Speaker, Ondo State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Bamidele Oleyelogun
By Banji Ayoola
Ondo State House of Assembly has directed the state’s Ministry of Environment to collaborate with the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project, NEWMAP, in finding a lasting solution to incessant ocean surge in Ayetoro in llaje Local Government area.
It gave the directive when members of the assembly’s Ad-hoc Committee on the recent sea incursion at Ayetoro played host to the management of the Ministry of Environment and NEWMAP at the House of Assembly Complex in Akure.
This was contained in a statement by the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Youth and Sports Development, Akogun Olugbenga Omole.
It said that following a report by the lawmaker representing llaje Constituency 1, Hon Abayomi Akinruntan, the Speaker, Rt Hon Bamidele Oleyelogun Bamidele inaugurated a committee chaired by Omole to visit Ayetoro Community “with a view to determining the cause of incessant ocean surge in the area and report back to the House.”
This, it said, prompted the invitation for the Environment Ministry and NEWMAP to appear before the committee.
The statement noted that the meeting was called “to proffer lasting solution to the problem and prevent the Historical Ayetoro Community from going into extinction.”
It added that Akinruntan lamented the plights of the riverine communities due to their proximity to the ocean and “called on stakeholders to come to the aid of the people in view of the enormity of their losses to frequent ocean surge.”
Responding, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Engineer Tayo Adeniyi reportedly said that “necessary stakeholders were already brainstorming with a view to proffering solution to sea incursion in llaje communities.”
Besides, Adeniyi reportedly informed that “towns and villages in the riverine community have been visited in the past, to assess their ecological problems adding that all necessary steps would be taken to address them.”
Also, NEWMAP “said it has carried out comprehensive survey on the affected areas while its findings have been transmitted to the World Bank.
NEWMAP expressed optimism that its proposal will redress incessant surge in the riverine communities.”
Meanwhile, the statement said that “the Ad-hoc Committee has fixed a date to visit the Ayetoro Community to have a first hand information on the level of damage and sympathise with the people on the losses occasioned by the ocean surge.”
