- Safiu Kehinde
The Oyo State Government has debunked alleged of plans to sell the Ogbomoso Farm Settlement.
Olasunkanmi Olaleye, the state’s Commissioner for Agriculture, refuted the claims in a statement issued on Friday in Ibadan.
The commissioner clarified that developing portions of the farm settlement was part of a long-term plan to integrate agriculture, housing and economic growth.
He said the initiative was not an attempt to sell the farm settlement, stressing that it aligned with the Gov. Seyi Makinde-led administration’s agenda on agricultural transformation, food security, job creation, and sustainable economic development.
“The proposed New Town to be sited at the farm settlement will feature a farm housing scheme combining modern farming, residential areas and agro-allied industries in a planned environment,” he said.
Olaleye said that the project would boost production, create jobs, strengthen value chains, attract investment, and improve the state’s food security.
According to him, urban expansion had surrounded the settlement, while some occupants lacked documentation and some original allottees were deceased.
The commissioner said that the intervention would help the government reorganise, regulate and optimise land use in the public interest.
Olaleye assured that the government’s commitment to agriculture remained unwavering, noting that the administration had continued to implement various interventions aimed at strengthening the sector.
“These include subsidised tractorisation and agricultural mechanisation; provision of improved seedlings, fertilisers and other agricultural inputs; training of farmers and extension officers in climate-smart agriculture,” he said.
Olaleye further said that the interventions would also strengthen agricultural extension services, promote agribusiness, processing and agricultural value chains, and improve rural access and agricultural infrastructure through the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project.
“These interventions demonstrates that the Makinde-led administration is not working against agriculture but is repositioning the sector as a major driver of food security, employment and economic growth,” he said
The commissioner emphasised that the objective was to ensure that land was put to productive and sustainable use while keeping agriculture at the core of the development.
He urged Ogbomoso residents to ignore misinformation, stressing the government’s commitment to keeping agriculture central to the development.