Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), an environmental non-governmental organisation, has raised alarm over the alleged displacement and dispossessing of about 60,000 small scale farmers across four local government areas in Edo State of their farm land.
The four local governments are Ovia South-West, Ovia North-East, Owan West and Ununmwode as well as impacted communities which include Makilolo, Agbede,Odighi, Odiguetue, Orhua, Umokpe, Uzebba, Uzalla and Sabogida Ora.
Godwin Uyi Ojo, executive director of ERA/FoEN, gave the hint during a press briefing to mark the International Day Against Mono-Culture Tree Plantations in Benin-City.
Ojo said about 33,800 national and international civil societies and affected communities have signed a petition to the Edo State government to compel the management of Okomu Oil Plc to comply with the revocation edict as well as commence regeneration of the degraded forests and farmlands in the state.
He noted that the activities of the oil palm company has resulted in local food shortages, poverty, labour exploitation, distortion of the local food sovereignty, among others.
He accused the management of Okomu Oil Palm Plc and other palm oil plantations in the country such as Wilmar Pz in Cross River State of disposing farmers of their farmlands.
He listed some negative consequences of the action of the companies to include, land grabbing, loss of access to farmlands and forests, deforestation, impacts on community land rights, impacts on water supply and local food shortages.
The NGO noted that the palm oil company operates with impunity and often above the laws of the land.
He alleged that the management of Okomu Oil Palm Plc flagrantly disregarded Edo State Government Revocation Order for 13,750 hectares for the company’s expansion of their oil palm plantation.
The press conference attended by members of the affected communities, representatives of the NGO from Ghana, Togo and Liberia countries urged the government of Edo state to enforce its land revocation order signed into law on November 2015 by compelling Okomu Oil Plc to comply with the revocation edict.
“The voracious expansion of Wilmar PZ Oil Palm operations in Cross River State from about 40,000 hectares to additional 50 hectares is leading to land scarcity for small scale farmers and resulting in local food shortage and rising food prices.
“Similarly, in Edo State, Okomu Oil Palm Plc is expanding its oil palm operations by additional 13,750 hectares; in both cases, land grabbing and loss of access to farmlands and forests, deforestation, impacts on community land rights, impacts on water supply and local food shortages are some of the negative consequences. There is neither respect for the rule of law nor community freedom.
“The Edo State Government Edict was signed into law on November 5, 2015 by the former government under the leadership of Adams Oshiomhole. Till date, and in spite of all entreaties and pressure, Okomu oil palm Plc is defiant and has failed to respect the Edo State government revocation order. Instead, it has deliberately and confrontationally continued the aggressive forests and farmlands clearance for oil palm planting,” he said.
He however, demand among others, payment of adequate compensation to farmers whose farms and food crops have been destroyed by the rampaging bulldozers of the company, encouragement of local farmers to farm local staple foods and not to be dispossessed from their ancestral lands in favour of transnational companies under the guise of employment generation.
Other demands of the organisation was that the Edo State government should not mortgage the sovereignty of the state and the Federal Government as no individual or company is above the laws of Nigeria, and that Okomu Oil Palm should provide relief measures and food to cushion food shortage challenges facing the displaced farmers suffering from land dispossession and farm crops destruction.
IDRIS UMAR MOMOH, BENIN
