By: Adelowo Oladipo, Minna
Farm owners in Diko Community in Gurara local government area of Niger state have taken to the streets in protest over forceful acquisition of 500 hectares of land originally meant for their farming activities by the Niger State Government for Industrial Solar Farms by an Abuja Steel Company.
It was reliably gathered that six months ago, the locals had seen the said company workers allegedly attempting to prospect solid minerals in the area rather than the planned proposed farming activities.
Sources revealed that recently, some of the company mining equipments were seized and deposited with the Police and later released to them barely two weeks after.
A resident of the area who doesn’t want his name mentioned told Our Reporter that the state government was deceitful to the people of the community by showing them dummy of farming plans but in actual sense intended to allegedly carry out mining activities at the detriment of the area.
Another female resident simply identified as Aishatu described as worrisome, disheartening and dishonesty but the present APC led administration of governor Mohammed Umar Bago for ignoring the welfare and wellbeing of the people especially the poor and down trodden in the state.
The protesters consisting of youths, men, and women including the community masquerade team went to the exactly venue of the state government handed over the land to the company to press home their demands of rejecting the handing over with different slogans like ‘Ba ma so, ba ma yi,’ while the masquerades sang round the marked area indicating their ancestral denial of the land allegedly confiscated by the state government.
They appealed to the state government to have a rethink on its decision about the confisticated no fewer than 500 hectres of land for Abuja Steel Mills Limited Solar Farm is unacceptable and should be reversed with immediate effect to ensure peace and stability to enhance development.
It could however be recalled that the Niger State Government has formally allocated 500 hectares of land in Diko, in Gurara Local Government Area, to Abuja Steel Mills Limited for the establishment of a Solar Farm and Industrial Park last week.
According to Governor Mohammed Umar Bago, this strategic initiative aligns with the administration’s broader agenda of accelerating industrialisation, expanding energy infrastructure, creating employment opportunities, and stimulating economic activities across the state.
It could be recalled that the current leadership of the All Progressives Congress APC- led government in Niger state was said to have prioritized agriculture sector on mare paper with poor implementation strategic policy and programmes in the state”
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