BENIN CITY: Residents across Edo State have begun to celebrate visible improvements in their communities following intensified flood control and erosion management projects under Governor Monday Okpebholo’s SHINE Agenda, as authorities move to permanently tackle decades-long environmental challenges.
The Edo State Flood, Erosion and Watershed Management Agency (EdoFEWMA), led by the agency Boss and Project Coordinator for Edo State NEWMAP-EIB, Hon. Muhammed Bawa Okoyomoh, recently carried out a comprehensive technical inspection of key intervention sites across the state.
The inspection covered both ongoing and completed projects designed to check the persistent threats of gully erosion and flooding.
Across affected communities, residents say the results are already transforming daily life. Areas once plagued by seasonal devastation now report renewed commercial activity, improved access routes, and enhanced security.
Speaking during the inspection, Okoyomoh stressed that the administration’s development drive is not limited to any one region.
He noted that projects executed in Edo South are being replicated across Edo North and Edo Central as part of a deliberate statewide strategy.
“The projects you see here in the South are being replicated across Edo North and Central,” he said. “Edo State has become a major construction hub. We commend the Governor’s vision and the contractors’ dedication to maintaining high standards.”
Although construction activities have temporarily disrupted movement in some locations due to heavy machinery, residents said that the long-term gains, particularly improvements to schools, businesses, and neighbourhood safety, outweigh the inconveniences.
In Iwogban and surrounding areas, community members expressed strong support for the projects, describing them as life-changing.
Mrs. Roseline Erahon, a respected elder from Uteh-Iwogban, urged residents to sustain their backing for the government’s efforts, using a local proverb to underline her message.
“It is only good land that one would farm on twice,” she said, praying for the Governor’s continued success and calling for collective ownership of the progress achieved so far.
At Uteh-Iwogban Boundary Road, similar sentiments were echoed by Mrs. Grace Aligbe and Mr. Junior Osawiew, a local vigilante from Eromosele Road.
They expressed gratitude for the long-awaited construction of access roads and commended the government for addressing years of neglect.
Osawiew noted that the reclamation of Eromosele Street from a devastating gully had restored livelihoods, reconnecting residents who were previously cut off from economic opportunities in the city.
While major erosion control works and access roads have been completed at Omoregie/Eromosele and Mama Custom Roads, construction is still ongoing at Boundary Road, Enagbare Road, and the Ogbemudia Road cut-off.
