Adebayo Adenrele
…channel your grievances to EKSG, says company
The Odo-oro Ekiti in Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State, has warned Agbeyewa Farms Limited to stay off their land.
Addressing journalists on Thursday in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, the legal adviser of the Federation of Odo Oro Ekiti Development Union (FODU), Kayode Akinwunmi explained that the community has been the bonafide owner of the land from time immemorial and the land has never been marked as agricultural zone by the state government.
He said the community already gave out 20 acres of land to the company for the establishment of Cassava Processing Industry at Odo-Oro along Itapaji road, as directed by the Onise of Odoro-Ekiti.
However, the Company encroached on another parcel of land entirely at Oko Aun and Oko Ikasi in Igboroko farmland, along Itapaji Ekiti Road, Odo Oro Ekiti.
According to him, the company came with full force and destroyed lands and crops while the initial land allocated to them were completely abandoned.
His words, “They told the community that they need 20 acres of land from the land for the establishment of Cassava Processing Industry.
“The Monarch instructed the chief to show them around, along Odo-Oro Itapaji road.
“We were on the issue that the Agbeyewa came to a full force in another portion entirely and they began to bulldoze cocoa farmland, economic farm, the area allocated to them were completely abandoned.
“Series of meetings have been made with the state government. The former government and the new political dispensation.
“We have submitted a petition on this issue to the state government to draw their attention again”.
Also speaking, the Alaun of Aun, Odo-oro Ekiti, 2nd in command to Onise of Odoro-Ekiti, Akereledolu Omotayo called on the state government to intervene with a charge to Agbeyewa Company to steer clear of Odo-oro farmland.
Reacting to the allegations, the Director of Corporate Communications and Engagement,
Agbeyewa Farms Limited, Dauda Lawal said the claims of the community are unfounded and misdirected.
He maintained that the hectares of land allocated to the company by the state government was obtained legally and passed through due process.
The Director explained that their operations in the state is to cultivate, process cassava, and provide employment opportunities for the residents of Ekiti.
He urged the community to channel their grievances to Ekiti State government for better resolution.
He said: “We firmly believe these claims are unfounded and misdirected. The 5,000 hectares of land allocated to us by the Ekiti State government, spanning Ipao, Esun, Odo-Oro, and Itapaji communities, was obtained legally and through due process.
“All monetary payments for the land were made directly to the government accounts, as required by the law, and CofO was given to us by the state government. We did not engage in any under-the-table transactions or sign any agreements with individuals or groups outside of the official government channels.
“We’d like to reiterate that we did not at any time sign any Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Odo-Oro or any community for compensation. What we were told during the discussions with the state government on the said land was that compensation would be handled by the state government to the affected communities.
“Our operations in Ekiti aim to cultivate, aggregate, process cassava, and provide employment opportunities for our people, which we have been doing for the past two years. Today, we have created over 1000 job opportunities both from within and outside of Ekiti State. We’ve consistently conducted our activities peacefully and engaged in corporate social responsibility initiatives within the communities where we operate and across the state. We would continue to engage our people for the benefit of their shared prosperity.
“We urge the Odo-Oro community to direct their concerns to the Ekiti State government, which allocated the 5,000 hectares of land to us and collected payment from us and issued us a CofO. We are law-abiding corporate entities with a focus on promoting sustainable agriculture, economic growth, and community development rather than perpetuating unfounded allegations”.