Ocean surge sacks Ondo community

The surge from the Atlantic Ocean is threatening to submerge the coastal community of Ayetoro, in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, destroying over 200 buildings and property worth millions of Naira.

This was disclosed to Tribune Online, by the Secretary-General of the community and a member of Ogeloyinbo-in-Council, Otunba Dele Kudehinbu, who stated that many families and residents of the community had been displaced in the last few weeks following the ocean surge.

He explains that the only health centre in the community had been submerged with waters while the community’s secondary and primary schools had also been wiped off, saying the ocean surge had claimed 500 meters in the community

According to him, commercial and social activities in Arturo had come to standstill, with many of the residents relocating to other communities after losing their property to the surge.

He said, “though the community is constantly being ravaged by sea incursion in the past but i can tell you that half of the community is already submerged in water this year.”

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He explained that the sea incursion which happened in the early hour of September 24, 2019, woke the people of the community with houses submerged, destroyed by the water.

Also speaking, the Baba Ijo of the Holy Apostle Church, Archbishop Eremibo Eretan said though no life was lost but property worth millions of Naira were destroyed, saying “the economy of the land had been paralyzed.”

He, however, called on the Federal and State governments to come to the aid of the people of the Ayetoro community by putting in place an embankment at the seashore to protect the community and its people.

He said the surge which affected the community had claimed more than half of the landmass saying “most of it had gone under the water.”

He disclosed that the federal government, through the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), had awarded the embarkment project to two contractors who never visited the site of the project, leaving the residents of the area to their fate.

According to him, the leadership of the community had complained to the state government and intimated them about the degree of the damage that the sea incursion had caused on the community and its residents but said nothing has been done so far to save the community.

“This is above the community. It is a matter of Federal, State Government or international organisations to intervene because it is very serious and beyond the community,” he said.

He stated that the lasting solution to the sea incursion may be beyond the Ondo state government but called for certain measures to ameliorate the suffering of the people.