The Ondo State governor, Hon. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, on Wednesday, said the State government has acquired 26,000 hectares of land at Ori Ohin in Ose Local Government Area for a pilot agricultural scheme.
Governor Aiyedatiwa stated this when he inaugurated the Steering Committee of the Framework for Responsible and Inclusive Land-Intensive Agricultural Investment (FRILIA) in Akure, Ondo State capital.
Speaking at the event at the Governor’s Office, Alagbaka, Akure, Aiyedatiwa said the initiative was another bold step by his administration to boost food production, secure livelihoods, and guarantee fair returns for host communities.
“The inauguration of this Committee marks another giant step in our administration’s quest to ensure food security for the good people of Ondo State through sustainable collaboration involving host communities, Local Government Areas and the State Government,” the Governor said.
He stressed that the primary aim of FRILIA in balancing investment opportunities with community rights and benefits.
According to him, “The major objective of this Committee is to ensure we have an enabling environment that guarantees adequate protection for the host communities, ensuring they derive premium returns on their land being used for agricultural purposes in line with national policies on food security goals.”
The Governor revealed that the idea was first agreed upon by the Nigerian Governors’ Forum in collaboration with the World Bank, the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), and the Forum itself.
“This we hope would enhearten the Government to secure adequate agricultural land to ensure food security in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he explained.
On the acquired land, the governor said, “The State Government equally conducted a stakeholders’ meeting with the community, the land owners, the tenants, and the Ose Local Government Council with a view to kick-starting this project,” adding that efforts to secure additional land for this project were ongoing.
