Dr Yusufu Bala Usman was, in the 1980s, a lion in the Ahmadu Bello University, ABU. His roar could be heard across the country. He was a domineering academic and political figure with followership in the country. His reputation had been boosted when, in 1976, he and fellow radical academic and historian, Dr Olusegun Osoba, as part of the 49 Wise Men charged with writing a new Nigerian Constitution, broke with the rest to present a radical Minority Report.

Then in 1984, Yusuf Bangura, a 34-year-old lecturer challenged Usman’s academic and intellectual scholarship right in his ABU lair.

Usman had in January 1984 delivered a lecture at the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University. It was titled: “Middlemen, Consultants, Contractors and Solutions to the current Economic Crisis.” He had explained the Nigerian economic crisis as being the result of comprador elites generating huge profits for their foreign masters and repatriating them to the metropole. So, he focused on the ways the Nigerian economy had “…been shaped and moulded to serve the capitalist economies of Western Europe, North America and Japan…”. Usman added magisterially that anyone who refuses “…to face these fundamental facts about our economy and society, when we are on the verge of economic collapse, is not only unpatriotic, but actually treasonable.”

[Vanguard]

Aba Power is set to commission a fresh 20MW line to the Owerrenta Industrial Zone on the outskirts of Aba, Abia State.

This fact was made known in Lagos this morning by a leading electric power consultant, Engineer Cliff Eneh, in an interview with journalists on new developments in the power sector expected at the beginning of 2025.

Eneh told newsmen in his office in Lagos, “The commissioning activities have started ahead of availability of the line in January 2025.

“The connection to the line would have started this month but for the delay in the various commissioning tests before steady power supply to the line”.

“Another compelling reason for not commissioning the new 20MW line this month is the fact that factories will soon shut down for Christmas and New Year holidays”, he added.

“The factories will see a new burst of energy as they resume from the holidays.

“It will be a wonderful New Year's gift to manufacturers in Aba and the environs, which are famous for indigenous manufacturing and technology.”

Eneh, a former senior manager with the defunct National Electric Power Authority (NEPA), after working for years with the Texas Power and Light company in Dallas, United States, explained that factories in the area will receive a minimum of 24 hours of power supply daily.

“Not just power supply practically round the clock, but also quality power”, he stated.

“The electricity will be able to power the biggest industrial machines effortlessly, unlike the situation in some parts of the country where supplies can’t power smaller things like house air conditioning systems due to distribution transformer overload, poor feeder pillars, old and dilapidated wires, and other poorly maintained power infrastructure”.

The consultant, until recently the head of the Electrical and Electronics Department of a higher institution in Lagos, said that the lack of constant and quality power supply has caused several companies in the Owerrenta Industrial Zone, like other areas in the country, to depend on self-generation over the decades which is very expensive and pollutes the environment.

He identified some of the leading factories that have been self-generating electricity that can strengthen their power supplies by connecting to the new line as: Tonimas Lubricant Plant, Planet Vegetable Oil Company, Clover Paints Industries, and Valumbra Foods which produces spaghetti and pasta.

But he said that “with the new turn of events, factories in the zone can be assured of steady, quality, affordable and safe electricity”.

The award of the recent Ballon d’Or for the best European-based footballer to Spain’s 28-year old Manchester City midfielder, Rodri, instead of the red-hot favourite, Real Madrid’s 24-year-old Afro-Brazilian winger, Vinícius “Vini” Jr, is the most controversial decision in the 68-year history of this competition. Just before the award was announced in Paris, the assembled players, coaches, and administrators were chanting Vinícius’s name.

This decision was particularly curious as Real Madrid (which boycotted the award ceremony), won the team and coach of the year awards for their record-extending 15th European Champions League win, during which Vinícius had been named the best player of the competition, breaking Argentine legend, Lionel Messi’s record of being the youngest player to score in two finals.

Overseen by the Union of European Football Associations and France Football, journalists from the 100 top-ranked footballing nations determine the Ballon d’Or winner, based on a complicated formula of awarding points to the top 10 players. That Rodri’s Real Madrid teammates, Jude Bellingham and Dani Carvajal, came third and fourth, respectively, in the voting, clearly worked against Vinícius.

This outcome represented a geopolitical North-South divide, with the vast majority of the 40 European nations (nearly half of the electorate), the US, Israel, and former “White Dominions” Australia, Canada, and New Zealand voting for Rodri as first choice, while most African, Caribbean, and Middle Eastern journalists voted for Vini. Latin America was surprisingly divided, suggesting some regional resentment against five-time World Cup-winning Brazil. There were a few anomalies: Spain, France, Switzerland, and Greece voted for Vinícius, while SA, Zambia, Ghana, Gabon, Uganda, Iran, and Palestine chose Rodri.

