A community leader has told Reporters that the NDDC is responsible for the flooding in their town and accused the NDDC of stealing money and sharing it among themselves [with Gallet Nigeria and Dredging Atlantic].
According to photos released by SaharaReporters, floods are devastating a coastal community in Ondo State more than ten years after the commissioning of a multibillion naira project meant to protect its shoreline from the encroaching ocean.
Water in Ayetoro, a community in Ilaje Local Government Area (LGA), and on the Ondo State coast, has already reached several feet high. Residents are using boats and improvised rafts to maneuver over what was, until recently, dry land.
Several people have had to leave their homes and the lower floors of buildings have been abandoned to the rising tide.
The flood comes despite a contract originally made in 2004 by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to build structures to protect the community from the ocean. The first contract was awarded to Gallet Nigeria Limited for N2.4 billion, with an initial mobilization payment of N650 million. No work was ever completed by Gallet Nigeria, according to numerous sources.
In 2009, the NDDC then re-awarded the contract to a second company, Dredging Atlantic Nigeria Limited, for N6.5 billion, of which N2.5 billion was reportedly paid for the mobilization fee. But about six years later, hardly any work has been done on the project, according to residents and people familiar with the project.
Public Relations Officer for Dredging Atlantic, Mr. Oluchola, who told a correspondent that Dredging Atlantic has completed 60% of the project. When asked about the numerous allegations that Dredging Atlantic has not made progress he said; “I am absolutely confident we have completed at least 60% of the contract.”
Mr. Oluchola said that the issue was that many people in the Ilaje community were “illiterate and simply did not understand” all of Dredging Atlantic’s accomplishments for them. He also blamed the lack of adequate sands for delays in completing their contract.
A source at the NDDC confirmed the community's accusations to a SaharaReporters correspondent saying, "not much has been done at all" on the contract awarded to Dredging Atlantic. He added, "I want to see the contract completed," and was unhappy with the 'non-performance.'
A youth leader who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that over the 'past ten years our community has fallen into the sea.' He also said that Dredging Atlantic has had almost zero presence in the Ilaje area and that Jide Taiwo, the president of the company, has never even visited the area.
Residents and informants have said that without intervention by the government, NDDC, and others their homes and livelihoods will be completely destroyed.
Source: SaharaReporters