Ayetoro, a historic fishing community in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, is gradually being consumed by the Atlantic Ocean as coastal erosion continues to destroy homes, public facilities and livelihoods.
Known as “The Happy Place,” Ayetoro was founded in 1947 by a group of communist-inspired Christians who sought to establish a community based on communal living and shared resources. Today, the community is home to about 10,000 people, but its future is increasingly uncertain as the sea continues to advance.
The beach is shrinking every year, leaving behind debris and remnants of houses that have been swallowed by the ocean. Residents now walk along narrow strips of sand, with some areas accessible only by boat.
Thompson Akingboye, a 35-year-old fisherman and aide to the traditional ruler, described the situation as heartbreaking, saying residents are effectively walking over the remains of people’s former homes. He said his father’s house was destroyed by the ocean in 2019 and that he was able to save only his university degree certificate.
The problem has intensified since the early 2000s. According to a study cited in the report, Ayetoro’s coastline receded by an average of 15 metres every year between 1987 and 2022.
The wider Ilaje district is facing a similar crisis, with 19 other communities affected by coastal erosion. Rising sea levels, climate change and human activity along Nigeria’s coastline are contributing to the worsening situation.
Ayetoro’s traditional ruler, King Oluwambe Ojagbohunmi, has also watched his palace steadily disappear. He told reporters that the palace once had 100 rooms, but only about a dozen remain.
His bedroom is now in the section of the building closest to the sea, where the sound of waves hitting the walls interrupts his sleep. In April, a storm caused the water level to rise so severely that people inside the palace were trapped for about a week.
For many residents, relocating is not an easy solution. Akingboye said some families have moved inland more than three times, only for the advancing water to threaten their new homes again.
The community’s public infrastructure has also suffered. Its only health centre has been lost to the sea, forcing healthcare workers to continue attending to residents in difficult conditions.
Omomiye Oluwaseun, a 26-year-old healthcare worker, said floodwaters sometimes rise to window level while medical workers continue working. Residents also face contaminated water supplies, with reports of water-borne diseases such as typhoid and diarrhoea.
Education has equally been disrupted. Teacher Sunday Akinjoye said schools have been relocated several times because of the encroaching sea, affecting students’ ability to concentrate and creating a psychological burden for children who repeatedly lose their homes and schools.
Researchers say human activity is also worsening the problem. According to landscape architecture researcher Oluwasegun Babatunde Esan, the clearing of floodplains, swamps and coastal areas for settlements and industrial activities can make communities more vulnerable to flooding and erosion.
He recommended stronger regulation of development along vulnerable coastal areas, as well as the use of natural barriers such as mangroves and coconut palms to help protect communities.
The problem is not limited to Ayetoro. Nigeria has an approximately 850-kilometre coastline, much of which is exposed to coastal erosion and flooding. A 2024 study cited by the report estimated that sea-level rise along West Africa’s Gulf of Guinea was about 3.9 millimetres per year, higher than the global average at the time.
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