Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s tour of the Adebutu's Palm Oil Farm in Ore and SAO Farms in Ajue was indeed a commendable effort to promote agriculture and investment in Ondo State. But as they say, what is worth doing at all is worth doing well. If the governor was genuinely interested in the future of oil palm production in the state, his first stop should have been the Okitipupa Oil Palm Company, the largest oil palm plantation in South West Nigeria. This once-thriving government-owned estate has been left to rot, a symbol of Ondo State’s negligence and wasted potential.
The Okitipupa Oil Palm Company is not just another palm oil farm; it is a historic economic asset that could transform the region if properly revived. Yet, instead of confronting the elephant in the room, Aiyedatiwa chose the politically convenient route, visiting well-managed private farms while ignoring the glaring failure of the state’s own agricultural investment. If not for the resilience of the Ikale people, who have refused to let criminals take over their land, the plantation would have long become a den for kidnappers and miscreants. And still, the governor looks the other way.
A leader serious about agricultural transformation should not be running from his government’s failures. Aiyedatiwa has a golden opportunity to address the Okitipupa Oil Palm Company crisis, announce revitalization plans, and assure the people of his commitment to resuscitating abandoned State assets. Instead, he opted for a photo op tour that circumvent the real issues. If this is the governor’s idea of progress, then Ondo State is in for another round of empty promises and cosmetic governance.
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