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Ocean surge threatens more Bayelsa communities

YENAGOA—A frightening sea surge has endangered several coastal communities in Bayelsa State, displaced many residents from their fishing and farming occupations, and overrun their homes, lands, and ancestral graves.

Residents of the coastal communities, spanning Nembe and Brass council areas in the eastern flank of the state, and the Southern Ijaw and Ekeremor local government areas in the western flank, appear worse hit in the shattering ocean attack.

Bayelsa’s coastline, measuring 203 km, is the longest in Nigeria and has the widest access to the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Guinea, one of the richest fishing waters in the world.   Its communities along the shore are rocked by devastating coastal erosion.

Save us from death —Noel, villager, Amatu II community

A resident of Amatu II community on the western Atlantic fringe of the state, Ebi Noel, told NDV that they have lost a large part of their land to the surging sea and called for the intervention of relevant authorities to save their community from extinction.

“We are badly affected by climate change, and we have lost so much due to the ocean incursion. The government should please come to our aid by embarking on dredging, piling, and sand-filling to reclaim the land,” he said.

Colossal impingement in Odioma, Okpoama, and others —Pa Ebi, Kelly, inhabitants

The story is not different on the state’s eastern and central coastal stretch, where Odioma, Okpoama, Forupa, Ekene, Ezetu, Sangana, Koluama, and others are plagued by massive ocean encroachment.

“As a child growing up in Okpoama, we had a lot of coconut trees as we walked down to the shore, but they are no more. However, the shore with its alluring beach will remain evergreen in my memory,” said Pa Ebi, an octogenarian.

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A concerned resident of Odioma, Philemon Kelly, said the community faces an existential threat because of the persistent surge of violent tide waves.

“Approximately more than a thousand meters of valuable land and human habitations on the coastline had been washed away over the years, leaving the people homeless, vulnerable, and on the verge of total extinction.

Odioma is a littoral community in Brass Local Government Area, and its satellite towns and villages are mostly located on the Atlantic coastline of the Gulf of Guinea.”

Homes, graves washed away in Twon, satellite communities—Madam Tari

“Coastal erosion also affects us in Twon and satellite communities, where the surging sea has washed away homes and even graves,” Madam Tari lamented.

Findings revealed that these communities are host to the oil majors and have been a strong stabilisation force in the hydrocarbon industry, thereby contributing immensely to the well-being of the nation.

Bayelsa at the center of flooding —Gov. Diri

A disturbed Governor Douye Diri had last week while playing host to a delegation from the National Council on Climate Change, NCCC, led by its Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Nkiruka Maduekwe, highlighted the severe impact of climate change on the state.

Diri, who reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to partnering with the council to review the Climate Change Act for domestication in line with Bayelsa’s unique environmental challenges, called for an extensive assessment of the state’s mangrove ecosystem, not just in Nembe but also in Brass, Southern Ijaw, and Ekeremor local government areas.

“We are in an area where you can say we are number one on the effect of climate change in Nigeria, so we will work with you and collaborate with you. There is so much we can do together. The laws are important, but we would not just adapt to our circumstances.

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“Bayelsa is at the center of flooding, oil exploration, and coastal erosion. So, on everything about climate change and carbon credit, Bayelsa is your number one state,” he said.

Climate Council willing to cooperate with Bayelsa—  Dr. Maduekwe, D-G

Director General of the NCCC, Dr. Maduekwe, said the team was in Bayelsa to examine its mangrove, given that the mangroves in the Niger Delta region had been identified as the largest in Africa.

Maduekwe said the visit was necessary to identify areas where the state could get the necessary support and appealed to the government to adopt the climate change law, assuring the agency was willing to work with

the state to tackle issues associated with climate change.

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