Agbeyewa Farms Limited, a leading agricultural company, has debunked the allegations of land encroachment made against it by the Odo-Oro community.
In the petition written to the State Governor, His Excellency, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, in which a copy was also shared with the press, the community alleged that Agbeyewa Farms encroached its land and destroyed all her economic trees.
In a response to this allegation, the company affirmed that the allegations were completely false, unfounded, misguided, and misdirected, aiming to gain public sympathy and tarnish the company’s reputation.
In a release addressed to the press in Ado-Ekiti and signed by the company’s Director of Corporate Communications and Community Engagement, Dauda Lawal, the company said it followed due diligence in the acquisition of the 5,001 hectares of land allocated to it by the government of Ekiti State.
“We followed all due process and due diligence in the acquisition of the 5,001 hectares of land in 2021. According to the document and mapping at the state Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, we were made to know that the 5,001 hectares of land covered five communities, namely, Ipao, Odo-Oro, Itapaji, Esun and Oke Ako. We made all necessary monetary payments directly to government accounts, and a Certificate of Occupancy (CofO) was issued to us by the state government. The entire process of this land acquisition was made possible through the State Ministry of Agriculture and the State Directorate of Land Bureau.”
Lawal emphasized that Agbeyewa Farms did not engage in any destruction of any economic trees as alleged in the Odo-Oro petition.
“We have been operating with due regard to all interests on the land, and we never engaged in any destruction of economic trees nor engage in any under-the-table transactions or sign agreements outside official government channels as the Odo-Oro community alleged in their petitions.”
“Also, we never signed any Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Odo-Oro or any community on compensation. Instead, such a claim of compensation should have been directed to the state government, which had earlier assured all communities that compensation would be paid to all the affected communities whose land was part of the land dealings.”
Lawal claimed that since 2021, Agbeyewa Farms has been operating within the allocated 5,001 hectares, which also fall within the government-gazetted Special Agro-industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ).
“The company has not worked outside this area covered in the CofO issued by the state government, so one would ask: On what basis is the allegations of encroachment by the Odo-Oro community?” Lawal stated.
Regarding compensation issues, Lawal stated that the government is the only entity that can address these concerns. However, he said Agbeyewa Farms would continue to dialogue and engage with the people of Odo-Oro and other communities within their operations area.
“As a responsible corporate citizen, Agbeyewa Farms remains committed to promoting sustainable agriculture, job creation, economic growth, and community development engagement.”
“Our company has been operating in Ekiti State for over three years, cultivating and aggregating cassava, while providing employment opportunities for over 1,000 people directly and indirectly. We have plans to create thousands of more jobs and forge partnerships for shared prosperity and wealth creation. Our Corporate Social Responsibility effort is also top-notch, and evidence is available across the state to judge us.”
Lawal harped that Agbeyewa Farms is a multi-billion private investment initiative that must be protected by the government and its agencies while the company would continue to build on its community development initiatives across all host communities for shared prosperity.
“We are driving this initiative in partnership with the Ekiti State Government while also collaborating with multilateral development partners to establish the biggest Cassava Processing Plants in Nigeria in Ekiti State before the end of 2026. It is on record today that Agbeyewa is the biggest cassava farm in Nigeria while hoping to be the biggest agro-allied investments company in Africa,” Lawal stated.
Agbeyewa Farms urges the Odo-Oro community to direct its concerns to the Ekiti State government, which allocated the said land. The company believes that no development can take place nor thrive in an atmosphere of crisis and unclear land disputes with communities.