Ocean surge destroys Ondo communities, displaces thousands

The Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission is asking the federal government to find the contractors that shelved the shoreline project in Ilaje local government area of Ondo state.

The commission insists the land mass of the area is shrinking following a ravaging ocean surge in the riverine communities.
In this report, we’ll tell you how sea incursion turns landlords homeless.

For about 15 minutes we got to a sinking jetty in Aiyetoro, a riverine community in Ilaje/Ese Odo local government area of Ondo State.

For close to two decades, the Ilaje people have waited for the construction of a shoreline protective wall, they are still waiting, this time with anger, pain and loss edged in their hearts.
Reflecting on what remains of the ‘happy city’, residents watch as the historical settlement crumbles under the weight of the seas. The city which was built in the 1940s about 15-20 kilometers away from the seas is now a shadow of itself.

Endless cry from these residents in Aiyetoro, a riverine community in Ondo State, is yet to get the attention of relevant authorities. While the government looks away, the community is gradually fading into the history books with thousands already displaced by the ocean surge.

The tide is high, it’s a race against time for residents of Ayetoro, what can they save? Where will they go with their families? It’s difficult for most of them to dismantle buildings they erected with love and sweat, but if they don’t, the sea that was once their friend will destroy the buildings and take the lands as its own.

Fishing is one of the major occupations for people in this community, but the raging sea has not only displaced the old from their homes and children from their schools, it has taken away their source of livelihood

These young men make boats for other communities but overnight they have left with scraps as they try to pick up the pieces.

With the fading hope among residents and fears of Ayetoro going into extinction, we met with an elderly woman, Kakobamgbe Uroaiye who was leaving the community. She says the daily struggle led to her losing a finger.

She admitted that her days are numbered but appealed to the Government to come to their aid.

Another woman takes me to the mouth of the sea, she tells me most of them have not eaten, they are struggling to reclaim the remnant of their shelter from the sea.

These communities are hanging onto the last thread of hope.