OSOPADEC TAKES AIYETORO’S COASTAL CRISIS TO COP31, SEEKS URGENT GLOBAL INTERVENTION

…As Senator Faduyile rallies international support to save endangered Ilaje, Ese-Odo communities

The Executive Chairman of the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC), Prince Olabiyi Olaleye Poroye, has called on the international community to urgently intervene in the growing coastal erosion crisis threatening communities in Ilaje and Ese-Odo Local Government Areas of Ondo State.

Poroye made the appeal on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, while delivering the opening address at a Nigeria Pavilion session titled “Saving the Vanishing Coast: The Just Transition for an Oil-Producing Shore,” at the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Antalya, Türkiye.

Using the historic coastal settlement of Aiyetoro in Ilaje Local Government Area as a case study, the OSOPADEC chairman drew international attention to the devastating consequences of coastal erosion, climate change and years of environmental vulnerability confronting communities along Ondo State’s coastline.

He described the situation as an unacceptable contradiction in which communities located close to Nigeria’s offshore oil wealth continue to grapple with inadequate electricity, disappearing settlements, unsafe waterways and declining economic opportunities.

Poroye recalled Aiyetoro’s remarkable history of self-reliance, noting that the community generated its own electricity as far back as 1953, when access to public power supply remained a luxury in many parts of Nigeria.

“In 1953, long before many towns in our country had electricity, the people of Aiyetoro generated their own power. They built their own boats. They organised their own community and were proud of what their own hands could do,” he said.

He, however, lamented that the once-thriving settlement was now facing an existential threat as the Atlantic Ocean continues to consume residential buildings, roads and other essential infrastructure.

Highlighting the human dimension of the crisis, Poroye described the daily difficulties confronting residents, particularly women, children and fishermen, whose livelihoods and access to basic services have been severely affected.

He painted a troubling picture of children studying under lantern light, fishermen struggling to preserve their catches without cold-storage facilities and mothers transporting sick children across unsafe waterways in search of medical attention.

Against this backdrop, the OSOPADEC chairman proposed a pilot intervention comprising solar-powered mini-grids and safer coastal transportation systems to support vulnerable communities along the Ilaje coastline.

The proposed initiative is expected to improve access to renewable electricity, strengthen waterway safety and protect livelihoods while helping coastal residents adapt to the growing effects of climate change.

Speaking on behalf of Ondo State Governor, Dr Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, the OSOPADEC Board, management and staff, Poroye reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to mobilising resources, institutional support and strategic partnerships to address the environmental challenges.

He acknowledged the contributions of the governor, the National Assembly and the Ondo State House of Assembly, expressing optimism that affected communities would actively participate in the ownership, operation and maintenance of the proposed projects.

Poroye consequently urged international partners to move beyond declarations and support practical climate adaptation programmes, shoreline protection and sustainable development initiatives capable of securing the future of endangered coastal settlements.

SENATOR FADUYILE: AIYETORO HAS LOST OVER 80 PER CENT OF ITS LANDMASS

Also speaking at the session, the Senator representing Ondo South Senatorial District, Professor Dayo Francis Faduyile, called for immediate and coordinated intervention by the Federal Government and international development partners to prevent the total destruction of Aiyetoro and other vulnerable coastal settlements.

Faduyile disclosed that more than 80 per cent of historic Aiyetoro had been lost to sea incursion, with residential buildings, schools, healthcare facilities, places of worship and traditional institutions among the casualties.

Expressing concern over the scale of the devastation, the senator insisted that the time for endless discussions had passed, stressing the need for concrete action to protect the remaining parts of the community.

“We need to take action. This is the time for us to act. As we can see, Aiyetoro is bleeding,” he declared.

The lawmaker disclosed that he had moved a motion at the Nigerian Senate on October 22, 2026, seeking urgent intervention to rescue Aiyetoro and other threatened coastal communities. According to him, the motion received unanimous support from senators.

He explained that the Senate had resolved to pursue a comprehensive shoreline protection programme involving the Federal Ministry of Environment, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the Ondo State Government and OSOPADEC.

He further disclosed that the Senate had called on the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to provide humanitarian assistance to residents displaced by the advancing ocean, while urging the Federal Government to explore international climate adaptation financing for the protection of Nigeria’s vulnerable coastline.

Faduyile commended Poroye for taking the plight of the affected communities to the global climate diplomacy platform, noting that OSOPADEC’s presentation had gone beyond highlighting the challenges to offering practical intervention proposals.

AIYETORO: A FORMER SYMBOL OF COMMUNITY-DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT

Providing a historical account of the endangered settlement, Prophet Oluwambe Ojagbohunmi, who represented the Aiyetoro community, recalled the remarkable achievements of the community before the devastating impact of coastal erosion.

He described Aiyetoro as a historic model of communal living, industrial innovation and shared prosperity, where collective ownership and community-driven initiatives ensured that residents had access to essential amenities.

“Aiyetoro was a community where nobody lacked anything. We had textile factories where people collected clothes free of charge, a central cafeteria that fed everybody, and houses were provided for residents,” he recalled.

Ojagbohunmi explained that the community established its electricity-generating station in 1953 through the efforts of local fishermen, adding that it later constructed a 200-room palace and a technical college in 1964.

These achievements, he said, positioned Aiyetoro as one of the remarkable examples of community-led development in West Africa at the time.

He regretted that several of the community’s historic buildings, institutions and landmarks had been swallowed by the Atlantic Ocean, describing the loss as a major blow to the people and their cultural heritage.

To support historical documentation and research into the community’s experience, Ojagbohunmi presented historical photographs and documents at the Nigeria Pavilion, expressing the community’s readiness to make relevant records available to researchers, development partners and international stakeholders.

CALL FOR ACTION BEYOND CLIMATE DECLARATIONS

The presentations at COP31 brought renewed attention to the vulnerability of oil-producing coastal communities and the need to place their survival at the centre of global climate action and just energy transition discussions.

For Aiyetoro and neighbouring communities along the Ilaje coastline, coastal erosion is no longer a distant environmental prediction. It is an unfolding humanitarian, economic and cultural emergency threatening homes, livelihoods, public infrastructure and generations of historical heritage.

With OSOPADEC advancing proposals for renewable energy and safer coastal transportation, alongside the Senate’s support for a comprehensive shoreline protection programme, the engagement has provided an opportunity to attract international attention and translate climate commitments into measurable community-level interventions.

The message from Ondo State is unequivocal: coastal communities should not be left to bear the devastating consequences of environmental change while contributing to the nation’s economic wealth.

They require urgent government intervention, sustainable financing, appropriate technology and enduring international partnerships.

As the Atlantic Ocean continues to encroach on Aiyetoro, the challenge before governments and development partners is no longer simply how to document the community’s disappearance, but how to save what remains and secure a future for its people.