Stakeholders raise concern over farm settlements inherited by South-West States

Many still in deplorable state, abandoned

Stakeholders demand infrastructure, modern farming equipment, international collaboration

Concerns have been raised over conditions of some of the farm settlements that are located in the southwest region of the country, with some of them abandoned despite their potentials to boost the economy of their various states.

Findings by our correspondents across the region showed that while some of the farm settlements have been renovated and are being put to use in some states, this could not be said of some other states where the settlements are shadows of the past. While efforts of governments of some of the states to ensure adequate usage of the farm settlements were evident, some of them were yet to have noticeable impact on the facilities.

Old Western Region

The government of the old Western Region led by the sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, had established the farm settlements in identified towns and communities with the aim of boosting agriculture, making the practice convenient, more friendly, increasing output, increasing employment for young school leavers and ultimately enhancing economic advancement of the region.

To execute the programme, government of Western Region acquired land and provided capital expenditure for settler houses and farm units with each settler being allocated six to eight hectares of land for cultivation of crops and livestock. However, following years of abandonment and neglect, only two of the states created out of the old Western Region seem to be making efforts to revive the farm settlements that fall in their domain.

Ekiti

Investigation showed that Ekiti State has two farm settlements and five farm centers located in Orin, Eporo, Osin, Iyemero, and Gede communities. It was, however, noted that the Biodun Oyebanji-led administration has put these centres back to use as conceived by the leaders of the old Western Region. The government has done some facelift to the facilities, while they have been occupied by young farmers, noting that these interventions have enhanced productivity of the farmers with the state positioning itself to be the agriculture hub in the region.

According to findings by the Nigerian Tribune, dormitories and hostels have been put in place in the centres with television and cable networks available for the youths to be comfortable.

A farmer in one of the settlements, who identified himself as Segun, commended the efforts of the administration in developing the farm settlements towards optimizing agricultural produce in the state. He noted that the policy of the government to revive the settlements has made more people, including himself, embrace farming.

He said: “One of the best decisions taken by any government in the state is the one by the administration to put to use the farm settlements, which had been abandoned for years. Now we are concentrating in the farm, doing our farming business and producing without any hindrance. We have a well-furnished place to live and be comfortable.”

On his part, the Chairman of the All Farmers Association in Ekiti State, Adebola Alagbada, noted that the present administration has effectively keyed into the agenda of the leaders of the Western Region who set up the settlements towards producing more food for people to consume and be self-sufficient.

He said: “We farmers in Ekiti State are happy with the administration of Governor Biodun Oyebanji, especially with the way the government is opening up the farm settlements and giving more access to farmers in the state.”

Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Ebenezer Boluwade, said the policy direction of the administration is to ensure the embrace of farming by more, especially youths, by clearing lands and putting in place the farm settlements.

Boluwade said aside from the farm settlements, the government has further created farm clusters and hubs for people to have more access to the available farmlands to cultivate and grow different farm crops.

Oyo State

In Oyo State, the state government has been making frantic efforts at reviving the farm settlements within the state, which prior to the advent of the present administration housed rodents, reptiles, and other wild animals.

Already, the state has revamped some of the farm settlements, including those in Eruwa, Fasola, Ijaiye, Ilora, Ireland Adu, and Akufo, with some of them leased out to farmers for the planting of arable and other crops. The state government recently turned the sod at Ijaiye Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone in addition to the one at Fasola and Eruwa.

The processing zone is situated on 3,000 hectares out of the 7,581 hectares at the Ijaiye farm settlement and designated for the twin initiative, which will not only bring greater economic benefits to farmers and other stakeholders in Akinyele Local Government Area, but will also have lasting impact on agriculture and agribusiness in the state.

The Director General of Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA), Dr. Debo Akande, said the farmers already operating on the farm would be incorporated into the new scheme.

He noted that the fears of displacement being nursed by farmers in the settlement were unfounded, stating that the initiatives as envisioned by Governor Seyi Makinde would only improve agriculture value chain and ensure that farmers get greater rewards for their efforts.