Brazilian journalists led the criticism of a decision they regarded as Eurocentric, unjust, and retaliatory, noting that Vinícius had been punished for his antiracism activism.

Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior. Picture: VIOLETA SANTOS MOURA/REUTERS
Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior. Picture: VIOLETA SANTOS MOURA/REUTERS
On the merits of the past season, this really should not have been a contest. In helping Madrid win the Champions League and La Liga, Vinícius had scored at least 20 goals in three successive seasons, while netting six often decisive goals in the Champions League including in the quarterfinal, semifinal, and final.

The Brazilian displayed blistering pace, mesmerising dribbling skills, close control, incisive passing, and clinical finishing. Though he has not shone for Brazil as he has for Real Madrid, the same criticism did not stop Messi from winning seven Ballons d’Or before Argentina’s 2022 World Cup triumph.

Rodri also had a good season in which he helped Manchester City win the league title, and was named player of the tournament when Spain won the European Championship (an award that his prodigious teammate, Lamine Yamal, perhaps should have won). Rodri’s strengths are as a “ball carrier” with solid tackling, aerial, and passing skills, though lacking the pace to be a truly great player.

Vinícius has faced countless incidents of ugly racism in Spain, including his effigy being hung from a bridge and racist chants from Valencia and other away fans. Lackadaisical Spanish football authorities have often condoned such racism, mirroring the anti-immigrant xenophobia pervasive in Spanish society.

The outspoken Vinícius accused La Liga of normalising racism, and defiantly noted: “Black people have been suffering for a long time, and the time has to come when all this has to end.” Vini has also supported humanitarian projects to empower disadvantaged Brazilian youth.

Outspoken Algerian-French 2022 Ballon d’Or winner and Viní’s former Real Madrid teammate, Karim Benzema, best captured the outrage sparked by this travesty: “There is nobody else who deserves it more than Vinícius.” Benzema went on to note that Rodri is a good player but “doesn’t do things that make me say ‘pfff.’” Awarding the Spaniard, the Ballon d’Or recalls the expression that one cannot put lipstick on a caterpillar and pretend it is a butterfly. Vinícius is undoubtedly the best footballer in the world.

• Professor Adekeye Adebajo is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Pretoria’s Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship.

Thisday Newspaper and Arise News are asking Nigerians to nominate the men, women and the institutions ‘’rebuilding democratic Nigeria’’ for the 2025 Thisday Awards. The media group is inviting nominations for 16 different categories, one of which is Governor of the Year. To qualify for this award, the governor should ‘’combine vision, passion, dedication and courage to make the lives of the people of his state better’’, according to official announcement of the newspaper. Nominations close on December 25 and winners would be announced on December 31. You are to submit your nominations, stating the contributions of your nominees, to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

I wish to nominate Gov. Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State as Governor of the Year 2025 for his impactful leadership. Although a first-term governor, who has been in office for less than two years, Pastor Umo Eno has made significant contributions in the following areas:

1. VISION: His Vision is to create a diverse economic base for the state; ramp up IGR to N200 billion by 2027, more than double the N62.5 billion expected at end of 2024. To achieve this, his administration is investing in commercial real estate development in Lagos, Abuja and Uyo. Ten decrepit and abandoned state-owned properties, which are currently non-earning assets (NEA), are being renovated into residential and commercial estates, for sale or lease. Total income expected from these ventures in the next five years is over N300 billion, according to projections. The government is also banking on the aviation sector to diversify the economy. Under the Umo Eno administration, Ibom Air, the state-owned airline, has broken even and recorded profits. The first dividend payout of at least N10 billion is expected in 2025. Additional two aircraft would be added to its fleet in 2025 to make a total of 11 airplanes. New African routes would be opened and the MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) facility would also become fully operational.

2. PASSION: Gov. Eno has a deep passion for the underprivileged members of the society. When the cost-of-living crisis reached unprecedented levels last year, he created a welfare scheme in which over 400,000 citizens have so far received free food items from the state. He also introduced a scheme in which elderly citizens receive N50, 000 monthly stipends and new homes are built and donated to poor widows across the state. The governor has turned to agriculture to create jobs for the youths by adopting the Songhai farming system in which farmers live in self-sustaining Kibbutz-like settlements. One Songhia farm is being built in each of the 31 LGAs.

3. DEDICATION: The governor has shown a rare dedication to duty, even in the face of immense personal crisis. Between when his wife died on September 26, 2024 and when she was buried on November 29, 2024, Eno did not take a day off work. He continued to perform his official duties, combining them with mourning and grieving and preparation for her funeral. The governor presented his 2025 budget to the House of Assembly on November 26, just three days to his wife’s burial. Such commitment to duty is rare. He explained that he ‘’didn’t want his personal grieve to interfere with his official duties’’.

