The World Bank has committed $220 million to the fight against flood in Oyo State while government is expected to contribute $20 million as counterpart funding.

The governor's Special Adviser on Media, Dr Festus Adedayo said in a statement in Ibadan on Wednesday that the leader of the team, Mr. Safeh El-Arnaout who disclosed this during a courtesy call on the state governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi on Wednesday said that the partnership of the World Bank with Oyo State on flood management would include manpower capacity to effectively ensure a long term flood management programme.

He assured that the project would turn the flood into an opportunity by using it to provide water supply for the people of the state. El-Arnaout commended Governor Ajimobi for demonstrating strong political will to prevent a re-occurrence of flood disaster in the state.

Speaking, Governor vowed that the city of Ibadan and the entire state will never be ravaged by flooding again, going by the proactive measures already taken by his administration.

Governor Ajimobi, while reiterating his administration's commitment to preventing a re-occurrence of 2011 flood disaster, said that a committee had been put in place to work closely with the World Bank towards a successful implementation of flood management project.

It would be recalled that immediately after the flood disaster which ravaged Ibadan, the state capital, on August 26, 2011, the state government immediately embarked on the dredging of 43 rivers and streams across all the 33 local government areas of the state.

Besides, government also carried out massive sensitization of members of the public on the need to maintain clean environment through regular environmental sanitation and waste disposal.

Observers were of the view that but for the proactive measures already taken by the state government, the impact of the recent over 30 hours heavy downpour in Ibadan would have been greater. Governor Ajimobi said that his government was fully prepared to tackle the complexity of flooding and its various challenges, including the political will to effectively prevent loss of lives and property through flood in the state.

In his remark, the Leader of the team, Mr. Safeh El-Arnaout said that the

partnership of the World Bank with Oyo State on flood management would include manpower capacity to effectively ensure a long term flood management programme.