Oyo APC carpets Makinde over conversion of farmland to real estate
By Tunde Opalana
The Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has condemned the administration of Governor Seyi Making over the spate of farmland conversion into real estate.
The party was apprehensive of the effect of such policy particularly on food security.
In a statement on Sunday signed by its Publicity Secretary, Wasiu Olawale Sadare, the party expressed the fear that the state faces imminent food shortage if the government fail to halt the trend.
Warning of impending food insecurity, the APC said conversion of large expanses of land meant for agricultural practices into housing estates is an unwise economic decision as it poses danger of food insecurity in the state.
Sadare in the statement noted that said that hundreds of local farmers in Idi-Igbaro, Akufo in Ido local government and Ajibade, Olosa-Oko, Alaase, Alagbaa, Oloje, Elekuru, Agbirigidi in Akinyele local government area have been displaced by real estate developers.
Sadare said “the rate at which the present PDP administration in Oyo State is inflicting hardship on the masses has reached its crescendo and we, at the APC, can no longer keep silent. On daily basis, the Makinde administration rob the poor to further enrich the affluent few in the guise of urbanization policy and improved internally generated revenue drive.
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“As the agents of the state forcefully eject traders and shop or office owners from their legitimate business premises, farmers are not only being chased away from their farmlands even as their growing crops and plants are destroyed to pave the way for residential buildings.
“As of last Friday; hundreds of local farmers in Idi-Igbaro and Akufo in Ido local government area as well as their colleagues in Ajibade, Olosa-Oko, Alaase, Alagbaa, Oloje, Elekuru, Agbirigidi among other ancient settlements in Akinyele local government area were thrown into collosal losses as agents of the state government had destroyed all the crops on their farmlands.
“Among the crops which were sacrificed for housing estates are several thousands of cocoa, cashew, mango, oil palm trees and coffee as well as arable crops such as maize, cassava, yam and vegetables.
“This happened at a time when citizens face food crisis in the mode of scarcity and high cost of food commodities. While states like Niger, Borno, Kebbi and Kwara are doing so much to assist and encourage their local farmers, the PDP administration in Oyo is making life unbearable to them and our governor keeps deceiving the world that he is promoting Agribusiness.
“As it stands, Oyo state cannot boast of a single agricultural produce which is being made available to the global market despite the vast fertile land resources and favourable weather which God has blessed the state with. This is shameful.”
