The Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, has pleaded with farmers Ikole Local Local Government, who were protesting against Agbeyewa Farms to eschew violence, to avert the commercial food production policy of his administration from being stalled by persistent crisis.
To mitigate the raging bedlam, Oyebanji, directed the firm to stop production in the troubled communities and allow those having their crops to harvest them, pending proper demarcation by the government to restore orderliness.
Oyebanji gave the plea in Ikole Ekiti at the weekend during a peace meeting over the brewing crises between Agbeyewa Farms and land owners from Itapaji, Ipao, Iyemero, Odo Oro, Oke Ako and Esun Ekiti.
The interface stemmed from the litany of protests staged by these communities against Agbeyewa Farms, a private agriculture firm specializing in commercial food production and operating in the Axis.
Tackling the issue head-on, Oyebanji, represented by the Deputy Governor, Mrs Monisade Afuye, faulted the protests against the private firm without justifiable reasons, saying the government ought to have been contacted before resorting to such action.
The governor added that the Ekiti State Boundary Technical Committee will visit the towns and demarcate the lands allotted to the private firm, saying this procedure ought to have been undertaken, but for the combativeness of the land owners, who often resisted the government’s officials.
According to her, “Governor Biodun Oyebanji, is a man of peace. You all know he is running a government of peace. He said we should come here and beg you to allow this firm to operate in your domains. Please, kindly cooperate with them to uplift Ekiti to food security level, that is our target.
“Governor Oyebanji’s government has never acquired any land in public interest and refused to pay compensation. Even the lands taken by the past governments had been paid for. Just two days ago, we paid a sum of N155m for properties that were acquired for the construction of Ikere-Akure dualisation project.”
In their messages of hope, Commissioner for Agriculture, Ebenezer Boluwade and Special Adviser on Land Matters, Prof. James Olaleye, assured the people that the government won’t allow the farmers to suffer, saying some critical roads in the area, particularly the Ipao-Oke Ako-Irele to Ponyan in Kogi State road will be constructed soon.
They pleaded that the series of protests in the area designated as Agric Processing Zone, were putting Ekiti in a bad light, as they stressed the imperative of farmers working peacefully with the private organisation to bolster the government’s proposal to attain food security status.
Painting pathetic pictures about the farmers’ harrowing experiences in the area, Obanla of Ipao Ekiti, Oba Williams Ehinmodupin, revealed that Agbeyewa Farms was operating on their lands without paying the requisite compensation on land acquired.
The monarch added that it sounded more pathetic that all the lands belonging to the affected farmers were occupied, with the victims having no land to cultivate their crops for sustenance and economic survival.
“Up to this present time, my town can’t really ascertain the extent of the lands allotted to Agbeyewa Farms and the line of demarcation. Little compensation that was not commensurate to the land acquired was paid to farmers. This was wrong and creating pains for our people”, the monarch lamented.
The Olu of Itapaji, Oba Abdulazees Adebanjo, added that the most troubling contention in his domain remains that the line of demarcation has not been determined, adding that the area apportioned to the firm was their major economic zone.
Also speaking, the Onise of Odo- Oro, Oba Babatunde Jemilehin, said the intention of the government was to ensure food security, with the commercial farming project, describing this as commendable, but insisted that the traditional rulers must be well.informed in determining land acquisition in each community.
The Managing Director of Agbeyewa Farms, Mr Oscar Ayeleso, appealed to the monarchs and the protesting farmers to show understanding, saying the Firm will rectify all its faults and meet the demands of all the communities.
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