Cassava Farmers Accuse Ekiti State Government of Reallocating 6,000 Hectares to Private Company

The Nigerian Cassava Growers Association (NCGA) has voiced serious concerns over the alleged illegal transfer of 6,000 hectares of farmland located in Ipao-Ekiti to a private firm, Agbeyewa Group of Companies. The group claims the Ekiti State Government unlawfully reassigned land that had already been officially allocated to them.

During a press briefing in Abuja, NCGA’s National President, Mustapha Othman Bakano, revealed that the land in question had been acquired through a collective financial contribution by members of the association, with the explicit purpose of developing an ethanol plant project in partnership with Nosak Group.

According to Bakano, the project plan encompassed the acquisition of 6,000 hectares in Ekiti State and an additional 12,000 hectares in Kogi State, all aimed at securing a steady cassava supply for industrial ethanol production.

He further detailed that multiple federal bodies, including the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, the Office of the Surveyor General, and the National Environmental Protection Agency, were all involved at various phases of the initiative.

Bakano lamented that although several consultations and site assessments had been conducted with Ekiti State officials and project collaborators, no objections were raised at any point—until the Agbeyewa Group reportedly took over the land during the waiting period for regulatory clearance.

“We were in the process of obtaining essential environmental permits from the Federal Ministry of Environment when the Agbeyewa Group encroached on the land,” Bakano explained. “We finally secured the needed approval on April 12, 2022, but by that time, the company had already begun operations on the site illegally.”

He warned both prospective investors and institutions to avoid engaging with the Agbeyewa Group, emphasizing that the property is currently the subject of an ongoing legal case: Suit No. HCL/16/22 in the Ekiti State High Court.

Highlighting NCGA’s dedication to empowering local communities, Bakano said that 170 hectares out of the 400 hectares already cultivated had been distributed to local farmers and youths in Ipao-Ekiti through the Ekiti State Agricultural Development Programme (ADP). This was part of the broader vision to engage the local workforce in cassava farming for agro-industrial development.

He expressed grave concerns that this unresolved conflict might jeopardize a transformative initiative capable of significantly improving the region’s rural economy. The cassava-to-ethanol project is projected to generate over 1,000 jobs and stimulate commercial growth across Ekiti and its surrounding areas.

Bakano also noted that the ethanol processing plant, designed to produce 150,000 litres of ethanol daily, would rely heavily on cassava sourced from the disputed farmland.

“To stabilize the cassava market, particularly during oversupply seasons, we opted to establish a dedicated processing facility,” he stated. “That’s why we acquired the farmland near the proposed ethanol plant—to streamline supply chain logistics.”

He concluded by urging the Ekiti State Government to reverse the land reallocation and return the 6,000 hectares to the rightful owners. He also appealed to members of the association to remain calm, assuring them that NCGA’s leadership is making every effort to reach a just resolution.