– Lament 10 years of devastation, warn community faces extinction
Fidelis David in Akure
Residents and traditional leaders of the oil-producing Aiyetoro community in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State have raised fresh concerns over the worsening impact of climate change and coastal erosion, warning that the historic coastal settlement is on the verge of extinction unless the federal government urgently intervenes with a permanent sea embankment project.
The alarm was raised during a one-day Community Dialogue and Training on Just Energy Transition and the Use of Cultural Tools to Build Resistance organised by the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) at the Aiyetoro Town Hall, where participants also advocated a people-centred transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy that protects host communities and their livelihoods.
Speaking at the event, Community and Culture Lead of HOMEF, Cadmus Atake-Enade, said the global conversation on energy transition would remain incomplete without justice, stressing that local communities must be active participants in decisions affecting their environment and natural resources.
