Flood: Dredging of River Benue only solution – Osinbajo

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday said that the permanent solution to the perennial flooding in Benue State remains the dredging of the River Benue.

He also pledged the Federal Government’s commitment to embark on the only realistic solution to end menace of the floods in the state.

Osinbajo made the remark when he visited Makurdi to assess the level of destruction caused by flooding occasioned by days of torrential rainfall.

“Mr. President is very concerned about how to stop flooding in the state. That is why dredging of River Benue is very important now,” he said.

The Vice President added that the drainage systems would be constructed in the state to avert future flooding while he commended the efforts of the state government so far.

On his part, Governor Samuel Ortom, thanked the federal government for its prompt response and intervention to mitigate the impact of the flood through distribution of relief materials.

Our correspondent reports that during the visit, the vice president inspected Idye stream which overflew its banks during the rainy season and flooded Radio Benue and many parts of Makurdi. Other places he inspected are the clinic established by the Air Force at the camp for displaced persons at the International market.

He was accompanied on the visit by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbe; the minister of Works, Power and Housing, Babatunde Fashola; the Minister of State for Environment, Ibrahim Usman Jibril, and the Director General of NEMA, Mustapha Maihaja.