Obaseki inaugurates 13-man committee on arable land

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, on Wednesday, inaugurated a 13-man committee to address the constraints of inadequate land for agriculture in the state.

The committee members are; Mr Kevin Uwabi, Managing Director, Edo state Investment Promotion Office, ESIPO, Austin Remison, Director of Land, Edo-GIS, Mr Sunny Erhunmwonsere, Director of Agric services, Kingsley Abusomwan, Director forestry management.

Others are; Mr Churchill Obah, Comrade Curtis Ogbebor, representative of Civil society, chief Osayande, Deputy Chairman AFAN, Dr Peter Osagiede, Chairman, Oil Palm Growers Association of Nigeria, and Vincent Ohwogiakpor, chairman, Cocoa Growers Association of Nigeria.

Other members of the committee included: Dr Roland Ehigiamusoe, farmer/processor, Mr Henry Enabulele, Director Urban/Rural Planning, Chief P. O Oronsaye, community leader, and HRH, D.E Igiehon, traditional ruler.

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Inaugurating the committee, Obaseki said the committee would work with the Foundation for Partnerships Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND), to develop protocols for arable land for smallholder farmers in the state.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Peter Aikhuomobhogbe, Obaseki said that the state government had set up the Edo State Oil Palm Programme for easy access to land for oil palm.

“Under this programme, we have identified land for oil palm purpose and we are pursuing the programme vigorously to ensure that Edo becomes the biggest player in oil palm production in Nigeria.

“That we have done by documenting about 250,000 hectares of lands, we have done forest audit of about 120,000 hectares and we have given out about 75,000 hectares to investors.

“So we hope that this committee will help come up with a document that will address arable land issues in the state”, Obaseki said.

According to the governor, the terms of reference of the committee would be to tell the government where arable land for agriculture could be accessed and what would be needed to do to access the land.

The Chairman of the committee, Mr Kevin Uwabi, thanked the governor for the opportunity to serve the state.

Uwabi pledged the commitment of the committee members to find sustainable solutions to the constraints of inadequate land for agriculture in the state.

According to Uwabi, “the terms of reference is clear, it is to increase access to agricultural land and we will not deviate from it.”

Mr Chuks Ofulue, Advocacy Manager, PIND foundation, said PIND would be partnering with the committee to produce a brief on arable land-related laws, policies and practices in the state.

Also speaking, Chief Amadi Osayande, a retired comptroller of Edo Correctional Centre and deputy chairman of AFAN in the state, said the committee would need to identify serious-minded investors and smallholder farmers to acquire the land.

Osayande said: “Let me add that if an investor is given land and for one reason or the other, the land is not cultivated, it will be taken and given to someone else.”

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Obaseki inaugurates 13-man committee on arable land

Suyi Ayodele