Forceful Ejection Of Cocoa Farmers Will Have Consequences, Ondo PDP Warns

By Ayodele Oni

The Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) in Ondo State has cautioned the State Government against forcefully ejecting farmers from their cocoa plantations after years of labour.

The party foresees a situation whereby ejected farmers will take to crimes to eke out a living.

The State Government had told farmers in its Oluwarotimi Forest Reserve that they are illegal occupants after reallocating the area to an investor for oil Palm plantation project.

The PDP in a statement on Wednesday, signed by Director of Publicity, Leye Igbabo, stated that since cocoa and oil palm are both economic potentials, government should look for a virgin area to be allocated to the investors.

“PDP frowns at the inhuman treatment and frustrations which farmers at Oluwa Forest Reserve (OA3A), Odigbo LG are going through in the hands of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and his administration by the wilful attempt to dispossess the farmers of their means of livelihood.

“This is after the government had collected appropriate levies and dues running into several millions, from the same farmers on the farmlands allocated to them by the same government.

“After the farmers have been made to pay all manner of levies which include but not limited to annual rent on the hectares of land allocated, security dues and identity card levies, the government yet again brought some so-called investors to come and destroy the cocoa plantations of the helpless farmers for the purpose of planting palm oil trees on the same farmlands.

“This action is not only wicked but also, essentially fraudulent in nature.

“Our Party finds it hard to fathom the government’s motives behind destroying sprawling cocoa plantations for palm oil plantations when both products are of similar economic values.

“The cocoa plantations on the farmlands are already providing sources of income and succour to the farmers after several years of their labour on the farmlands.

“One wonders why such plantations should be targeted for destruction for similar economic trees which survival are still subject and susceptible to any unfavorable climatic conditions.

“The Party is aware that Ondo State is abundantly blessed with arable and fertile land which can be used for any agricultural purposes, and had thought therefore that the government, if its actions were in the best interest of the people, should have looked for other hectares of land located elsewhere to use for any other purposes including agriculture, rather than struggling to waste the efforts of the citizens whose welfare the Constitution succinctly commands him to provide and cater for.

“The Peoples Democratic Party Ondo State Chapter draws the attention of the Governor and his administration to the dire consequences of this self-serving agenda which include starvation, deprivation, frustration , increased crimes, avoidable violence and untimely deaths.

“It therefore admonishes him to add human face and feelings to governance for once, by allowing the poor farmers to breath and enjoy the fruits of their many years of labour.”