The Ondo State Sustainable Development and Coastal Management Agency is asking the federal government for 94 billion naira to save Aiyetoro, a fishing community on the state's coast, from being swallowed by the Atlantic Ocean.
OSOPADEC says the money is urgent. The ocean erosion threatening Aiyetoro has become so severe that the community faces extinction without immediate action. Residents have already lost homes, farmland, and fishing grounds to the advancing sea.
Aiyetoro sits on Ondo's coastline, where erosion has been a problem for decades. The community of fishermen and farmers has watched the ocean eat into their land year after year. What was once solid ground is now water. Families have relocated multiple times, moving further inland each time the ocean creeps closer.
The agency made its case for the 94 billion naira publicly, spelling out what the money would cover: coastal defence structures, relocation assistance for residents, and restoration of damaged infrastructure. Without these interventions, OSOPADEC warned, Aiyetoro will cease to exist within the next few years.
Osopadec officials have not yet said when they expect a response from the federal government or whether they have submitted formal proposals to relevant ministries. The agency's request comes as Nigeria grapples with coastal erosion across multiple states, from Lagos to Cross River. Ondo's coastline has been particularly vulnerable due to its geography and exposure to Atlantic swells.
The community's plight reflects a broader problem along Nigeria's coast. Erosion has displaced thousands of people across the country. In some cases, entire settlements have disappeared beneath the waves. Climate change and rising sea levels have worsened the problem in recent years, though erosion in places like Aiyetoro has been documented for much longer.
Local leaders in Aiyetoro say they have exhausted their resources trying to cope. They have built temporary barriers and moved critical structures inland, but these measures are only delays. A permanent solution requires the kind of investment OSOPADEC is now requesting from Abuja.
The federal government has not yet commented on OSOPADEC's request. The Ministry of Water Resources and related agencies typically handle such matters, though budget allocations for coastal defence have historically been modest compared to the scale of the problem.
