Nigeria's Ayetoro: A fishing community slowly swallowed by the Atlantic

Ayetoro, once known as "The Happy Place," is a Nigerian fishing community facing an existential threat as the Atlantic Ocean relentlessly encroaches.

“

We are walking on people’s houses.

Founded in 1947 by communist-inspired Christians, the town of around 10,000 people was built on communal sharing. Now, its residents are increasingly becoming "refugees in their own community" as coastal erosion, amplified by climate change, devours their homes and land.

Thompson Akingboye, 35, described walking "on people's houses" as debris from submerged structures litters the shrinking beach. Families are forced to rebuild inland, only for the ocean to reclaim their new homes. The town's coastline has receded by an average of 15 meters annually between 1987 and 2022.

“

My palace once had 100 rooms. Only about a dozen remain.

The traditional king of Ayetoro, Oluwambe Ojagbohunmi, shared a poignant observation: a telecom tower once surrounded by houses is now encircled by water and building remnants. His palace, which once boasted 100 rooms, now has only a dozen remaining, with his bedroom alarmingly close to the encroaching sea. The sound of waves crashing against the walls disrupts his sleep, a constant reminder of their precarious situation.

“

This is our land. Where can we go? It’s complicated.

The Gulf of Guinea is experiencing sea-level rise at a rate approximately 10.5 percent higher than the global average, according to a 2024 Scientific Reports journal estimate. This environmental crisis is not unique to Ayetoro, affecting 19 other communities in the Ilaje district and highlighting a broader vulnerability along West Africa's coast.

“

I’ve become a refugee in my own community. Since losing my father’s house in 2019, swallowed and destroyed by the ocean, the only thing I managed to save was my university degree certificate.