Oyo State governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, has performed the ground-breaking ceremony for the upgrade of moribund 3,250 hectares Eruwa Farm Settlement to an Agribusiness Industrial Hub.
The governor said that the project, once completed, would put Ibarapaland on the global agricultural map and create thousands of jobs for youths in the zone and across the state.
Governor Makinde, who stated this on Thursday, at the Old Farm Settlement, Eruwa, Oyo State, added that his administration would also complete the Ido-Eruwa Road within the next one year, charging residents of Ibarapa zone to make investors feel welcome, when the new agribusiness hub is completed.
He noted that the government recently approved the release of a tranche of N2 billion to the contractor handling the road project so as to fast-track its progress.
According to the governor, the administration established the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA) as a special purpose vehicle to drive agribusiness in the state and that so far, the state has achieved great successes and gone ahead to become a model for other states, and even some African countries, in the area of agribusiness.
He equally expressed the confidence that the new Agribusiness Hub in Eruwa would also be a success story like the Fasola Agribusiness Hub, as, according to him, development partners and investors, who have already committed to bringing in their money to the facility, were present at the ground-breaking ceremony.
He said: “About five years ago, we started what I will call the journey to make agribusiness the driver of Oyo State’s economy. Immediately we came into office, we got access to a N7.6 billion loan facility taken by the previous administration and our plan was to use this loan to ensure that two of our moribund farm settlements are converted to agribusiness hubs.
“So, we started a pilot project at the moribund Fasola Farm Settlement, which we picked to serve as a prototype. It was an ambitious project, because no state in Nigeria had ever done that.
“At first, we thought it would take like a year to complete the pilot project at Fasola, which is about 1,000 hectares. By calculation, it is bigger than Victoria Island in Lagos. Eruwa Farm Settlement is three times bigger than Fashola and what you see in the new Fasola Agribusiness Hub today is what we are putting up here.
“Fashola has taught us a very big lesson and we know that we have the capacity to take on this project and to see it to completion.
“As of today, it is not only that all states in Nigeria have come to inspect Fasola; we have had officials from Ogun, Ekiti, Cross River, Borno, Plateau, Delta, Bayelsa and Gombe states. We have also had visitors from outside Nigeria, including Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Mozambique and Kenya.
“So, I want to say to the people of Ibarapaland that you should be ready, because Ibarapaland is now on the agriculture map.
“We are quite happy and, as for me, I feel fulfilled that this journey to develop this farm estate is getting done.
“I am happy to be joined on this journey by development partners and the private sector. Some of the people seated here today have committed to bring their money to invest in this environment.
“My people in Ibarapa; what you can do for me is to make the investors feel welcome. Support them and they will create jobs for our youths.”
Speaking earlier, the Director-General of OYSADA, Dr Debo Akande, said that the Eruwa Agribusiness Hub is expected to be a 40-million-dollar public-private development investment that will change the agricultural landscape of Eruwa, Ibarapa, and Oyo State.
“This facility will include a crop and livestock production centre, 15-20 processing centres, a state-of-the-art agribusiness training centre, a mechanisation and equipment leasing centre, an early-generation seed production centre, and, the icing on the cake will be an eco-resort centre that will put Eruwa on the world map.
“I thank His Excellency for his visionary leadership, the citizens of Oyo State, the good people of Ibarapa, and particularly Eruwa, the private investors, and AfDB for believing in this.”
Explaining how Fasola Hub has become a success story, Akande maintained that the Hub has seen an influx of 12 medium to large national and international private companies occupying the 1,150 hectares of land for crop production, livestock rearing, and processing for domestic consumption and export.
He added that these companies have been contributing to supporting smallholder farmers in the state through training, taking their crops for processing and development of early generation seeds that will help yields across the state.
In his special remarks, Director-General, Nigeria, African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Abdul Kamara, lauded Governor Makinde for resuscitating moribund farm settlements and putting the state on the path of agribusiness, which he described as consistent with AfDB’s approach to rural and economic transformation and aligns with its focus to feed Africa, guarantee food security, nutrition, agro-processing, agricultural transformations, industrialisation and improving the quality of lives for Africans.
He assured that the AfDB would give its maximum support to the speedy execution of the project.
In their separate goodwill messages, the Senior Special Adviser on Industrialisation to the President of AfDB, Prof. Banji Oyeleran-Oyeyinka; the Olu of Igbooro, Oba Olajide Titiloye; and the chairman, Eruwa Council of Elders, Chief Joseph Peluola, severally appreciated Governor Makinde for seeing the future of agriculture sector and making the project a reality.
They urged the governor to ensure the speedy completion of the Ido-Eruwa road and equally enhance microfinance banks to give financial support to more farmers.
Delivering a vote of thanks, the Speaker, Oyo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin, equally lauded Governor Makinde, noting that the Eruwa Agribusiness Industrial Hub would be a legacy project for him after his tenure.
He also charged residents of the area to cooperate with the contractors for the success of the project.
The event had in attendance former deputy governors of Oyo State, Engr. Hamid Gbadamosi and Alhaji Hazim Gborlarumi; Chief Judge of Oyo State, Hon. Justice Iyabo Yerima, former Speaker of the House of Assembly, Senator Monsurat Sumonu; and Chairman of the House of Assembly Committee on Agriculture, Hon. Peter Ojedokun.
Others were Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Olanike Adeyemo; Chief of Staff, Otunba Segun Ogunwuyi; Deputy Chief of Staff, Hon Fola Oyekunle; chairman and co-chairman of the Oyo State Elder’s Council, Dr Saka Balogun and Elder Wole Oyelese; commissioners, traditional rulers and religious leaders, among others.
