The African Action Congress (AAC) has accused the Ondo State Government of failing residents of Igbokoda, Okitipupa and other coastal communities devastated by flooding, describing the worsening disaster as a humanitarian emergency that requires urgent intervention rather than what it called temporary and inadequate government responses.
In a strongly worded press statement issued on Monday, the party’s House of Representatives candidate, Oyekan Abiodun, said the scale of destruction across the Ondo South Senatorial District has left many families homeless, destroyed businesses and farmlands, and displaced hundreds of residents who are now taking refuge in overcrowded and unsafe locations.
The AAC warned that the flooding has gone far beyond the normal impact of the rainy season, stressing that vulnerable residents, including children, the elderly and pregnant women, are now exposed to contaminated water, disease outbreaks, hunger and worsening humanitarian conditions.
The party recalled that during the last Ondo State governorship election, its candidate proposed a comprehensive coastal protection programme modelled after the Amsterdam flood management system, specifically designed to tackle the persistent flooding and coastal erosion affecting Ayetoro and other riverine communities.
According to the AAC, while it presented a practical and long-term solution to the crisis, the ruling administration failed to develop a comprehensive coastal protection policy, relying instead on repeated promises of drainage construction and dredging.
Calling on Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to act immediately, the party urged the state government to deploy emergency relief materials and implement concrete measures to cushion the hardship currently being experienced by affected residents.
Although it acknowledged the efforts of some local government chairmen in responding to the disaster, the AAC insisted that local councils lack the financial capacity and institutional resources to provide permanent solutions to a crisis of this magnitude.
The party demanded the immediate establishment of emergency shelters for displaced families, provision of food, clean drinking water and other relief materials, medical assistance and sanitation facilities, robust rescue and evacuation operations, comprehensive assessment of damaged homes and properties, and targeted support for the most vulnerable victims.
It also urged the state government to adopt a long-term flood control and coastal protection strategy based on the Amsterdam Plan model, insisting that only a sustainable and well-funded intervention can end the recurring flooding that has continued to threaten lives and livelihoods across the coastal communities.
Describing the flooding in Ondo South as “embarrassing, avoidable and unacceptable,” the AAC warned that continued government inaction would worsen the humanitarian crisis and expose thousands more residents to needless suffering.
“The people of Ilaje, Ikale and other affected communities deserve more than sympathy. They deserve urgent rescue, lasting protection and responsible leadership. Government must act now before more lives, homes and livelihoods are lost,” the statement concluded.