4. COURAGE: Gov. Umo Eno has shown tremendous courage in taking decisions, especially those that enhance peace and harmony. Breaking with the past, the governor relates with everybody, irrespective of party differences. Unlike in the past, he invites politicians in different parties to state functions, honours their invitations, meets and relates with everybody irrespective of political leanings. A PDP member, Umo Eno has ignored partisan affiliations to build a cordial relationship with Senator Godswill Akpabio, an APC leader, and this has greatly helped in lowering political tensions and embers in the state. In September, Gov. Umo Eno attended the birthday celebration of Chief Don Etiebet, an APC chieftain, in Lagos. It has never happened before in the history of the state. His courage to break from past political traditions which were replete with enmity, violence and divisions has created a very conducive investment climate in the state. Eno has deliberately brought everybody in the state under one big canopy of love and harmony.

5. INFRASTRUCTURE: The governor is also executing many road projects and other infrastructures. Currently, there are 156 ongoing road projects across the state, in addition to renovation of primary schools; primary health centres and advancing work on Ibom Deep Sea Port which is very significant to the economic development of the state.

6. CONCLUSION: Pastor Umo Eno has brought a refreshingly different style to governance. He is more consultative, amiable and prudent in managing the resources of the people. It’s my honour to nominate him for THISDAT Governor of the Year 2025.

ETIM ETIM

Abuja, Nigeria

Paul Anyebe was a judge of the High Court of Benue State in north-central Nigeria who had a young son with sticky fingers and a sense of adventure  It was his role as a dad that endangered his job as a judge.

One night around 1983, Anyebe caught his son attempting to steal from his bedroom. In response, Anyebe pulled his gun in an effort to scare the boy. The gun went off, discharging a bullet which hit and seriously injured the boy.

The Attorney-General of Benue State decided to prosecute Paul Anyebe for attempted murder. The Penal Code applicable in Benue State at the time had ample provisions for the crime of attempted murder.

The Attorney-General also added a charge of illegal possession of firearms, a federal offence. Unlike the crime of attempted murder, which was a state crime in Benue State, all firearms offences are federal. The Attorney-General of Benue was well within his powers to prosecute for attempted murder but only the Attorney-General of the Federation could prosecute or authorize prosecution for federal offences.

At the conclusion of the trial, the High Court of Benue State discharged Paul Anyebe on the charge of attempted murder, a state offence, but convicted him on the charge of illegal possession of firearms (a federal offence)for which it sentenced him to three years in prison. The Court of Appeal reduced this sentence to six months in prison or a fine of one hundred Naira. Following this decision and while his appeal was yet to be heard by the Supreme Court, Paul Anyebe was dismissed as a judge.

When the Supreme Court decided Anyebe’s appeal in January 1986, Dahunsi Olugbemi Coker, a Justice of the court, summed up the issue for decision in one sentence: “The short point is whether a State Attorney-General can prosecute an offence created by an Act of the National Assembly.” To this question, the court unanimously responded in the negative. They nullified Anyebe’s trial and ordered the fine paid  – one hundred Naira – refunded to him. The Court of Appeal ordered his reinstatement with full benefits.

Adolphus Godwin Karibi-Whyte, one of the justices who decided Anyebe’s appeal at the Supreme Court, said of what the case decided that ”the Attorney-General of a State has no general authority to exercise the powers of the Attorney-General of the Federation to prosecute in respect of Federal offences.”

One effect of this decision is to preclude the prosecution of federal crimes before state courts. A Magistrates Court is a state court. It does not have jurisdiction over federal crimes.

38 years after the Supreme Court of Nigeria established this principle in Anyebe’s case, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) on 4 December arraigned lawyer and writer, Dele Farotimi, before a Magistrate in Ekiti State on 16 counts of crimes under the Criminal Code Act, a federal legislation.

Three years ago, Ekiti State enacted into law the Criminal Law of Ekiti State, no. 12 of 2021, which repealed and replaced the state’s pre-existing Criminal Code Law of 2012. Comprising nine parts, 429 sections and 140 pages, Ekiti State’s Criminal Law of 2021 does not include the crime Criminal libel or defamation. Section 70 of the law contains a crime of causing disaffection or breach of the peace through offensive publication but that is a simple offence punishable by six months in prison. It is not in issue in this case.

Last week, on 3 December, operatives of the NPF heisted Dele Farotimi from his residence in Lagos State, where the crime of criminal defamation is similarly unknown to law. They raced him across state lines to Ekiti where they detained him. The following morning, on 4 December, the police arraigned Dele before a Magistrate in the state capital.

