A project of the Ondo State Government for massive production of oil palm through agro-allied companies has led to thousands of peasant farmers being thrown off their farmlands.,
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For Toyin Akor, the world seemed to have come to an end. The 52-year-old woman had been farming cocoa in the forest for over 20 years. “I had about two hectares of cocoa, where I made at least N2 million annually, but everything was cleared in one day,” she told this reporter. It’s essential to acknowledge that news production incurs expenses, and we take pride in never placing our stories behind a prohibitive paywall.
“My children are in higher institutions and paying fees is now impossible because all my investments are gone with the farms,” he said. Mr Ogunleye said the protest was the third that they had held. They have also taken their case before the state high court. He said the court granted an injunction last year for the destruction of the farms to stop, but the reprieve was brief, as the bulldozers resumed work at the beginning of this year.
“We felt we have been left alone to farm after we protested last year. We had written petitions because this land belongs to our forefathers, but recently we saw them around again. We are appealing to all the authorities involved that we have no other place to go, we do not want to be out there as hoodlums, thieves.
In June 2021, the late Mr Akeredolu flagged off the Red Gold Project by inaugurating a privately owned Gas Inland LPG Terminal and Oil Palm Mills in the Ore Industrial Park in Odigbo Local Government Area of the state. The Red Gold Project was a partnership between the state government and the National Oil Palm Producing Association of Nigeria .
Mr Akeredolu died on 27 December and it is yet unclear if his successor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, inherited his passion for the project. The state is holding another governorship election in November.At Tokunbo, the headquarters of farming communities such as Temidire, Onipako, Tale, Olorunsogo, Oloruntedo, and Abana, farmers urged the government to stop the destruction of their crops. The villages lie several kilometres in the forest after Bagbe town, off the Ondo-Ore highway.
The consideration of the local farmers was motivated by the security situation in the South-west where bandits used forests as hideouts. Several high-profile individuals in the state fell victim to banditry, including Funke Olakunrin, the daughter of Afenifere leader Reuben Fasoranti, in July 2019. Her killers were said to have operated from Oluwa Forests Reserve in Ore in Odigbo LGA, carrying out attacks on users of the Ore-Ijebu-Ode expressway.
“When we met with their heads and informed them of what the government is doing, the camp heads don’t relay to the farmers the truth because of what they get from the farmers as fees.”SAO Agro Allied Company is a leading investor in oil palm production in Nigeria. It also claims to be the lead investor in the Ondo Special Agro Processing Zone, backed by the AfDB and the state government. It aspires to produce 160,000 tonnes of oil palm by the end of next year.
Responding to PREMIUM TIMES inquiries in Abana, an official of the company, David Olijogun, stated in an email that its land was legitimately acquired from the state government. “Upon the above, after giving them a lengthy grace period to harvest their crops, we have since commenced work on the land with massive investments and infrastructure development creating mass employment for different communities around us, which is evident in the fact that most of the farmers and occupiers are cooperating with us due to socio-economic benefits accruing to them, this includes also Abana and Tokunbo Camp, however, one or two of the farmers who are disgruntled due to the removal...
However, contrary to the company’s claim, farmers in Abana like Mrs Suleman and Mr Akinyosoye said they have received no compensation.
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