Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has cautioned Governor Seyi Makinde over what it called his penchant for converting farmlands into housing estates, warning that the trend was capable of worsening food crisis and hunger in the land.
APC noted that the administration of Governor Makinde had in recent times, faced intense criticisms over issues relating to commercialization or outright sales of choice properties and pieces of land belonging to the state government.
The main opposition party in the state also accused the government of acquiring pieces of land owned by some private individuals, families and organisations, claiming that the steps were taken ‘in overriding public interest.
State Publicity Secretary of the APC, Olawale Sadare, in a statement on Sunday in Ibadan, decried what it called the ongoing destruction of tree crops belonging to local farmers in parts of Akinyele and Ido local government areas.
Sadare added that the destruction of the crops were allegedly carried out by some estate developers engaged by the state government to convert the farmlands on which farmers were making both ends meet into housing estates.
“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.
“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 at 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 colossal 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,” the Oyo APC image maker said.
Sadare said this “happened at a time 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.”