ADVERTORIAL: Ogbomoso Community rejects allocation of farm settlement land to ‘investors’ – Ogbomoso Parapo (home) writes Gov Makinde
Khalid ABRAHAM
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The planned conversion of Ogbomoso Farm Settlement (otherwise known as Agric) exclusively reported by ogbomosoinsightonline.com Saturday has elicited the reaction of Egbe Omo Ogbomoso Parapo (Home Headquarters), subsequently writing a letter to the Oyo state governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde with copies sent to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Federal Ministry of Lands and Urban Development, Inspector General of Police, Oyo State Commissioner for Police, Area Commander Ogbomoso and His Imperial Majesty Oba Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye Orumogege III (the Soun of Ogbomosoland).
The letter unambiguously and outrightly conveyed the opinion of the general public, which opposes the move, noting there are several other lands elsewhere that can be used for any purpose desired. The socio-cultural organization, an umbrella association, stresses that it will amount to destroying a legacy of the First Republic anchored in the Western Region by Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Chief Samuel Ladoke Aknitola positing that rather than abolishing a 75 year-old scheme which had sustained generations, revitalizing the centre and finding better utilization for it in agriculture-related ventures like cashew nut processing industries, cattle ranching and so on would create better values than selling to cronies. It thus wants Governor Makinde to intervene and stop the move because of posterity.
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Dear Excellency,
OGBOMOSO COMMUNITY OBJECTS ALLEGED PLANNED ALLOCATION OF FARM SETTLEMENT LAND TO PRIVATE INVESTORS
This piece is to state the position of the people of Ogbomosoland on the alleged plan by the State Government ably led by Your Excellency to hand over the land of the Ogbomoso Farm Settlement to private investors and developers.
Egbe Omo Ogbomoso Parapo (Home Headquarters) is the umbrella body of all socio-cultural organizations in Ogbomosoland, and has been in existence for over 100 years. Thus, this letter is fueled by the intense agitations among our people concerning the vexed issue of the illegal appropriation of the land, which we learned is afoot.
Our investigations have revealed that the matter is now beyond unfounded rumour because those directly affected, that is, the farm settlers, confirmed the report based on their recent experience. We want to inform Your Excellency that the settlers many who had spent over sixty years on the land are fiercely opposed to the plan, ditto the generality of the people of Ogbomoso and beyond.
Our resistance is justified on the ground that the land in question was duly allocated to the Farm Settlement since the early 1960s for the of purpose of farming, both livestock and crop productions. The programme has sustained generations. It started with a Farm School for training of would-be farmers, but government later acquired additional parcels of land (1,602 hectares) for the establishment of the Ogbomoso Farm Settlement and it is on record that compensation was paid to the original owners. Meanwhile, part of the land at some point, specifically, the section used as that agriculture training institute, styled, Old Farm School, became an issue of litigation, of which the Supreme Court gave judgement in favour of the Onpetu (His Majesty was awarded 45 percent of the Old Farm School).
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However, our investigations have revealed that the Onpetu has been making serious encroachment on the main land belonging to the farm settlers (government) over which, we learnt, they have been paying prescribed fees as ground rent to government. Report had been made to relevant authorities on this to no avail.
The crux of this letter is solemnly to inform Your Excellency that the planned move to allocate the land to “investors” is unacceptable to Ogbomoso Community. Surveyors from the State Government we learnt have been making incursions into the land. We consider it a flagrant disregard for a good heritage, laudable legacy and as an extra-judicial undertaking. The farm settlement is a commonwealth, our livelihood, which has sustained generations. We therefore on behalf of the vast majority of the people of Ogbomoso declare that we reject this move in its entirety.
We are making this known in order to nip in the bud a matter that might ignite crises of monumental proportions. After all, there are still vast locations to acquire for several investors who may covet land and not ones already occupied. It is like an affront on God Himself.
Rather than turn over the place to the so-called investors, why isn’t it revitalized? Your Excellency, we are of the view that if you embark on retraining of settlers, establishment of cattle ranches to forestall all this farmer-herder clash, establishment of agro-allied industries like cashew nut and mango processing factories, launch of farm institutes, modern mechanized farms and so on, more values will be created rather than enriching few individuals and abrogating a cherished legacy of Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola. People still farm massively on the land, evicting such people will be writing a bad history. We should be wary of posterity.
Your Excellency, we restate our support for your government and for your anointed candidates in the forthcoming general elections. We hope you will consider our humble pleas and help us avert crisis.
Thank you Sir.
cc:
- Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security
- Federal Ministry of Lands and Urban Development
- The Inspector General of Police, Abuja
- Oyo State Commissioner for Police, Ibadan
- The Area Commander Ogbomoso
- His Imperial Majesty Oba Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye Orumogege III (the Soun and Paramount Ruler of Ogbomosoland)
Signed:
Prince Aderemi Oluwasegunfunmi Al Farouk Olude Mr. Johnson Adekunle
Chairman Secretary
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