Hundreds of farmers from Ugbolu, Ani- Ngene and Illah Camps has stormed the streets of Asaba, the Delta State capital on Tuesday to protest the destruction of crops in their farmlands worth N750 million by Norseworthy Investment Company.
The protesters who marched to the State Government House to make their grievances known were seen carrying placards with different inscriptions such as “Stop destroying our farmlands”, ” we have been farming all our lives” etc.
According to the farmers who were operating under a farming scheme known as the Reserve Farmers (Ugbolu, Ani- Ngene and Illah Camps), the company has destroyed 500 hecters farm products which has plunged them into serious debts.
Pastor Dr. Sandra Eseka, while fielding questions from newsmen on behalf of the farners said, Norseworthy company brought bulldozers to bulldozed their farmlands worth millions of naira of farm products, adding that their hopes had been shattered by the destruction.
Dr. Eseka however admitted that though the lands which the farmers have been cultivating over the years belong to the Delta State Government, the Reserve Farmers had regularly been paying rent to the State government through the State Ministry of Environment.
While disclosing that they had been farming in those camps for over four decades and had never for once failed to pay rent to the State government as tenant of Ministry of Environment, she lamented that many of them are unemployed graduates surviving through farming.
“We are unemployed graduates and farming is what we do for survival. Our lives depend on this and the government of Delta State Government must save us with worthy compensation”. Dr. Eseka lamented.
Other head farmers who spoke to newsmen including Elders Uzoma Afakwa and Moses Okoroluwa appealed to the State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa to intervane. They expressed worries why this should be happening after all they have invested into the farms. They asserted that, many of them that took loans from banks and sources which they invested into the farm produces are now indebted due to the destruction of their farm products by the company.
Barr. Jude Obidi, the legal counsel to the aggrieved Reserve Farmers, who condemned the destruction, said the action of Norseworthy Investment Coy could dissuade young graduates from engaging in commercial farming as being encouraged by the Federal and State government. He wondered why a state government that is championing advocacy on diversification of the economy through its various programmes will encourage the destruction of farm products of young unemployed graduates without due notice.
Obidi Esq called on the State government not to fold its arms and allow one company via the ministry of environment to frustrate the efforts of our young generations. He added that, the act is putting the government in bad light before the general public.
“How can this happen at a time when government is making efforts to persuade the youth to go into farming”. He wondered.
While disclosing that his law firm has a petition before the State Government, Barr. Obidi noted that, adequate notice and compensation should have been given to the farmers before the destruction if at all government wants to make us of the land.
The renowned human rights lawyer argued that, adequate notice for farmers ought to be a year or six depending on the farm products. He challenged both the State government and Norseworthy to come up with their notice to the Reserve Farmers, adding that there was no notice from the State government and Norseworthy Investment Coy to his client, rather a porputed backdated notice is being circulated.
However, the legal counsel to Norseworthy Investment Ltd, Barr. Daniel Iyke, in a phone call to his mobile 0803737****, denied knowledge of any destroyed farmlands , asking the caller to go and find out from the State Ministry of Environment.
One Mr. Uche with mobile no 0803468****, who is a senior executive of the coy was shouting and cutting several calls put to him, saying he does not talk on phone because of internet fraudsters, yet he refused to book an appointment to hear his company side of the alleged Reserve Farmers farmlands destruction by his company.
On investigation to know what really led to the destruction of Reserve Farmlands, this newspaper, through several phone calls for two days tracked down a man who identified himself as Dr. Ben Iwezu Senior Special Adviser to the State Governor on Investment, who disclosed that the State Government plans to grow palm fruits worth over N300 million in the said farmlands.
Dr. Iwezu also stated that the Reserve Farmers association were given adequate notice in June 2018 and a reminder in November, 2018 to vacate the government farmlands on or before January, 2019. And as a result of that, the State Ministry of Environment refused to accept rent renewal from them this year.
All calls made to the Delta State Commissioner for Environment through his mobile no 0803317**** did not connect as at the time of publishing this report.