The Office of the Representative of the Olu of Warri/Liaison to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has raised an alarm of ocean surge threatening the continued existence of some Itsekiri communities in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State.

The Olu’s Liaison office called on the Federal Government of Nigeria, and the Delta State government as well as non-governmental organizations “to, as a matter of urgency, come to the aid of these vulnerable communities.”

This was contained in a statement from the Olu’s Liaison Office, signed by the monarch’s representative to NNPCL, Edema Collins Oritsetimeyin, copies of which were made available to journalists in Warri on Tuesday.

The statement said, “The ocean surge is already washing away several Itsekiri communities in Warri North Local Government Area.”

It listed “Ogheye Eghoroke, Orere, Ogheye Zion and Ogheye Ajadogo as the Itsekiri communities in Warri North local council that ocean surge has swept through in the past two weeks.”

The statement said that “the Itsekiri communities are facing dire situation due to relentless ocean surge that has wreaked havoc on their livelihoods, homes, schools and vital infrastructure.”

The statement partly reads, “Ugbeni Primary School, the only school in the community, had been completely washed into the ocean. Several homes, including the residence of the community leader (Olare-Aja), built in 2020 by Hon. Daniel Ireyenieju, have been lost to the advancing waters.

“Some residents, whose homes have been washed away, revealed that they are now forced to squeeze ten people into a single room for shelter.

“Most alarming is the fact that the community’s only borehole, which serves as the sole source of drinking water, has also been claimed by the ocean, leaving residents with no choice but to rely on ocean water for bathing, without access to clean drinking water.

“The situation in the neighbouring communities is worse. Ogheye Zion and Ogheye Ajadogo have been entirely submerged, with no trace of the communities’ existence.

“Efforts to reach Orere, the adjacent community to Ogheye Eghoroke, were unsuccessful due to the lack of access to a jetty, as much of the community has been swallowed by the ocean.

“Ogheye is host to Chevron’s offshore oil block, Okan Field, where oil was first discovered in 1963. For over 60 years, oil exploration activities have taken their toll on the shoreline communities. The combined effects of oil extraction and natural forces from the Atlantic Ocean have eroded the coastlines, leaving these communities more vulnerable to the encroaching ocean.

As a result, homes, schools and the livelihoods of thousands of residents, whose primary occupation is fishing, have been destroyed due to pollution, oil spills, and other harmful consequences of oil exploration activities.

“We are calling on the Federal Government of Nigeria, the Delta State government, non-governmental organizations, the United Nations, and all well-meaning individuals and organizations to come to the aid of these vulnerable communities.

The destruction of critical infrastructure such as schools, homes, and clean water sources, combined with the loss of entire communities to the ocean, has created a humanitarian crisis that demands immediate action. We also call on Chevron, given its long-standing presence in the area, to lead efforts in addressing this crisis.

“The damage caused by decades of oil exploration must be countered by meaningful action to support the communities that have borne the brunt of environmental degradation.

“This ongoing genocide must be addressed with urgency, as the future of these communities hangs in the balance. The goose that lays the golden egg should not be abandoned.”