Agric initiative: Edo govt compensates farmers relocated from college land

EDO State Government on Friday in Benin compensated about 34 farmers in Ovia North East local government Area of the state farming on the land belonging to the state College of Education, Ekiadolor.

The Permanent Secretary, Edo Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Peter Aikhuomobhogbe, said during the disbursement of the  fund that the land had been allocated to the Young Business Leaders of Nigeria, for mechanised farming.

Aikhuomobhogbe noted that Governor Godwin Obaseki had approved the relocation of the farmers from the college land, with a promise to compensate them after evaluation of their farms .

“Few months ago, we came to your village and told you that the college land which you have been farming on has been allocated to a Non-Governmental organisation for large scale farming.

“We also told you that the governor graciously approved the payment of compensation to all of you farming on that land because he does not want your labour to be in vain. So today, we are here to fulfill that promise to pay you for the crops planted on the land. Government has valued your crops and came up with adequate compensation for each of you “, Aikhuomobhogbe said.

The permanent secretary added that the farmers would be paid between N150,000 to N250,000 depending on the value of the farm.

The leader of the farmers, Mr. Ojo Iyobosa, thanked the state government for the kind gesture, saying such would enable them to start afresh.

Also speaking, the Programme Manager of the Young Business Leaders of Nigeria (YBLN), Chukwuka Eneogwe, said the land allocated to it would be used to drive agricultural development initiatives.

Eneogwe said “the governor has  graciously approved the land at Ekiadolor for us to farm and produce livestock. Our priority is to create jobs through skills and educational trainings”.

According to him, “In this first phase of this initiative, we are going to empower about 50 women because women are more prudent with money. We are going to prepare the land, provide inputs and allocate plots to each of the women’’.

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