A PLEA TO GOV. AKEREDOLU TO SAVE ODIGBO AND OUR PARENTS FROM HUNGER AND ABJECT POVERTY

A PLEA TO GOV. AKEREDOLU TO SAVE ODIGBO AND OUR PARENTS FROM HUNGER AND ABJECT POVERTY

Agriculture has been the top resources of the people of ODIGBO and it should be treated with fairness.

From time immemorial, the good people of Odigbo LGA has always been known for being gentle, easy going and people  who manage the little resources they have, with joy  without complaint of any kind. 

It's no news that the major source of income to the people of Odigbo  is farming, cocoa farming to be precise and it's being the major bedrock for the development of the Land vis via her people. 

Prior to the information gathered before writing this article I was told Odigbo Forest Reserve (A08) was submitted to the colonial power under the British indirect rule by an agreement dated 20th  day of September 1914 between Odigbo  Community and the colonial power represented by the Governor – General. The terms of the agreement are explicit. Among which is that “the area was constituted as a Forest Reserve for the joint use and benefit of Government and the Native of Odigbo  communities. The people’s interest should be the Governor's utmost priority. 

Your Excellency sir, recall earlier in your administration, you constituted a taskforce for the regulation and collection of tax from the farmers, our parents, who were farming on the land, an order which was completely adhered to, and every instruction was followed to the last letter. 

With upmost disbelief and awe, we recieved the Governor's taskforce in recent days who came on the order of the Governor with bulldozers to destroy our farmlands citing that the land has be apportioned to foreign investors over the goodwill of the indigenes and occupiers of the land. 

This is a direct attempt to plung the entire Odigbo LGA into abject poverty, chase our children and youths out of school, send our parents into the streets, increase crime rate and total darkness. 

It’s important I let you know that majority of our parents through this reserve pay our school fees, now that you have denied them an Acess how do you want the children needs to be met. It’s on this note, I appeal to your gracious mercies to have compassion on the people and Odigbo Community to rescind the order for the removal of our farmlands. 

Times are hard as it is and this move would further deepen the suffering of the people amongst the abject poverty it'll engulf the Odigbo people with.

It is on this note that I’m appealing to Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu to please listen to the voice of ODIGBO Farmers and reverse his decision. 

Taking away this reserve from them will cost a lot of unemployment among the people of ODIGBO and other  vices as well.

The writer is Opeyemi Akinboni, OP LOVE and could be reach via 08102442584