1 month ago
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The people of Oke Ako in the Ajoni Local Council Development Area of Ekiti State have appealed to Governor Biodun Oyebanji to establish an agriculture institution on their vast fertile farmlands.
The Regent of the community, Princess Tinuade Ogunbiyi, in a letter to the governor, said, “Oke Ako is blessed with vast arable acres of land that can conveniently host a college of agriculture and other related institutions”.
She said the community had hosted agricultural institutions including Western Region Agricultural and Rural Development Corporation (1952); Western Nigeria Livestock (Od’ua Investment) (1969); National Agricultural and Development Agency (1992); Nomadic Primary School (1995); and YSJ Investors (2024).
The Regent, who said that all the agricultural investments recorded huge success owing to the “very enriched soil, space and friendly attitude of the host community”, urged Oyebanji to take advantage of the endowments of the vast arable land to establish an agricultural institution there.
Listing factors that make Oke Ako suitable for such an institution, Ogunbiyi said, “Oke Ako is naturally zoned for agricultural production. The soil in Oke Ako has over the years proved to be suitable for cash and food crops.
“The land in Oke Ako is suitable for farming needs. It is not contaminated with toxic compounds or heavy metals such as cadmium, arsenic, lead or mercury. Oke Ako soil pH and levels of nutrients and organic matter already present without fertilizer or liming material make the soil suitable for various agriculture practices.
“There are five viable dams in Oke Ako to provide water for livestock and dry season farming. Oke Ako is not flood-prone,” the Regent stated.
She appealed, “Your Excellency, we hope that you will look at our request dispassionately and on its merit and, of course, we are banking on your love for Oke Ako as was demonstrated by your visit to our community recently”.
Recall that until recent security efforts, armed herdsmen had taken advantage of the dams and vast farmlands for their cows and turned a menace to farmers and residents of the town, destroying farmlands at will in addition to killing and maiming people.
Reacting to the issue of insecurity in a chat on Sunday, the Regent said, “We thank Governor Oyebanji for visiting Oke Ako and bringing an investor, YSJ Farms to the vast land to establish a farm there. That development has brought about the drastic reduction in the issue and crisis of herdsmen.
“Since January, we have not been having issues. We have some security presence in the farms now, Operatives of the Rapid Response Squad of the police, men of Agro Marshal, Amotekun operatives and soldiers are now there. There is security. We thank the governor for this.
“The governor also promised us about our schools where there are not enough teachers that he would provide teachers for the schools,” she said.
