Farmers at Oluwa Forest Reserve (OA3A) in Odigbo, Ondo State, have protested against their eviction and destruction of their farmlands allegedly by the state government.
The protesters, who trooped out to the streets of Odigbo in large number, carried placards with various inscriptions such as, “Our land is weeping because its keepers have been displaced,” “Where do we farm, if our land is taken away?”
Others include “Respect the farmers because we give life,” “Farming is our job, we are not criminals,” and “We pay our rent, Government leave us alone,” among others.
The angry farmers, who specialize in cocoa and other cash crops, barricaded the expressway.
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According to them, farmers in over seven different settlements, with 45 camps, have allegedly been displaced by the action of the state government.
Speaking in an interview with newsmen, one of them, Mr Odugbemi Omolewa of Temidire Camp, said the private company, which bought the area from the state government, “stormed their farms with earthmoving equipment to uproot their cocoa trees filled with seedlings, without notice.”
Omolewa said some of the farmers had been planting cocoa, Kolanut, palm tree and others in the farm for 20 years to improve the state’s economy.
He alleged that the company that bought the land would only plant palm tree.
“In the camp where I belong, we have paid annual dues of N5 million to the government.
“We are surprised that our farmlands of over 20 years could be sold to an investor to plant what we already have in the farm that are doing well.
“So, we are begging the government to consider our plight and look for somewhere else for the private investors to plant their palm trees.
“It will surprise you to know that two farmers died recently out of frustration, after their cocoa plantations were destroyed,” Omolewa said.
Also, 29-year-old Adetoro Opeyemi, a graduate and farmer in the settlement, appealed to the state government not to push youths into social vices.
“I am a graduate and I cannot steal, that is why I went into farming after looking for white collar job without success. My camp had been paying its annual dues of N3m.
“So, the land we are using is not free but rented to us by government’s authorized agent,” Opeyemi said.
Reacting to the protest, Mr Akin Olotu, a Senior Special Assistant on Agric and Agribusiness to the Governor, said the farmlands were graded to pave the way for palm tree plantations that could generate more revenue for the government in the world market.
Olotu also said that the forest was being cleared to give way for the planting of oil palm as advised by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
He said that the nation’s apex bank encouraged states to choose two crops in which they have comparative advantage for investors to come in.
The governor’s aide said that the total accrual from the farmers’ annual dues was not up to the 100 hectares of land occupied.
He further said that government had stopped their registration since 2022.
“For the fact that you are tenants in someone’s house does not confer on you ownership, and nobody is sending people to unemployment market because those affected would be taken care of by the government.
“Government has earmarked 1,000 hectares of farmland for them to stay in one place and will also provide seedlings to them as support. And those claiming that they have paid should bring their receipts forward.
“If we have people with receipts, we are going to accommodate them,” Olotu said. (NAN)
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