The AfDB-backed Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone and the Wholesale Market, styled after the Rungis International Food Wholesale Market run by Semmaris, when completed, would provide opportunities for farmers to get greater value for their farming investments.

He cited how the Fasola Agriculture Transformation Centre has become a major hub for agribusiness in the state and how farmers around Oyo and Oke Ogun zones have been benefiting from the laudable project, stating that the twin initiatives of an agro-processing zone and a wholesale market would bring greater opportunities to farmers.

He said: “We have two big projects coming up here; the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone and the Rungis-styled international market for agribusiness. Those are the two projects that will come up at the Ijaiye Farm Settlement.”

Meanwhile, key stakeholders in the Oyo State agricultural space said there was the need for government to collaborate with foreign investors to complement its efforts at reviving the farm settlements.

Speaking with Nigerian Tribune, Chairman of Folhope Nigeria Limited, a company reputed for poultry and other agricultural value chain, said: “Making farm settlements work in Oyo State can be achieved through the provision of social amenities like water, electricity, good roads, schools, hospitals, and adequate security. Added to this are grants and loans at affordable rates. Then, the provision of modern farm equipment at affordable prices. Also, protection of the farm settlers against bandits, including cattle herders who have sent people out of farming businesses through killing, maiming and destruction of farmers’ crops through grazing of cattle.

“Another major thing for government to do is to formulate sustainable policies to protect farmers from producing their products at a loss through unguided and excessive importation of farm products. Like it is this year, maize farmers are at a serious loss due to unguided and excessive maize importation.”

Also speaking with Nigerian Tribune, Founder and Chairman of Farmsfield Farmers Investment Cooperative Group, Oyo State, Mr. Sarafadeen Araoye, said: “Some of the farm settlements we have in Oyo State at the moment are not yet opened up, they are just there. We know the government is trying, but these farm settlements are not functional. Though the government has put in place various factories such as garri, fufu, and even cashew processing factories, they are yet to be activated.”

He added: “We want the government to go into partnership with foreign investors and involve youth participation in order to broaden the scope of operations in those farm settlements. This can be achieved by providing lands for them to cultivate.”

Ondo State

Investigation in Ondo State showed that four major settlements were carved out of forest and bushland, which include Ile-Oluji, Onisere, Okitipupa, and Mariwo, with thousands of hectares of land opened up for cocoa, oil palm, cassava, yam, and maize.

At their peak, the settlements were self-sustaining communities with schools, clinics, cooperative structures, and housing for farmers. They were not just clusters of farms but symbols of modernization, designed to move farmers away from crude implements into mechanized agriculture.

For a period of time, the dream flourished. Cocoa from Ile-Oluji, palm oil from Okitipupa, and rubber from Ore were exported, boosting foreign exchange and making farming attractive to young people. Delegations from across Africa once trooped in to study the model. But six decades after, the story is one of glorious promise, years of neglect, and tentative revival.

The dream has faded, the settlements have been deserted. But while recollecting, an 82-year-old, Pa Samuel Anisere of Mariwo settlement in Ifedore Local Government Area of the state, remembered the optimism of the early years.

He said: “The vision of Awolowo was to modernize farming and improve farmers’ lives. These settlements were to be models for training, mechanization, and better yields. But with each government, interest waned and the farms became moribund.”

A younger farmer in Mariwo, who identified himself as Patrick, lamented the decline. He said the 150-hectare settlement now has fewer than 20 farmers and no residential housing.

“Worse still, land disputes with host communities have left settlers vulnerable to eviction. Many of us farm in fear. We don’t know if the land we cultivate today will still be ours tomorrow,” he said.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that in Okitipupa, once famous for rubber and oil palm, only about 50 farmers remain on 800 hectares. In Onisere, 95 settlers still hold on to about 1,000 hectares along the busy Ore-Benin highway, but said produce often rots away due to lack of access to viable markets and poor road and storage facilities, while Ile-Oluji suffers similar woes—impassable roads in the rainy season and an absence of youth participation.

