Kwara Govt denies spending on Malete Ranch, clarifies SAPZ expenditures
By Mosunmola Ayobami, Ilorin
The Kwara State Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Oloruntoyosi Thomas, has clarified that the state government did not spend any funds on a ranch project between 2022 and 2023, contrary to claims by Sahara Reporters.
She explained that the only related expenditure during the period was ₦29,000,000, spent in 2022 on essential services such as a topographic survey, environmental impact assessment, and drone flights across the Malete site for the Kwara Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone (SAPZ) project. This expenditure was recorded on February 28, 2022.
The clarification was contained in a statement she signed on Wednesday in Ilorin to address the report.
The commissioner added that the closest government expenditure in that category was ₦779,506,155.08, paid on October 9, 2023, as counterpart funding for the SAPZ.
The SAPZ is an ongoing five-year project funded by the African Development Bank and the Islamic Development Bank. Under the SAPZ, four Agricultural Transformation Centres (ATCs) are currently operating in Baruten (Okuta), Kaiama (Kaiama), Ifelodun (Olodan), and Asa (Afon), serving as production and aggregation centres. Malete serves as the industrial hub.
According to her, the expenditure was listed in the budget as “Federal Government Contributions for Livestock Development (State Govt),” covering programmes such as L-PRES and SAPZ, which include ranching and grazing reserves.
She expressed concern that the report failed to mention SAPZ, which was the basis for the closest expenditure, even though no funds were spent on a ranch.
The commissioner emphasized that the clarification was intended for members of the public who may have been misled by the publication.
She criticized such reports, stating that they aim to misrepresent public expenditures and paint negative pictures of the government.
In an era of disinformation and cultural imperialism, often packaged deceptively, she urged the public to be cautious of platforms that promote unethical practices and fabricate stories to undermine governments and public servants.
