Environmentalist Says Some Ondo Oil Communities Will Disappear

By Ayodele Oni

An environmentalist, Mr. Kolade Omoyeni, has raised the alarm over the possiblity of some communities in Ilaje area of Ondo state being washed away or submerged if the current trend of ocean surge persists.

He has, therefore, called for immediate intervention in flooded areas especially, Aiyetoro Community in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.

According to him, the estwhile socialist community might be washed off as a result of incessant ocean surge if Government at all levels and other relevant authorities delayed in rescuing the community.

Mr Omoyeni said in a statement made available to newsmen on Sunday in Akure, the Ondo State capital, that flooding had destroyed the architectural and economic bouyancy of the community, ascribing it to oil exploration activities of oil companies in adjoining communities.

Lamenting the level of destruction of the community, Omoyeni said: “The oil companies carry out exploration in the communities surrounding Aiyetoro without acceeding to international standard practice

“They carry out their exploration activities without recourse to global environmental protection laws.

“This is the same inhuman attitudes of the multinational companies in the whole of the Niger Delta.

“Black soots are threatening the existence of most oil communities from Bayelsa and Ondo, while the Petroleum Industrial Act (PIA) cares very little (even in theory) about the continuous reckless damaging of the riverine areas and lands.

“The economy of the host communities in Niger Delta region are lamed by the crude activities of the oil companies.”

He appealed to environmetalists, governments and the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC) and Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to save Aiyetoro community from being sunk by incessant ocean surge by ensuring the immediate implementation of abandoned intervention projects awarded for same purpose.

Mr Omoyeni warned that if the community is neglected to be washed away by ocean surge, several communities in Ilaje Local Government Area would suffer the same fate.