Following the unending sea incursions that have continued to ravage the coastal community of Ayetoro in the Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, youths in the community have appealed to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to declare a state emergency in the area.
According to the youths, due to the incessant environmental hazard, no fewer than 5000 people have been displaced and rendered homeless due to the development.
Speaking on behalf of the youths, Thompson Akingboye lamented that the damage done to the community by ocean surges included the destruction of maternity and health facilities, schools and small-scale factories established by the community.
Akingboye maintained that the only solution to save the community from sliding into the sea and going into extinction is for the government to ensure the protection of the shorelines in the community and the construction of an embankment.
He said: “Despite the enormous importance of this community and the danger confronting it, no tangible respite has come. The land continues to be eroded, houses continue to collapse into the sea, and people continue to die.
“Well-meaning indigenous peoples and groups have staged several protests and petitions to the government at all levels, yet nothing has been done. Today, the story of the Ayetoro community’s sea surge is a story of sorrow, tears, and blood. It is a sad story of fraud, neglect, losses, and death. It is a sad testament to the absence of government.
“We have lost billions of naira in real and tangible terms to this sea incursion. Every aspect of our lives has been greatly affected—economically, socially, educationally, and health-wise.”
Sea surges: Ondo community urges Gov Aiyedatiwa to declare state of emergency