUFMP is already delivering masterpiece civil works across Ibadan to forestall a reoccurrence of the 2011 situation; it has dredged streams in about 67 locations, expansion of waterways and clearing of blocked drains.
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