Ocean Surge: Ondo lawmakers appeal to FG, World Bank, NDDC to save community

The Ondo State House of Assembly has appealed to the Federal Government and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to urgently intervene in the incessant sea incursion in Ayetoro community in Ilaje Local Government Area as the town moving towards extinction.

The Assembly gave this charge at plenary sitting in Akure after adopting a motion of urgent public importance on the need to save Ayetoro, noting that the sea incursion has almost wipe off the community.

The lawmaker representing Ilaje constituency 1, Hon. Abayomi Akinruntan, who moved the motion on the need to save Ayetoro from being wiped off by ocean surge, expressed worries over the incessant sea incursion.

He called on the Federal Government and other relevant agencies to put permanent structures in place to prevent future sea incursion in the coastal area of the state.

Akinruntan observed that the issue is beyond the state government and appealed to the UN, World Bank, Federal government and other intervention agencies to rescue the situation so that the affected areas will not go into extinction.

He charged all the relevant agencies and international bodies to deploy modern technology to rescue Ayetoro and other communities that are being submerged by ocean surge in Ilaje local government area of the state.

The lawmaker said people in the affected communities had lost valuables worth billions of naira while many of the residents have been displaced from their homes.

He appealed passionately to both the national and international relevant agencies to adopt the right modern technology to tackle the people of oil-rich Ilaje area.

The lawmaker also appealed to the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA to speed up distribution of relief materials to the victims.

Akinruntan said, “It’s being a reoccurring problem and we seek a lasting solution before the entire homes of my people at the constituency in Ilaje Ugbo, the oil bearing communities in Ondo State is wipe away.

“I feel agencies like NDDC, UN, NEMA, and others need to explore with proper study by experts and deploy same with best and latest technology for a solution to ocean surge in the Ilaje communities.

“But presently immediate settlement plan is require for the people of the affected areas aside the regular relief materials that should be given to them,”

Ruling on the motion, the Speaker of the State Assembly, Bamidele Oleyelogun said the Ondo state government alone could no longer manage the situation at Ayetoro, noting that the surge has become an annual occurrence and resources consuming.

It will be recalled that more than 5,000 inhabitants of Ayetoro had been displaced by the sea incursion that had been ravaging the area for many years without concrete actions to rescue the communities.

Other communities in Ilaje affected by the ocean surge, are; Gbagira, Odofado, Mese and Awoye.