Indigenes of Ogbomoso in Oyo State, under the aegis of Egbe Omo Ogbomoso Parapo, have petitioned Governor Seyi Makinde over an alleged plan by the state government to allocate the Ogbomoso Farm Settlement to private developers and investors.
The group, in the petition signed by its Chairman, Prince Aderemi Olude, and Secretary, Johnson Adekunle, described the alleged move as unacceptable, warning that it would amount to the destruction of a major agricultural legacy established during the era of the former Western Region.
Copies of the petition were also forwarded to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Federal Ministry of Lands and Urban Development, Inspector-General of Police, Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Police Area Commander in Ogbomoso, and the Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Afolabi Olaoye.
The association urged the state government to revitalise the farm settlement rather than allocate the land to property developers.
According to the group, the land was designated as a farm settlement in the early 1960s and has since supported generations of residents in Ogbomoso.
The indigenes described the settlement as a “commonwealth” and a vital source of livelihood for the people, stressing that any attempt to hand it over to private investors would be strongly resisted.
The petition stated that investigations by the group had shown that the alleged plan was no longer mere speculation, as some of the settlers had reportedly confirmed recent activities on the land.
The association alleged that government surveyors had begun making incursions into the farm settlement, a development it said had heightened concerns among the settlers and residents.
“We want to inform your Excellency that the settlers, many of whom had spent over sixty years on the land, are fiercely opposed to the plan, ditto the generality of the people of Ogbomoso and beyond,” the petition stated.
The group further argued that the proposed allocation would undermine the agricultural legacy associated with the late Premier of the Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, and his successor, Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola.
It urged Governor Makinde to halt any proposed allocation and instead focus on restoring the farm settlement to its original purpose of supporting agriculture and the livelihoods of the people.
The association described the alleged plan as a disregard for the historical and economic significance of the settlement and declared its outright opposition to the proposed development.
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