The Edo State Government has promised to revoke any farmlands that some corporations in the state have unlawfully acquired.
When he met with members of the Association of Cocoa Farmers on Thursday, the state deputy governor, Rt. Hon. Dennis Idahosa, assured them that some of the farmlands were obtained through proxies.
The Deputy Governor promised that appropriate processes will be followed in order to recover such lands and return them to their rightful owners in a statement made by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Friday Aghedo.
In particular, he praised the association’s members from the state’s Ovia South-West and Ovia North-East Local Government Areas for upholding the law in spite of their difficulties.
Idahosa reiterated Governor Monday Okpebholo’s pledge to farmers during the campaign, stressing that the government still places a high premium on their well-being.
He also reminded them that the governor is well aware of the socioeconomic contributions farmers make to both their communities and the state as a whole, having run his campaign in each of the state’s 18 local government districts.
No one would be able to take away their lands or deny them their due benefits if they paid their taxes to the state government on a regular basis, he said. Idahosa emphasized that the government is working to reduce conflicts between farmers and herders and is making every effort to protect the safety of its people.
Earlier, the cocoa growers, under the leadership of Mr. Bello Osaretin, claimed that some Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security public personnel were conspiring with some Chinese citizens to sell the forest reserves of Ohosu and Okomu.
He asserted that if the current government does not step in, more than 40 significant towns in Ovia South-West that are now home to farmers may vanish.
