Aiyedatiwa Steps Up Efforts to Save Ayetoro From Ocean Surge

Ondo team visits Ghana for partnership on shoreline protection, land reclamation.

The Ondo State Government has intensified moves to tackle the age-long sea incursion threatening Ayetoro, a coastal community in Ilaje Local Government Area, as Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa pushes forward with plans for a comprehensive shoreline protection and land reclamation project.

Ayetoro, a theocratic community founded in 1947, has for decades suffered from the devastating effects of Atlantic Ocean surges, which have washed away homes and farmlands and displaced several families.

Determined to end the recurring tragedy, Governor Aiyedatiwa last week dispatched a high-powered delegation to Ghana on a fact-finding mission aimed at identifying credible partners for the proposed reclamation project in the state’s oil-producing region.

The three-day mission, led by the Executive Chairman of the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC), Prince Olabiyi Olaleye Poroye, was in line with the governor’s directive that only firms with proven capacity, expertise, and financial strength would be considered for the job.

Over the years, various administrations had attempted to execute the Ayetoro Shoreline Protection Project, but such efforts ended in disappointment. A previous contractor engaged for the project failed to deliver, leaving the community vulnerable to further ocean surges.

The Ondo team, during its visit, met with officials of Dredge Masters Ltd (DML), a Ghana-based marine engineering company reputed for its large-scale dredging and coastal protection works. The delegation inspected DML’s heavy-duty equipment, operational base, and records of successful projects, including the Prampram Sea Defence and Ningo Dredging and Reclamation Project.

They also held strategic meetings with the Jospong Group, led by industrialist Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyapong, and toured other environmental and waste management facilities such as the Accra Compost and Recycling Plant.

Speaking after the tour, Prince Poroye described the mission as “an eye-opener,” lauding the technical competence and operational structure of Dredge Masters Ltd.

He said: “Mr. Governor’s priority is to ensure that the menace of sea incursion becomes history. He is determined to deliver lasting solutions that will protect our coastal communities, restore livelihoods, and rekindle the confidence of our people who have suffered for too long.”

Poroye disclosed that Governor Aiyedatiwa had directed that only reputable contractors with verifiable records and sound financial standing would be shortlisted for the shoreline protection project.

He recalled that past interventions by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in Ayetoro yielded no tangible results, leaving behind eroded land and disillusioned residents.

Citing the success of the Alape–Araromi Seaside Road handled by RCF Nigeria Limited, Poroye stressed the importance of due diligence and the need to match technical know-how with strong political will.

According to him, “This is not rocket science. What we need is sincerity of purpose and competent partners. We must understand the soil texture, the depth, and use the right equipment. That’s how Lagos State succeeded with its coastal protection projects, and we can do the same in Ondo.”

The OSOPADEC chairman reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to getting the Ayetoro project right this time, saying the search for credible partners would continue until the most qualified firm is selected.

For the people of Ayetoro, who have endured years of loss and displacement, Aiyedatiwa’s renewed effort signals a new dawn — and a chance to finally reclaim their land from the advancing ocean.