Speaking to our reporter, a retired agricultural officer, Mr. Michael Aladesawe, described the settlement scheme as Nigeria’s boldest rural transformation policy, saying: “It created jobs, curbed rural-urban drift, and kept youths on the farms. For a while, it worked beautifully.”

He recalled an attempt by former governor Olusegun Mimiko to revive the farm settlements in 2009 through the Agro Business Cities (ABCs) in Ore, Epe, Isuada, and Auga. He said the ABCs had housing, irrigation, electricity, and training centers.

“Through the Profarmers and Agropreneurs Sustainable Scheme (PASS), young graduates were trained and supported to farm. For a brief period, the program generated excitement and even drew the attention of the World Bank. But the initiative fizzled after Mimiko left office, leaving most ABCs underutilized,” he told Nigerian Tribune.

However, the state Commissioner for Agriculture, Engr. Leye Akinola, said the present administration led by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa is determined to restore the lost glory.

According to the Commissioner, the state government in 2024 began reviving abandoned settlements, starting with Jugbere in Owo Local Government Area, where farmers received seedlings, machinery, and support inputs to give hope to the farmers at the settlements again.

He said government has also clamped down on land encroachment, particularly in Mariwo, Onisere, Ile-Oluji, and Okitipupa, declaring the lands as government-owned agricultural reserves, while speculators and land grabbers were warned against illegal sales.

“This is not just about protecting land, it is about protecting the future of food security in Ondo State,” the commissioner said.

Despite government promises, farmers insisted that for the settlements to truly bounce back, infrastructure and services must return. They listed roads, electricity, water, storage facilities, schools, and clinics as essentials to attract young farmers.

Patrick of Mariwo farm settlements summed it up: “Give us tractors, irrigation, and good roads. Guarantee markets and protect us from land grabbers and herdsmen. If government provides schools and health centers, our children will see farming as a future, not as punishment. With that, we can feed Ondo, feed Nigeria, and even export.”

Ogun State

Also, investigation by Nigerian Tribune showed that Awolowo established eight farm settlements in 1960 across the state, and they are in Ajegunle, Mile 6 Abeokuta, Ago-Iwoye, Ado Odo, Coker, Ikenne, Ibiade, Sawonjo, and Ilewo Orile.

The farm settlements, according to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Mrs. Kehinde Jokotoye, are hubs for agricultural development, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

She told the Nigerian Tribune that the farm settlements are home to a diverse range of agricultural enterprises.

The PS said the farmers in the settlements are receiving government support, saying that the federal government in 2024 distributed fertilizer to farmers free of charge, while the State Government subsidized inputs to ease the burden on farmers.

In addition, Mrs. Jokotoye said that the Ogun State Economic Transformation Project (OGSTEP) is currently undertaking several initiatives to enhance the productivity and efficiency of these farm settlements.

She mentioned the rehabilitation of warehouses to improve storage capacity and reduce post-harvest losses, and the construction of solar dryers to enable farmers to dry their produce efficiently, reducing spoilage and improving quality.

Osun State

Findings in Osun State showed that there are nine farm settlements in the state, located in Ago-Owu, Ila-Orangun, Mokore, Oyere, Esa-Oke, Iwo, Igbaye, Ifon-Orolu, and Oluponna. Four of the settlements were established in the 1960s, and the remaining five in 1994.

However, the farm settlements in the state are now being confronted with many hurdles that are preventing the occupants from maximizing their activities.

In Ago-Owu farm settlement, there are proposed mining activities that are seriously disturbing its operations, with the mining activities disturbing many settlers, inhabitants, farmers, and retirees. The land which these people use for their livelihoods has now become a headache for them due to fear of being evicted.

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One of the farmers, who identified himself as Adeyemi Badmus, told our reporter that they were worried over their displacement from the place, which he said could eventually lead to insecurity and alarming poverty.

He thereafter charged the state governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, to work towards resolving the issue of mining activities in the farm settlement to prevent them from suffering.

But the Osun State government assured that no mining will proceed without proper procedures and compensation. Still, the farmers are concerned about potential displacement and the breach of a 99-year land use agreement.