Oyo clarifies Ogbomoso farm settlement plan, says land not for sale

By Adejayan Gbenga

The Oyo State Government has clarified that its proposed development of portions of the Ogbomoso Farm Settlement is part of a long-term plan to integrate agriculture, housing and economic development, stressing that the land is not being sold.

The development was disclosed by the Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade, in a statement on Friday, quoting the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Olasunkanmi Olaleye, who explained the rationale behind a recent notice issued by the ministry on portions of land within the farm settlement.

Olaleye said the proposed development was part of Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration’s broader agenda to promote agricultural transformation, food security, employment generation and sustainable economic development.

He explained that the proposed New Town would complement agricultural activities through a land-intensive Farm Housing Scheme designed to integrate modern farming, residential communities and agro-allied industries within a properly planned environment.

According to him, the initiative is expected to boost agricultural production, create jobs, strengthen agricultural value chains, attract investment and support the state’s food security goals. He added that the development had become necessary as residential expansion had increasingly surrounded the farm settlement within Ogbomoso metropolis.

Meanwhile, Olaleye said some occupants had remained on portions of the land for years without making required payments or obtaining formal documentation, while some original allottees had died. He said the intervention would enable the government to reorganise, regulate and optimise the use of the land in the public interest.

The commissioner also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to agriculture through subsidised tractorisation and mechanisation, improved seedlings and fertilisers, farmer training, climate-smart agriculture, extension services, agribusiness and processing initiatives, as well as rural infrastructure development through the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project.

He therefore urged Ogbomoso residents, stakeholders and the general public to disregard claims that the government intended to sell the farm settlement. Instead, he said, the proposed New Town would promote the productive and sustainable use of the land by integrating agriculture, housing, agro-allied industries and economic opportunities for the benefit of Ogbomoso and Oyo State.