The Ogun State Government has issued a warning to residents of communities along the Ogun, Ilo, Iju, Owa, and Yemule rivers, including Isheri, Warewa, Akute, parts of Abeokuta, Ayetoro, Itele, Iju, as well as those on the coastline of Makun, Oni, Iwopin, Igele, Ifaara (Ogun Waterside), Ebute-Imobi (Ijebu East), Tungeji Island, and Agosasa in Ipokia Local Government Area (LGA), to relocate to safer areas.
The advisory follows the anticipated overflow of rivers and a rise in sea levels/tidal lock in the affected communities, triggered by heavy rainfall and inflows from northern parts of the country and neighbouring Benin into Ogun and Lagos States downstream.
The situation around the Ogun River may worsen due to the release of water from the Oyan Dam, according to the midterm flood alert issued by the Ogun State Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya.
“That of the Ogun River may be compounded by the release of water from Oyan Dam,” he said.
He explained that the overflow, expected to last for two weeks, forms part of the second phase of flooding, which typically occurs from September through November annually.
The commissioner further disclosed that the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) has forecast September to record the highest rainfall of 204mm, followed by 190mm in October, while November is projected to ease down to 93mm.
Oresanya reassured affected residents that the Ogun State Government, through its State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), remains on high alert for emergency evacuations and relocations to temporary camps across the state. He also noted that the Ogun Ministry of Environment is in close collaboration with the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority on water release from the Oyan Dam to minimize the impact.
He urged residents of these communities to avoid using boreholes and well water during the period, as contamination is likely from the flooding and tidal changes.
The commissioner also advised fish farmers on flood plains to harvest their stock immediately to prevent losses, stressing that those at Eriwe, Yemule in Ijebu Ode, Ilase, and Ayegbami in Yewa should act without delay.
