Farmers-herders crisis: Ogun inaugurates peace committee

By Ernest Nwokolo, AbeokutaGovernor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State has inaugurated a 20- man peacekeeping committee on farmers-herders conflict in Ogun State with a charge on members to look into the remote and immediate causes of the clashes and find lasting solutions to it.Abiodun said there is a nexus between peace and development, explaining that no meaningful development could be achieved if clashes like that of farmers and herders were allowed to continue.The committee is chaired by a former House of Representatives member, Hon. Kayode Oladele.The governor said the state government was hopeful that the committee would unravel activities that always lead to the farmers/herders crisis in the state, particularly Yewa axis of it.He spoke while inaugurating the committee at the Oba Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta yesterday, stressing that the state seeks to become number one in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in the country and require peace to achieve that.He also ordered the Ministry of Housing and that of Special Duties to rehabilitate all displaced persons within 24 hours and work out compensation for all victims of the skirmishes.Government believes with the committee, what really happened to disrupt the peace of the areas will be made known because knowing what happened will prevent occurrences and how to solve it, he said.Speaking on behalf of other members of the committee, a member of Ogun State House of Assembly from Imeko Constituency, Hon. Jemili Akingbade, lauded the governor for his timely intervention in settling the dispute. He assured that the committee will live up to its expectations by diligently carrying out its terms of reference.Other members of the committee are; Hon. Abiodun Egungbohun, Commissioner of Budget and Planning, Mr. Olaolu Olabimtan, Commissioner for Housing, Hon. Jamiu Omoniyi, Special Assistant to the Governor on Inter-Ethnic Affairs, Sani Hadi, Chairman, Imeko -Afon, Hon. Babatunde Davis, State Chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Chief Segun Dasaolu and Onimeko of Imeko, Oba Benjamin Olanite.Also included are the Eselu of Iselu, Oba Ebenezer Akinyemi, Baale of Igbooro, Chief Bidemi Akorede, a Community leader, Chief Egungbohun Deinde, Southwest Coordinator of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Kabir Muhammed and Alhaji Bashir Eggua.
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