By Katherine Abayomi
The Ilaje people of Ondo State have called on Governor Lucky Orimisan Ayedatiwa to urgently address what they describe as decades of neglect and underdevelopment in their communities.
In a statement issued on Thursday by the Publicity Secretary of the Ilaje Parapo Forum, Prince Edward Akingboye, the group expressed deep frustration over the governor’s perceived silence and inaction in the face of worsening environmental and infrastructural challenges in the coastal region.
According to Akingboye, the call is not an act of rebellion but a plea for conscience and justice.
“There comes a moment in the life of a people when silence is no longer golden, when docility becomes betrayal,” the statement read. “That moment, for the Ilaje people and the entire coastal belt of Ondo State, is now.”
He lamented the alarming rate of ocean encroachment that has left several Ilaje communities, including Ayetoro and Gbeneva, in crisis. He described how the ocean has breached coastlines, destroying homes and livelihoods while the state government remains indifferent.
“Our land groans under neglect, our children cry for education, and our elders lament a future stolen in plain sight. Yet, in the corridors of Alagbaka, there is music, dance, and political revelry,” he said.
Despite being a key oil-producing region contributing significantly to the nation’s coffers, Akingboye said Ilaje lacks basic infrastructure such as hospitals, schools, and shoreline protection, adding that these failings reflect a pattern of “calculated neglect.”
He described the state of public facilities in the region as deplorable, citing the Ilaje Education Authority office in Igbokoda, which he said is flooded and abandoned. He also condemned the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for celebrating its 25th anniversary without any tangible projects in Ilaje to show for it.
“Not a road. Not a shoreline defense. Not a hospital. The MD left without reprimand. Mr. Governor clapped. Yet, the people of Ilaje continue to weep,” Akingboye said.
He urged Governor Ayedatiwa to focus on strategic governance, not ceremonial displays. He called for a detailed development blueprint covering infrastructure, health, education, and climate adaptation; a comprehensive audit of NDDC and OSOPADEC’s projects in Ilaje over the last decade; and an immediate response to environmental devastation in the region.
He also demanded town hall meetings with stakeholders in Ilaje to foster participatory governance.
“Governor Ayedatiwa, this is your moment to rise. You are the son of the soil. The son of Ilaje. But bloodlines are not enough. Legacy is not inherited—it is built,” the statement read.
Akingboye concluded by saying the Ilaje people would no longer remain silent in the face of systemic marginalization.
“This is not a shout of rebellion. It is a cry for responsibility. This is not bitterness. It is burden. We speak from the heart of the creeks—and we will not be silent again.”
