The Ondo State House of Assembly has appealed to the Federal Government, United Nations, World Bank, and the Niger Delta Development Commission to intervene and save the coastal community of Ayetoro in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State from being wiped out by the Atlantic Ocean. The community has been facing the problem of ocean surge, which has taken over more than half of the land, rendering many residents homeless as their houses have been swept away by the ocean.

At the plenary sitting on Thursday, the Assembly adopted a motion of urgent public importance, moving by the lawmaker representing Ilaje constituency 1, Mr Abayomi Akinruntan, on the need to save Ayetoro from being wiped out by the ocean surge. The Assembly urged the FG and the international community to immediately deploy modern technology to rescue Ayetoro and other communities that are being submerged by ocean surges in the local government.

Akinruntan informed the Assembly that people in the affected communities had lost valuables and property worth billions of naira and were currently displaced from their homes. He said that the ocean surge was a recurring problem, and there was a need for a lasting solution before the entire homes of his people at the constituency in Ilaje Ugbo, the oil-bearing communities in Ondo State, are wiped away. He also stated that the NDDC, NEMA, and other agencies needed to explore and deploy modern technology for a solution to the ocean surge in the Ilaje communities.

The lawmaker also appealed to the National Emergency Management Agency to speed up the distribution of relief materials to the victims. He added that an immediate settlement plan is required for the people of the affected areas aside from the regular relief materials that should be given to them.

The Speaker of the Assembly, Mr Bamidele Oleyelogun, ruled on the motion, saying that the Ondo State Government alone could no longer manage the situation at Ayetoro and others, as the surge had now become an annual occurrence and resources-consuming, hence the need for the intervention of the stakeholders.

The appeal by the Assembly is coming at a time when the United Nations has warned that by 2050, at least 300 million people could be displaced due to climate change-related events, including rising sea levels, and ocean surges. This makes it important for urgent and effective action to be taken to save Ayetoro and other coastal communities facing similar challenges from being wiped out by the ocean.