The management of University of Benin (UNIBEN) has sent a ‘Save our Soul’ message to the Federal Government on the ravaging flood that has submerged some buildings at its Ugbowo campus.
The UNIBEN Public Relations Officer, Mr Harrison Osarenren, made the appeal after conducting newsmen round the gully sites at the institution’s campus.
“I must confess that the gully created by the flood is giving the management of the institution a nightmare.
“The institution has before now appealed to governments and Non Governmental Organizations to come and assist us prevent the flood.
“Right now, the situation is getting worse and the gully is getting wider and wider by the day.
“Its depth is more than 500 metres and about 2 km when stretched. The flood is causing a lot of threat to lives and property in the institution,’’ he said.
Osarenren disclosed that the gully, which was first noticed about six years ago, had forced some lecturers to abandon their apartments.
He, however, said that an assessment of the problem by an expert from the institution showed that “the university will require about N1.3 billion to tackle the gully erosion.
“And this of course is out of the reach of the management of the university. We are appealing to both the federal and state governments for assistance.
“The federal government should urgently release the ecological fund to assist the university to address the problem.
“We are also calling on NGOs to assist, otherwise, there might be the need for the authorities to relocate the institution,’’ Osarenren said.
A portion of the university’s land while was badly eroded, while the fence demarcating the institution from the neighboring Ikosodin community had been washed away.