Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has commenced remediation work at Ikpoba Hill, Ikpoba-Okha local government area, aimed at addressing persistent flooding at the Court of Appeal and the Edo State INEC Headquarters.
The Court of Appeal has been abandoned while staff of INEC always wade through flood to get to their office whenever it rained but area is now wearing a new look as construction work progressed steadily.
Governor Monday Okpebholo, who inspected the erosion control project, said the underground drainage system under construction was designed to channel floodwaters from Obaseki Street and surrounding areas directly into the Ikpoba River.
The site engineer, Mr Israel Ebhodaghe, said the area remained highly erosion-prone due to blocked and inadequate drainage infrastructure.
According to him, “The existing underground drain was blocked and responsible for the erosion. We are now constructing a new underground drainage system, supported by smaller line drains that will channel water directly into the Ikpoba River.
“The drain spans about two kilometres and is critical to protecting all houses within the catchment area”.
Meanwhile, property owners in the area said they have battling flooding and erosion for over 20 years.
A septuagenarian, Mrs Mercy Omoruyi said the Okpebholo-led administration came to their rescue.
“We have been facing this gully erosion for over 20 years. Successive governments abandoned us in this condition, but Governor Monday Okpebholo came to our rescue in less than two months after visiting this area.
“This place used to be a refuse dump, and we faced serious health challenges. Today, those problems are becoming a thing of the past. The governor’s intervention has saved us and our properties. I pray God gives him strength to complete this project for our benefit,” she said.
Mr Kelvin Malagu, who has lived in the area since 1994, described the intervention as unprecedented.
“Several governments made promises, but this is the first time we are seeing real action. Many landlords who abandoned their properties due to the gully are now returning. We finally feel we have a government that truly cares about the people.
“Whenever it rained, we feared our houses would be swept away. Many people relocated, but today we feel safe again. We are happy with the pace of work and grateful to Governor Okpebholo for bringing development to Obaseki Street,” he said.
