APC, Makinde clash over alleged plan to sell Agodi fish farm

By Adejayan Gbenga

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State and the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde have exchanged words over allegations that the state government plans to sell the Agodi Government Fish Farm in Ibadan to a private investor.

The controversy began after the APC accused the governor of making moves to dispose of the government-owned facility as part of an alleged plan to expand private housing estate projects around the Agodi Government Secretariat.

In a statement issued on Friday, the party’s Publicity Secretary, Wasiu Sadare, described the alleged development as unfortunate, claiming that Makinde and some of his associates were behind plans to expand private housing projects in the area, which he linked to the development of Baywood Estate.

According to Sadare, the alleged plan would involve removing the government fish farm to allow its land to be incorporated into the adjoining private estate, adding that the development followed the alleged destruction of a green zone that served as an environmental protection area.

“After the destruction of the enviable green zone that protects the environment around the area, the next in the line for Governor Makinde is to level up the government fish farm facility with a view to joining the large expanse of land, which it occupies, with the private estate,” the statement alleged.

However, the Oyo State Government rejected the allegation, describing it as reckless and insisting that there was no plan to transfer ownership of the facility to any private developer. The governor’s Special Adviser on Media, Dr. Sulaimon Olanrewaju, who responded on Makinde’s behalf, said the opposition party was acting on inaccurate information.

“For the avoidance of doubt, there is no plan by the Oyo State Government to sell, cede, or otherwise transfer the Agodi Government Fish Farm to any private developer,” Olanrewaju said, dismissing the allegation as a product of the imagination of those seeking to generate headlines rather than engage in honest public discourse.

Meanwhile, the exchange has brought the ownership and future of the Agodi Government Fish Farm into the spotlight, triggering a fresh political disagreement between the ruling administration and the opposition party, with both sides maintaining opposing positions on the alleged plan.