𝗔𝘆𝗲𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗲𝗮 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗨𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

By NigerDelta Voice,

𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝘁𝗮, 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮.

Hundreds of residents of Ayetoro and other coastal communities in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State on Wednesday staged a peaceful mass protest, demanding immediate intervention from the Federal Government and other relevant authorities over the persistent sea incursion threatening their communities with extinction.

The protesters, comprising traditional rulers, community leaders, youths, women, fishermen and other residents, gathered in large numbers, carrying banners and placards as they marched through the community, calling for urgent action to halt the continuous encroachment of the Atlantic Ocean.

The demonstration was organised to draw national and international attention to the worsening environmental crisis facing Ayetoro and other coastal settlements in Ilaje, where years of coastal erosion and sea incursion have continued to destroy homes, public infrastructure and sources of livelihood.

Addressing the gathering, community leaders said the situation has reached a critical stage, warning that without immediate intervention, several communities could disappear beneath the Atlantic Ocean.

The protesters appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Federal Government, Ondo State Government, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC), the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Ecological Project Office, international development agencies and other humanitarian organisations to urgently come to the rescue of the affected communities.

According to the residents, the relentless ocean surge has destroyed hundreds of houses, schools, churches, health centres, roads, markets, fishing camps and other public facilities, forcing many families to abandon their ancestral homes.

They lamented that many victims have become internally displaced, while countless others continue to live under the constant fear of losing their homes to the advancing ocean.

Throughout the peaceful demonstration, protesters displayed placards bearing inscriptions such as "SAVE AYETORO NOW!!!," "700 HOUSES ARE UNDER THE WATER NOW," "OVER 700 HOUSES ARE UNDER THE WATER NOW," "OPERATION SAVE ILAJE COASTAL COMMUNITIES FROM EXTINCTION," "WE CAN NO LONGER SLEEP WITH PEACE," "WE HAVE LOST OUR COPING CAPABILITIES," "OCEAN SURGE HAS RENDERED US REFUGEES," "SAVE OUR TWO EYES," and "#SaveAyetoroNow," reflecting the desperation of residents and their appeal for immediate intervention.

Speaking on behalf of the affected communities, some of the protesters said successive ocean surges have continued to consume their land, leaving thousands homeless and destroying properties worth millions of naira.

They called for the immediate construction of permanent shoreline protection structures, sea walls, land reclamation projects and other coastal defence measures capable of protecting lives, property and the future of the affected communities.

The residents also appealed for emergency relief materials, temporary shelters and humanitarian assistance for families displaced by the disaster.

Ayetoro, popularly known as the "Happy City," has for decades remained one of Nigeria's most vulnerable coastal communities. The town has suffered repeated destruction from sea incursion, with the Atlantic Ocean steadily eroding large sections of the community despite several promises of intervention over the years.

Environmental experts have consistently warned that rising sea levels, climate change and coastal erosion continue to worsen the situation, placing Ayetoro and several neighbouring Ilaje communities at increasing risk of displacement and eventual extinction if lasting solutions are not implemented.

Earlier this year, the Ondo State Government renewed its appeal to the Federal Government and the international community for urgent support to address the ecological disaster threatening the state's coastal communities, describing the situation as a humanitarian emergency requiring immediate intervention.

At the end of the protest, the demonstrators reiterated that their action was peaceful and intended solely to draw the attention of relevant authorities to the suffering of residents.

They urged all levels of government, intervention agencies and development partners to act without further delay, warning that continued inaction could lead to the complete submergence of Ayetoro and other coastal communities in Ilaje, leaving thousands more residents homeless and permanently displaced.