Timber dealers in Ogun State have voiced concerns over the encroachment of government forest reserves by illegal cocoa farmers.
The dealers, who operate under the Ijebu Sawmillers and Timber Contractors Association, claim that these activities are causing damage to the environment and economy of the state.
During a press conference in Abeokuta, the chairman of the association, Pa Ibrahim, stated that the government was losing approximately N500 million annually due to the destruction of economic trees by illegal farmers. He expressed concern about the chemicals used to kill the trees, which are also causing harm to the ecosystem.
The dealers alleged that the illegal cocoa farmers, who are mostly from other states like Benue, Edo, Kwara, Osun, Nasarawa, Ondo, and others, are usually armed and pose a threat to the forest reserve. They accused the farmers of using chemicals to destroy economic trees planted with World Bank funding and replacing them with cocoa and banana.
“The state previously had nine forest reserves, but due to the illegal activities of cocoa farmers, it is now left with only the Omo Forest Reserve in J4, and it is almost being taken over by these farmers.
“They are so ruthless that they are using chemicals to kill most of these economic trees planted with World Bank funding after which they will plant their cocoa and banana.”
Pa Ibrahim called on the state governor, Dapo Abiodun to intervene and evict the illegal farmers from the government forest reserves.
“Ondo State did the same and they have been able to sanitise their forest reserves. These people are not more powerful than the government,” he added.
He stressed the need for decisive action to protect the state’s means of livelihood and prevent further damage to the environment.
In his remarks, the secretary of the association, Mr. Opeoluwa Idowu, echoed the chairman’s concerns, stating that the illegal activities were not only destroying the forest reserve but also endangering the lives of timber dealers.
“As an association we have equally planted these economic trees in about 15 hectares and these farmers have also been destroying them, they sometimes mobilise people to attack us. They are always armed with all kind of dangerous weapons. All of these criminal acts can’t continue as if we don’t have a government.
“Across Ogun State, only the Ogun East Senatorial District, which includes Ijebu and Remo land, still has a thriving timber business, primarily due to the Omo Forest Reserve that continues to support us. Unfortunately, other forest reserves have been overtaken by illegal cocoa farmers. We really don’t want this to happen to our collective heritage in Omo Forest.”
Idowu called on the state government to demonstrate strong leadership and take steps to address the problem. He warned that the government was losing substantial revenue due to the illegal cocoa farming activities.
“The state government is losing over N500m annually to the activities of these illegal cocoa farmers who are predominantly foreigners.
“We know that Gov Dapo Abiodun is trying but we want him to do so much more. Out of the initial nine enclaves that the government approved for people to be living inside these forest reserves, we now have over 200 illegal enclaves or communities. This is not acceptable. Now is the time for the government to send these people packing,” he stated.
Also speaking, the secretary of the group, Pastor Funmileye Akinukawe, commended the government for previous efforts to check the activities of the illegal farmers but expressed concern about the increasing encroachment on the Omo Forest Reserve. He revealed that licensed timber contractors generated over N900 million for the state government last year, while the illegal cocoa farmers were smuggling their produce to neighboring states, causing loss in revenue.
“It is worrisome that these illegal cocoa farmers are doing everything to turn this forest to Sambisa Forest, the home of the Boko Haram insurgents in the northern part of the country because these farmers are always bringing in weapons.
“It is even surprising that the governor ordered the farmers to leave in the past but they refused. We have equally written to the governor on these dangerous trends. We sincerely plead with Gov Abiodun to rise and help us and protect this our collective heritage from being destroyed by these illegal farmers.”
The treasurer of the association, Mr. Thomas Dehinbo, suggested that the government should relocate the illegal farmers to farm settlements established for planting both food and cash crops. He stressed that forest reserves were not meant for cocoa plantation and urged the governor to evict them.
When contacted, the Commissioner for Forestry, Taiwo Oludotun, confirmed the government’s awareness of the situation and stated that steps were being taken to address the challenge.