Nearly a month after a tragic Nigerian Air Force crash claimed twenty-five lives in Igbokoda, coastal residents say persistent air and water pollution are making life unbearable.
The Olugbo of Ugboland, Oba Fredrick Akinruntan, has issued a passionate plea to President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of Environment for an immediate federal cleanup of the impacted Ilaje communities.
In a statement released by his media aide, Sesan Forolagba, the monarch warned that fuel spillages and lingering crash debris have contaminated local drinking water and paralyzed fishing activities, the primary livelihood of the coastal population.
Leading traditional leaders to the Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base in Igbokoda, Oba Akinruntan commended the sacrifices of the armed forces but emphasized that swift environmental remediation is urgently needed to prevent a public health crisis.
Addressing the situation, Ondo State Commissioner for Information, Idowu Ajanaku, assured residents that state-level decontamination and fumigation exercises are actively ongoing and will continue until environmental normalcy is fully restored.
