Thousands of women, youths, school children, and aged people of Ayetoro community in the oil-rich Ilaje local government area of Ondo State, on Wednesday staged a peaceful protest, alleging neglect by the state and federal government in the face of a ravaging ocean surge that has rendered over 5000 persons homeless and destroyed critical structures in the community.
The protestors, who carried placards with inscriptions such as “Reclamation is not impossible”, “Oil corporations are smiling, local people are crying”, and “Save our Souls’’ lamented the recurring sea incursion that has claimed over 85 per cent of their land.
They regretted that despite the community’s status as a cultural heritage, oil extraction by multinational corporations and the resulting spillages from extractive activities have not only contaminated their waters but also contributed to the worsening sea incursion.
According to them, notwithstanding past efforts by the government to address the situation, including a shoreline project contract worth billions allegedly awarded to one Gallet Nigeria Limited to protect the community from the devastating ocean surges in 2003, and an allocation of N6.5 billion to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for the construction of a shoreline protective wall in 2006, none of these initiatives have yielded any tangible results.
For the contract awarded to Gallet Nigeria Limited, all that was seen were temporary Geo-tubes set across the shores’ boundaries, which yielded no meaningful use or impact. Subsequently, the project completion was abandoned by the contractors due to a lack of technical know-how.
“We only hear of these promises to intervene, and the billions of Naira awarded for reclamation projects in the news, but nothing has happened so far. None of the people or companies in charge of these projects have ever shown up in the community. Those who did come only made our situation worse by digging holes without follow-up measures,’’ said Oba Oluwambe Ojagbohunmi (JP), the Ogeleyinbo of Ayetoro and the traditional ruler of the community, who led the protest.
A woman lamented the loss of economic livelihoods for many in the community, whose primary source of income came from fish processing. Following the disruption of fishing activities by the ocean surge, fish processing as a primary economic activity for women in the community has nearly disappeared. Another woman complained of the increasing health risks associated with daily exposure to petroleum-contaminated water.
Hundreds of schoolchildren at the protest voiced concerns about how their schools have had to be relocated several times due to the challenges posed by the ocean surge, causing many of them to drop out due to mobility problems. They described how the often-unexpected surges have disrupted their learning process and calendar.
The protesters called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the National Assembly, and the Ondo State government to save their community from extinction by building embankments to halt the ocean surges. They also urged the NDDC, the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, and other relevant agencies to come to their aid.
They demanded a comprehensive audit and urgent probe of the multibillion-Naira funds voted for the community’s coastline protection and the immediate return of contractors to the site.
They also requested a massive, fit-for-purpose embankment along the shoreline, informed by the community’s recommendations and scientific research conducted by universities and environmental experts both within and outside the country.
The residents also expressed willingness to support the government’s rebuilding efforts by providing manual labour, if needed, to expedite the process. They appealed to state authorities to speedily mitigate the burden of the ocean surge on vulnerable residents, particularly the elderly, who have now reached the limits of their coping capacities.
The protest was observed by the CAPPA team, who also joined the demonstration in solidarity with the community.
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