Ilaje Communities Threaten 2027 Election Boycott Over Ocean Surge
For 20 coastal communities in Ondo State’s Ilaje Local Government Area, the threat is no longer simply about erosion, it is about losing their homes, livelihoods and communities to the Atlantic Ocean.
The communities have threatened to boycott the 2027 general elections unless the Federal and Ondo State governments urgently intervene to halt the advancing ocean surge and recurring flooding.
Under the Coalition of Ilaje Ravaged Communities, residents staged a protest in Igbokoda after a press conference in Ayetoro, the community they say has suffered the worst devastation.
They are demanding shoreline protection projects, including sea walls and groynes, emergency relief, potable water, medicines and temporary shelters for displaced families. They also want the Ilaje coastline declared a national disaster zone.
Ayetoro monarch, Oba Olorumbe Ojagbohunmi, said the community had lost about 85 per cent of its territory to the sea, with only seven of its 45 streets reportedly remaining.
“For 10 years now, we have been losing at least 50 buildings every year to the ocean surge,” he said, describing residents as “refugees in their own town”.
The coalition also accused successive governments of failing to act despite years of appeals, including alleged failure to execute shoreline protection contracts.
Its General Coordinator, Akingboye Thompson, said the crisis had become an “existential threat”, while advocacy group CAPPA called for urgent environmental accountability and climate justice.
The communities want the Ondo State Government to sign a memorandum of understanding with them and publish a 90-day intervention plan within 30 days.
Their message to politicians ahead of 2027 is blunt: “No project, no vote.”
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