Members of the Ijebu Sawmillers and Timber Contractors’ Association (ISTCA) in Ogun State have protested against the concession of Omo Forest Reserve in Area 14 to unknown foreign investors by the state government.
The protesters who were chanting solidarity songs, carried placards with various inscriptions, such as “Our amiable Governor, we need your help,” “Reverse the concession now,” “No to privatisation of our forest reserve,” “Don’t render us jobless in Ijebu”, among others,
Speaking earlier at a press conference held at Mobalufon, Ijebu-Ode, the association wondered why the state governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun should dispose the only viable forest reserve in the state to unknown investors under the guise of a lease for 99 years.
In a communiqué issued and signed by all leaders of the association to the state House of Assembly shortly after the meeting, the association appealed to the state governor to shift ground to other notable areas for whatever developmental purposes and leave Omo Forest Reserve, their heritage
The meeting was attended by Mr Isiaka Shittu (chairman); Pastor Akinnukawe Funmileye (secretary); Alhaji Alliu Ibrahim (BoT chairman); Mr OpeOluwa Idowu (BoT secretary) and Jide Fakayode (member BoT).
Others were chairman, Ijebu East Timber Contractors Association, Mr Alausa Suraju; Evangelist Fasasi Ariyo (secretary); Taiwo Adeboyejo (member BoT); chairman, Ijebu Sawmillers Association and Alhaji Olalekan Titilayo.
The three-page petition to the Speaker, Hon Olukunle Oluomo was entitled “Arbitrariness of the law, pragmatic and canonical deforestation of Omo 14 Forest Reserves by the Ogun State Government: An attempt to cause social exclusion of Ijebu Sawmillers and Timber Contractors Association to engender poverty in Ogun East senatorial district.”
The association demanded the setting up of an ad-hoc committee by the Assembly to investigate activities of the state’s Ministry of Forestry in the past five years, particularly concerning the Forestry Trust Funds (FTF).
The association has also demanded in their petition that occupants who have encroached on the forest reserve be made to quit without further delay.
The contractors added that since they had not defaulted in their revenue remittances to the state government, which is about N800 million annually, they see no reason their members should be rendered jobless.
“We humbly urge members of the Assembly to save-our-soul and use your good offices to wade into the matter and establish due diligence to prevent illegal deforestation and unjustified sale of our heritage by the state government,” the association said.
The association further noted that over 10,000 out of 16,000 hectares of plantation in the forest had been leased to a foreign company to render the indigenous sawmill contractors who had never defaulted in their payment of the appropriate fees and revenues to government jobless, while logging of N22,000 had been increased to N60,000 by the state’s government without prior notice to members of the association.
The contractors, therefore, urged the Assembly to prevail on the state government to direct the foreign company already illegally operating in the forest reserve to immediately quit the place.
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