Indigenes of Ogbomoso in Oyo State, under the auspices of Egbe Omo Ogbomoso Parapo, have petitioned Governor Seyi Makinde over an alleged plan to allocate a farm settlement in the area to developers.
The indigenes rejected the alleged plan to allocate the farm settlement to property developers by the Oyo State Government.
They said the planned allocation will amount to destruction of the legacies of the Premiers of the defunct Western Region, late Chief Obafemi Awolowo and late Chief Samuel Akintola.
The petition was signed by the Chairman of Egbe Omo Ogbomoso Parapo (Home Headquarters), Prince Aderemi Olude and the Secretary, Mr. Johnson Adekunle,.
Copies of the petition were 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, Ogbomoso, and the Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Afolabi Olaoye.
The indigenes, in the petition made available to DAILY POST on Friday, stressed that the government should revitalise the farm settlement instead of allocating it to developers.
According to them, the land in question was earmarked as a farm settlement in the early 1960s.
Noting that the settlement has sustained generations, they described the plan to allocate the land to investors as totally unacceptable to the people of the ancient city.
The association described the farm settlement as a “commonwealth” and major means of livelihood for the residents of Ogbomoso.
Parts of the petition read, “This piece is to state the position of the people of Ogbomosoland on the alleged plan by the State Government ably led by Your Excellency to hand over the land of the Ogbomoso Farm Settlement to private investors and developers.
“Our investigations have revealed that the matter is now beyond unfounded rumour because those directly affected, that is, the farm settlers, confirmed the report based on their recent experience.
“We want to inform your Excellency that the settlers, many of who 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 crux of this letter is solemnly to inform your Excellency that the planned move to allocate the land to “investors” is unacceptable to Ogbomoso Community. Surveyors from the State Government we learnt have been making incursions into the land.
“We consider it a flagrant disregard for a good heritage, laudable legacy and as an extra-judicial undertaking. The farm settlement is a commonwealth, our livelihood, which has sustained generations. We therefore on behalf of the vast majority of the people of Ogbomoso declare that we reject this move in its entirety.”
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