Ayetoro, an oil-producing community in Ilaje local government Area of Ondo, is currently endangered and metaphorically waiting to be
consumed by the Atlantic ocean.
The ocean used to be friendly and at peace with the town and the over 20,000 inhabitants, willingly yielding its resources to maintain natural balance .
Old residents recalled that Ayetoro seashore was a usual spot of communal events and playground for the younger ones in the years past
There are hues and cries that the
incessant surge from the ocean may completely wash away the coastal community, which has existed for 71 years, if there was no conscious efforts by the authorities to nip it in the bud.
Residents told our correspondent that when the surge unleashes its rage on the town, it always leaves trails of misfortunes, sorrow and despair in the community.
They recalled that the ocean recently overflowed its bank which consumed over 25 buildings including the only secondary school in the community and rendered over
200 residents homeless.
“The surge occurred in the middle of the night when many people had retired to bed. We tried to pack some of our property out. But when we noticed that most of the houses had been submerged, we had to evacuate the people from their houses,” Emmanuel Aralu, one of the affected residents, said.
“Property worth millions of Naira were destroyed and washed away into the middle of the ocean. Houses were also washed away by the ocean and it has claimed more than 500 meters from its bank,” he said.
Bolu Ajijo, an indigene of the town, who savoured his adventures on the beach in his early life,recalled that: “As a young boy, I used to play with my mates and those older than me on the beach. The beach was very far from the last house along the coast. And it accommodated not less than three football fields diagonally”
According to Ajijo, a younger brother to the monarch of Ayetoro, Oba Micah Olaseni Ajijo, “Ayetoro seashore was more than four standard football fields in the 50s. It was from there the whole Ilaje used to congregate to mark the Empire Day during the colonial era.
“The Empire Day was replaced by the Independence Day Anniversary in 1960 at the attainment of political statehood. By inference, it means that the beach of Ayetoro was so large enough to accommodate almost the entire Ilaje nation during the celebration of the annual ritual.”
Today, Ajijo’s adventure on the beautiful beach has gone into
oblivion courtsey of the ocean. Ayetoro founded in 1947 by a group of Christians and fishermen of Ilaje extraction, is now a shell of itself and the present reality of the community is that what remains of it may soon be wiped out of existence. Fishing, which is the main occupation of the people, is now a very difficult and expensive trade. The situation has compelled many to relocate to other towns.
The Archbishop of the Holy Apostles Church and Baba Ijo of the religious community, Rembo Eretan, traced the origin of the sea surge to 50 years ago. Rembo attributed the menace to the activities of the oil companies, especially Gulf now Chevron Nigeria Limited, and its subsidiaries prospecting and exploiting crude oil in the area. He said the situation became worse as more oil companies joined the search for oil both onshore and offshore of the community.
Apostle Henry Ojagbohunmi, a retired federal worker and cleric, described present situation of the town as very pathetic. Ojagbohunmi lamented that the whole world seemed to have abandoned the people of the community to their own fate. He said all the spirited efforts made to draw attention of both the federal and state government to their plights yielded no fruit.
He said: “We have addressed world press conference in Akure, Lagos and Abuja. We have written petitions and made appeals to Ondo state government, federal government, Ecological Fund office and National Assembly. As I am talking to you, we are yet to see the impact of these efforts in our community. Instead, things are getting worse.
“The loses our people have incurred because of this perennial sea incursion and surge can’t be quantified in term of money and properties. Many of the inhabitants of the once bustling town have relocated to other Ilaje towns while some to Lagos, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers and even as far as Dodo River in Akwa Ibom. The resultant effects of this forced migration are poverty, diseases, joblessness and crime, which is now in ascendancy in the area.”
In 2008, the federal government, through the Niger/Delta Development Commission (NDDC), intervened and awarded a sea embarkment contract of over N12 billion to address the problem.
Ten years after, there appears to be nothing concrete on ground to justify the N6 billion advanced to the contractors.
Speaking on the project, Ajijo said if completed, it would have saved the community and adjoining towns and villages from the recurrent menace of the sea surge.
According to him:”What the community can recall is that the companies collected mobilization of N6 billion and bolted with it. Nothing was on ground except a house boat and some dilapidated tools. Nobody is on site. My people are afraid that the Ayetoro Sea Embarkment Project has now been added to the growing list of abandoned NDDC
interventionist projects.”
Asenior official of NDDC at the commission’s office in Igbokoda, the headquarters of Ilaje local government area of the state, said that
non-availability of sharp sand was delaying the work.
The official, who pleaded anonymity, said the contractor could not get sand at the location given to him and that where the material was available was very far from Ayetoro.
He said: “The shoreline protection contract was first awarded to Gallet Nigeria Limited in December, 2004 when Chief Olusola Oke was the representative of the state on the NDDC board. It was scheduled to be completed within 18 months. But the contract was later terminated and resigned to another company, Dredging Atlantic Limited in December, 2008.
“The original contract sum was N2.6 billion and the revised contract sum was N6.5 billion. The project involves installation and filling of geo-tube with sand; sand-filling of existing and reclamation of already lost shore; installation of reno-mattes and construction of gabon basket and line drains.
“The greatest challenge facing the project is how to get sand to execute it. The Ayatoro area is full of mud and the contractor needs sharp sand. They did not get sharp sand at the place allocated to them after paying for it. Where sand is available is very far from
Besides,the state government has thrown up its hands in helplessness, saying the problem of the sea incursion is beyond its power.
While inspecting the damage caused by the recent surge from the ocean, Agboola Ajayi, the state deputy governor, appealed to the federal government to come to its aid and stop the
incessant surge in the community
Agboola, who was a former chair, House of Representatives
Committee on NDDC, suggested that only a modern technology could put an end to the crisis.
“I remembered when I was at the House of Representatives, I personally led members of the NDDC to this community. I also traveled to Netherland to look at the modern technology which we felt it would have been able to solve the problem.
“Certainly you can see this has gone beyond Ondo State government. We will make noise and let the whole world know that Ayetoro is in danger. Ondo state is in danger and the federal government should rescue this oil producing community.
“Probably, what they did in Lagos will solve this problem. Look at Eko Atlantic city. This was able to stop this sea incursion and people are able to drive freely. Not only this, they are even building houses on top of the sea.
“Like what the community said, they are about three kilometers away now. A lot of houses have been washed away. Children cannot go to school. So, we are worried, but we are assuring our people that we will not relent on our efforts to stop this disaster,” Agboola said.
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