The Ogun State government has said it is looking into the dispute between timber dealers in the state and cocoa farmers.
The Commissioner for Forestry, Taiwo Oludotun, told The PUNCH, “The government is aware of this challenge, and we are already working on it.”
Timber dealers in Ogun State, on Wednesday, raised concerns about the alleged increasing destructive activities of illegal cocoa farmers, who they allege are destroying valuable economic trees in the sprawling Omo government forest reserves at J4 to cultivate cocoa.
The dealers, under the aegis of the Ijebu Saw Millers and Timber Contractors Association, said the state government was losing over N500m annually to the criminal acts of the cocoa farmers.
They claimed that 90 per cent of the illegal cocoa farmers who went about with all kinds of weapons within this forest reserves under Ijebu East Local Government Area were from states like Benue, Edo, Kwara, Osun, Nasarawa, and Ondo, among others.
The millers said the past administration of Chief Gbenga Daniel sent most of the farmers away, adding, however, that they had since returned after his tenure expired in 2011.
Speaking with journalists on Wednesday, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the association, Pa Aliu Ibrahim, said the nefarious activities of the illegal cocoa farmers were disturbing.
Pa Ibrahim, aged 75 years, said, “The state formerly had nine forest reserves but due to the illegal activities of these cocoa farmers, the state is now left with this Omo forest reserves in J4 and it is almost being taken over by these cocoa farmers.
“They are so ruthless to the extent that they are using chemicals to kill most of these economic trees planted with World Bank funding, after which they will plant their cocoa and banana.
“Governor Dapo Abiodun must come to our aid. He should order these illegal farmers out of the government forest reserves. Ondo State did the same, and they have been able to sanitise their forest reserves.
“These people are not as powerful as the government. Our means of livelihood are under serious threat, and the governor should please rise to this challenge.”
The Secretary of the association’s BoT, Mr Opeoluwa Idowu, said the state government should demonstrate decisive leadership to end the nefarious activities of the illegal cocoa farmers.
Idowu, also the President of the Saw Millers Association of Ogun State, said the wanton destruction of the natural habitat of the forest reserves was appalling.
He said, “As an association, we have equally planted these economic trees in about 15 hectares and these farmers have also been destroying them, they sometimes mobilise people to attack us. They are always armed with all kinds of dangerous weapons. These criminal acts can’t continue as if we don’t have a government.”
Idowu said only the Ogun East senatorial district had a thriving timber business because of the Omo forest reserves, as other reserves had been taken over by illegal cocoa farmers.
“Let me tell you that the state government is losing over N500m annually to the activities of these illegal cocoa farmers, who are predominantly foreigners.
“We know Governor Dapo Abiodun is trying but we want him to do so much more. Out of the initial nine enclaves the government approved for people to live inside these forest reserves, we now have over 200 illegal enclaves or communities.
“This is not acceptable. Now is the time for the government to send these people packing,” he said.
The group’s Secretary, Pastor Funmileye Akinukawe, lauded Abiodun and Oludotun for their efforts to check the activities of the illegal cocoa farmers.
He, however, said that the problem was assuming a dangerous dimension with the set of farmers taking over 90 per cent of the Omo forest reserves.
He revealed that licensed timber contractors generated over N900m to the coffers of the state government last year, whereas the illegal cocoa farmers usually ferry their produce to neighbouring states like Osun and Ondo to sell, causing great revenue loss to the government.
“It is worrisome that these illegal cocoa farmers are doing everything to turn this forest into Sambisa forest, the home of the Boko Haram insurgents in the northern part of the country because the farmers always bring in weapons.
“It is even surprising that the governor ordered the farmers to leave in the past but they refused. We have equally written to the governor on this dangerous trend. We sincerely plead with Governor Abiodun to rise and help us and protect our collective heritage from being destroyed by these illegal farmers,” Akinukawe said.
The Treasurer of the association, Mr Thomas Dehinbo, urged the governor to wield the big stick on the farmers, saying that the enormity of their disastrous actions was overwhelming and must be checked.
“There are lots of farm settlements all over the state for farmers to plant cocoa. Forest reserves are not meant to be cocoa plantations and so the governor should take decisive action to flush them out. These farmers are nothing but economic saboteurs and should be treated as such,” he said.
