The Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC) has called for urgent intervention from the United Nations and the international community over the worsening sea incursion threatening coastal communities in the state.
The chairman of OSOPADEC, Prince Olabiyi Poroye, made the appeal during the commemoration of the 2026 World Environment Day held in Ayetoro, Ilaje Local Government Area.
Poroye said the event provided an opportunity to draw global attention to the severe environmental challenges facing coastal communities within the commission’s mandate area.
He lamented that years of sea incursion and climate change had pushed many settlements to the brink of collapse, with residents increasingly displaced.
According to him, OSOPADEC was using the global environmental event to seek support from development partners, investors, and donor agencies to address the crisis.
He said studies carried out in affected communities showed that huge financial resources would be required to reclaim lost land and protect vulnerable settlements from further destruction.
He disclosed that reclaiming just one community would cost about ₦94 billion, adding that the figure was beyond what intervention agencies could shoulder alone despite existing funding arrangements.
“We also want to let the world know that this is a place for investment for those who want to help and also benefit, as well as those who want to assist without expecting anything in return.
“The community and the government will welcome land reclamation projects and also provide portions of land for hospitality, tourism and other developments,” he added.
Representing Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the Commissioner for Environment, Tob Loko, said the state government chose Ayetoro for the World Environment Day commemoration because of the severity of the ecological damage in the area.
Loko said government was deeply concerned about the impact of sea incursion on residents and remained committed to working with OSOPADEC and other stakeholders to find lasting solutions.
He noted that although the challenge had persisted for years, the current administration was focused on practical interventions and strengthened collaboration among relevant agencies.
He added that the Ministry of Environment and OSOPADEC would continue to deepen partnerships aimed at protecting coastal communities and restoring livelihoods affected by environmental degradation.
Speaking on behalf of the community, the Ogeloyinbo of Ayetoro, Oba Oluwambe Ojagbohunmi, lamented that over 80 per cent of the community’s land and infrastructure had been lost to sea incursion over the past two decades.
He said schools had been destroyed and relocated, while women, children, and the elderly continued to suffer the worst impacts of repeated displacement.
The monarch called for urgent shoreline protection measures, including embankments, sheet piling, and land reclamation projects, warning that Ayetoro’s cultural heritage was at risk of being completely lost to the sea.
