Ayetoro fishing community faces extinction from coastal erosion

The Atlantic Ocean is rapidly eroding the coastline of Ayetoro, a fishing community in Ondo State, Nigeria, home to approximately 10,000 people. Reports indicate the shoreline has been retreating by an average of 15 metres annually since the late 1980s, with an estimated 80 percent of the town's landmass already lost to the sea.

Residents describe a cycle of rebuilding homes further inland only to have them destroyed by subsequent ocean surges. The community's traditional ruler, Oba Oluwambe Ojagbohunmi, noted that his palace has been reduced from 100 rooms to just a dozen. Local leaders and the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission have called for urgent intervention, stating that approximately N94 billion is required to implement permanent shoreline protection.

Community leaders have appealed to President Bola Tinubu for assistance, while also calling for investigations into previous shoreline protection contracts due to allegations of corruption. This environmental crisis comes as the federal government focuses significant resources on the $11 billion Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project.