By Elijah Adejimi
The injustices of humans to humanity is evident all around us, they are not so difficult to identify. We see it reflecting in various inhumane and rather unsustainable practices against people and planet. We have not only become unfriendly to ourselves as humans, but unfortunately, unfriendly to nature that sustains our common livelihood.
I use for a case study the recent development around Agodi garden, one that was seriously decried by a few concerned people at the instance of the ill-conceived deforestation happening around there, but yet strongly resisted by unwilling political forces. Some were even threatened for raising such concerns; but what more can we say to that.
Today’s (Sept 24, 2024) traffic jam all around Agodi Garden, secretariat road and the road leading to premier hotel from Agodi, because of the rain that lasted just for about 1 hour, is only a foretaste of a looming disaster if nothing drastic is done to carefully approach the ongoing development around the river beside Agodi Gardens. This river currently undergoing sand filling is the reason for the heavily funded channelization from Agodi garden all the way to Ogunpa river in response to the notorious flooding of 1980.
It is rather ridiculous that the river and the heavily flowing stream is currently been disturbed and disrupted in an attempt to sand fill, probably to push the river backward or whatever that is going on there, without proper precautionary measures against any adverse impact. Of course, it’s just a matter of time before we start seeing more if the dangers this environmentally insensitive development poses to us in Ibadan. Flooding is not what anybody wants to experience, and with the uncoordinated drainage system in Ibadan, it becomes more dangerous to continue to threaten the natural buffers, which could have offered some level of hopes of mitigation against any adverse impact of heavy rainfall or in case of any eventuality. Vegetation plays a critical role in preventing flooding just like it does for other associated roles at mitigating the impact of climate change.
I sincerely hope that something drastic would be done to reverse this unhealthy move with the ongoing development, and we begin to act friendly to the environment that is already threatened as a result of many unsustainable practices.
Elijah Adejimi,
For Nature and Future Eco-green Initiative, Ibadan.
07038314998
www.ecogreen.org.ng
@ecogreenorgng
