The Ologbo-Nugu Community in Orhionmwon local government area of Edo State has sent a Save Our Soul (SOS) message to the state governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, over an agricultural firm’s forceful takeover of their land.
The community which said it is not opposed to the investment and industrial development by Obaseki-led administration, however, frowned at the activities of Barnsley Nigeria Limited, operators of SARO Farms who it accused of frustrating the governor’s good intentions.
During a protest yesterday indigenes of the community carried various placards which read, “SARO, leave 250 hectares for us to farm or Quit our land”, “Dr Tunde, Stop Deceiving Us” and “Keep To The Agreement To Leave 250 Hectares For Us”, among others .
They also demanded that their stake in the agricultural project in the community be properly defined, hence the call on the state governor to intervene.
Speaking to journalists, the Odionwere (Custodian) of Ologbo-Nugu, Pa Aduwa Osaigbovo, aged 96, declared that what they are protesting against is the very crude and barbaric approach deployed by SARO Farms to grab their land without leaving a space for the community to farm.
Pa Osaigbovo lamented that they don’t have land again to cultivate food crops since the company reneged on Governor Obaseki’s instruction to leave 250 hectares for them to farm, knowing full well what people pass through because of a lack of foodstuffs.
“What we are protesting is the very crude, barbaric, oppressive and exploitative approach by which SARO Farms grabbed our land without leaving space for us to farm.
“You can imagine them taking over 600 hectares of our farmland, leaving less than 50 hectares for us the rightful landlords. They even lied to the Governor that they left 250 hectares for us. They carried many soldiers along with them to intimidate our people both in their farms and in the community whenever they have to meet with our people.”
Godwin Sorae Enoguan, the Community Secretary, youth leader, Mr Osasere Ezolobo and woman leader, Justina Osakue also addressed the issue. They emphasized that the land in question is part of the Urhonigbe Forest Reserve and that the government had promised to allocate 250 hectares to the community.
“Three years ago, we were told the government had sold the land. We appealed to the government and were assured of the 250 hectares. When SARO Farms arrived, they brought bulldozers and military personnel to forcibly remove us from our farms. To avoid violence, we decided to appeal to the government to fulfill its promise,” they explained.
Also speaking with the media, the woman leader in the community, Mrs Justina Osakue disclosed the refusal of the company management to discuss terms of the occupation of their land by refusing to engage their experts to join the company’s enumerators in the assessment of crops for compensation as well as discuss royalty.
On the part of the youth leader, Osasere Ezolobor, “They prepared a one-sided Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and took it to the community for their leaders to sign but the community rejected it.”
He noted that certain Dr Tunde who is in charge of SARO’s Community Relations was reported to have boasted that they (the community) don’t have anybody who can dare him, adding that that comment was what has provoked the Diasporan Association of Ologbo-nugu.
“Why should they lie to the governor who has become a friend of the community that they left 250 hectares for us when in actual fact, they only ceded 50 hectares”, a former chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Edo State Council, Mr Godwin Erhahon said.
Erhahon, who also comes from the embattled community and the national leader of the community, said the governor told him that what was in the company’s brief to him was to leave 250 hectares of land for the community for their farming.
“As we said earlier, we are not against Barnsley Nigeria Limited, operators of SARO investing on our land. But we insist that we have the right to decide what part and size of our land we can spare to them. Not they, in their sadist capitalist mentality, choosing for us.
“To reciprocate the respect that the Governor has accorded us, we will consider the only 250 hectares if allocated to us in our chosen location.
“For peace to reign, SARO should send Dr. Tunde away from the entire project so that he won’t continue to jeopardize our relationship. Imagine, after hearing that journalists will be visiting the farm today, he sent threat messages to some of our leaders at home last night. He needs to be tamed.
“We appeal to the President and Commander-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to order the Chief of Army Staff to withdraw all the soldiers he illegally assigned to SARO’s officials in Edo State”, he said.
When contacted, Dr Tunde Faturoti, a representative of Barnsley Limited, referred journalists to Kelvin Uwaibi, managing director, Edo State Investment Promotion Office (EDSIPO) for further information on the matter.
In a swift response, the managing director (MD), Edo State Investment Promotion Office (EDSIPO), Mr Kelvin Uwaibi said, “This is the period of propaganda. Whoever told the media about SARO Farms’ story may not be saying the truth. However, all parties, including the media, need to sit down and find out what went wrong.”
