Senate raises alarm as ocean surge wipes out 80 per cent of Ondo community

The Senate has called for urgent and comprehensive shoreline protection to save Ayetoro community in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State from extinction.

The call followed a motion moved on Thursday by Senator Dayo Faduyile (APC, Ondo South) on the urgent need to save the historic coastal community from sea incursion.

Presenting the motion, Faduyile told the Senate that homes, livelihoods, cultural heritage and public infrastructure were being destroyed by ocean surges.

He said recent reports indicated that about 80 per cent of buildings in the community had been lost to the sea.

According to him, schools, healthcare facilities, places of worship and traditional institutions had been devastated, displacing thousands.

“Continued destruction of homes and community infrastructure has displaced families, threatened access to safe water and healthcare and put the future of the historic community in grave uncertainty,” he said.

Faduyile expressed concern that previous shoreline protection interventions had faced implementation challenges, including delays in earlier Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, contracts.

He said the scale of the crisis exceeded the capacity of residents and required urgent intervention by the Federal Government, Ondo State Government, development agencies and international partners.

The lawmaker noted that the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, OSOPADEC, had indicated that substantial resources were required to address the crisis.

He warned that further delays could lead to more loss of lives, property and livelihoods, with women, children and the elderly being the most vulnerable.

The Senate called on the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Environment, the NDDC and relevant agencies, to work with Ondo State and OSOPADEC to implement an adequately funded protection programme.

It also called for a transparent review of all ongoing shoreline protection contracts, including their funding status and completion timelines, and urged the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to affected residents.