• Says action criminal, shady, may threaten food security
• Aiyedatiwa disburses N1b gratuities to council retirees
• Vows to speed up payment of backlog
Farmers cultivating farmlands in Oluwa Forest Reserve in Odigbo Local Council of Ondo State have condemned the alleged sale of over 2,000 hectares of the reserved land to a private company by the state government.
The farmers, while kicking against the development, lamented that the expanse of the farmland was rented to them by the government over 25 years ago, and they have been paying the required fees for the occupation of the reserve.
According to the farmers, numbering over 10,000, who spoke through the Chairman of the Oluwa Forest Reserve Farmers, Abayomi Isinleye, a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) had been issued to the private company that bought parts of the forest reserve, which they argued, negated the procedure of acquiring a government-owned forest reserve.
The affected farmers maintained that nine farm camps would be affected by the forced eviction, with the company already bulldozing the farmlands that had already been cultivated with yams, cassava, maize, cocoa, and kolanut, among others.
They said the state would in no time be impacted by food insecurity as the firm tends to plant oil palm trees for export. The farmers, through their solicitor, Tope Temokun, said they had petitioned Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to investigate how the forest reserve was sold to the private company, but that the governor failed to respond to the series of letters addressed to him.
Meanwhile, Aiyedatiwa, yesterday, said that his administration had begun reviewing the template for the payment of gratuities to retirees to ensure speedy payment of the backlog owed by the government.
According to Aiyedatiwa, during the flag-off of the second batch payment of N1 billion of outstanding gratuities to local council retirees in Akure, the state capital, the gesture was in continuation of efforts towards promoting the welfare of retirees.
The governor, who gave the assurance that payment of pensions and gratuities would henceforth be regular, noted that the development would no doubt ensure substantial relief for many of the retirees.
Aiyedatiwa, who revealed that the current batch focused on council retirees from 2012 and aimed to settle remaining arrears from previous years, however, urged those not captured to be hopeful and that the system put in place now would ensure adequate coverage.
On his part, the state’s Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Amidu Takuro, said that the governor had tasked him on saving funds specifically to pay pensioners.
Also, the Head of Service, Bayo Philips, said that many other state governors neglect retirees because they find it difficult to meet the huge demand.
The state’s Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Johnson Osunyemi, noted that the payment is a relief for the retirees, as it had been long awaited, assuring the governor of the retirees’ support in the forthcoming election.
The post Farmers decry sale of Ondo forest reserve to firm appeared first on Guardian Nigeria News.
Powered by WPeMatico
