By Amos Ogunrinde
Ekiti State Government has paid financial compensation to the tune of five hundred million naira (500 million naira) to 700 land owners whose landed property were acquired for the state’s Agro-allied Cargo Airport project.
The affected land owners, mainly farmers, were presented with cheques of varying sums by the state governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi at the Conference Hall of the Governor’s Office, Ado-Ekiti.
The event coincided with the formal handing over of the project site to the main contractor to commence the construction of the 3.2 kilometres runway.
Dr Fayemi said a total of four thousand and seventeen (4,017) hectares of land was acquired for the airport project, adding that his administration’s infrastructure and industrial development agenda was aimed at connecting the state’s agribusiness industry to global market through an Agro-allied Cargo Airport.
The Governor thanked traditional rulers in the affected areas for resolving amicably, communal conflicts that would have arisen from the initial challenges encountered during the enumeration of crops on the acquired land.
While commending the affected land owners and communities for their support and cooperation with government officials during the enumeration exercise, Dr Fayemi further solicited for their continued support and cooperation to ensure that the project, which is capable of generating thousands of jobs for teeming unemployed youth , is completed on time and without hindrance.
Dr Fayemi urged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the fund purposefully by using it to expand their farms saying Ekiti was an agrarian state with farming as the mainstay of the economy.
The Governor noted that the state had not been able to maximize the potential of its comparative advantage on agriculture due the absence of the required infrastructure.
He said the desire to address some of these infrastructural deficiencies informed the decision of his government to make agribusiness a cardinal programme, with the hope that the ongoing construction of rural access roads would facilitate easy movement of farm produce to end users.
The Airport, when completed will positively transform the economy of the State, attract investment and create more job opportunities for our people.
Agricultural products such as cassava, oil palm, cocoa, cashew,, rice, banana and others will be better marketed locally and internationally when the Airport becomes operational.
Earlier, the Director General and Special Adviser to the Governor on Land Matters, Mrs. Olufunke Falodun had commended Governor Fayemi for providing leadership that has enhanced accelerated development in the state and for approving compensation to landowners.
Mrs Falodun highlighted the benefits of the airport to include boosting the untapped tourism potential of the state as well as accelerating the growth of the emerging health tourism and promote the movement of agricultural produce and products in and out of the state.