This is important because the gist of the charges purportedly preferred against Dele Farotimi before the Magistrate in Ekiti is precisely criminal defamation which is not a crime in Ekiti State.

It seemed quite clear that the charges presented by the police did not disclose a crime known to the laws of Ekiti State nor did they disclose a crime over which a Magistrate in Ekiti State could purport to exercise lawful jurisdiction. Despite the evident absence of jurisdiction on multiple fronts, the Magistrate proceeded with undue haste to order the remand of Dele Farotimi in prison custody for one week until 10 December. The Magistrate probably did not realise that 10 December is International Human Rights Day.

Even if the Magistrate had jurisdiction, which he did not, the crime alleged was punishable with two years in prison. Under section 4(5) of the Criminal Law of Ekiti State, this is classed as a “misdemeanor” at best, that is to say “an offence punishable by imprisonment for not less than six months, but less than three years.” These are bailable on liberal terms. Offences punishable by more than three years in prison are called “felonies”. Those are regarded as serious offences. The order of remand in this case seemed wilful with a whiff of the pre-determined about it.

The United Nations Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power has a name for what happens when a court orders prison remand for a crime which does not exist in law and in proceedings over which it lacks powers. It is called “criminal abuse of power.”

Many people claiming to be senior lawyers have invited Dele Farotimi to have his day in court where he can prove the allegations the subject of these charges or face the consequences. This is clearly designed to make all this seem like an invocation of law. It isn’t.

First, Dele Farotimi can only do so before a court of competent jurisdiction. A Magistrate claiming to sit over a crime that does not exist in the state is not such a court.

Second, the burden in criminal proceedings is on the state to prove that the accused guilty. So, criminal proceedings in Ekiti or anywhere cannot possibly be the forum for Dele Farotimi to prove the truth of his claims. Anyone who makes that assertion is either wilfully jejune or must concede that the only opportunity to put that to test has to be in civil proceedings.

Third, insisting on the kind of proceedings now going on in Ekiti state without any sense of irony only reinforces the kinds of claims that Dele Farotimi makes in his best-selling book about supposedly legal and judicial processes which seem to occur in the pockets of human principalities given to playing god. A lot of things may yet happen in those kinds of proceedings but it does not look like law will be one of them.

Moreover, in 2021, the Supreme Court of Nigeria – no less –  condemned as “vexatious and oppressive” and “dangerously rampant”, the “misuse of the criminal law machinery for getting reliefs in disputes that are civil in nature, by using the instruments of State.” The court also required that “a complainant who initiates a prosecution with the knowledge that criminal proceedings are unwarranted and the remedy lies in the civil law, should be made accountable in law for pursuing misconceived criminal proceedings.”

In that same case in 2021, the Supreme Court described the crime of criminal defamation as “an innovation in Star Chamber”, a reference to a notoriously arbitrary and captured judicial forum dating back to late mediaeval England. It was not a judicial endearment.

Dele Farotimi himself was perspicacious about the events as they have so far unfolded. Shortly before he was taken from Lagos, he warned: “abducting me to be tried in Ekiti State is not justice but a witch-hunt.”

Somewhere in Ekiti State on International Human Rights Day 2024, the very rights consecrated by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights will face the Guillotine with Dele Farotimi strung up as the sacrifice. Those who think this vindication may yet live to rue their affliction with terminal hubris.

A lawyer and a teacher, Odinkalu can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

An Ekiti State Magistrate Court hearing Afe Babalola’s defamation case has granted Dele Farotimi a N50 million bail.

Omoyele Sowore, the 2023 African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, shared this development on his X handle on Monday.

“Dele Farotimi was granted bail of N50 million naira surety in the like sum with someone with landed property. The case was adjourned to 29 January 2025,” Sowore posted.

Details soon…

At Independence in 1957, Ghana’s founding father Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah asserted that “the independence of Ghana would be meaningless unless it was tied to the total liberation of Africa”. The foremost Pan-Africanist went on to lead Ghana in playing a central role in the decolonisation process and liberation struggles across Africa. 

Nkrumah in his usual impeccable use of words with such calm precision became the motivation for Africa's long move from the decolonisation era, and this generation of Ghanaians have carried on this enviable bequest – this time becoming a leading light in addressing Africa’s challenge of peaceful democratic transitions, by demonstrating this is possible, over and over again.

Self-evidently, today, the country has earned its pride of place in the global world order, and is celebrated as one of the models in the Global South, for economic stability, democratisation, and peaceful transitions. Undoubtedly, the West African country keeps strengthening her institutions and enacting enabling legislations that would ensure this legacy of peaceful transitions endure.

From the foregoing, it is crystal clear that the replica of America's 2024 general elections in Ghana yesterday 7th of December was yet another landmark event in the black continent of Africa. The American 2024 presidential election which marks a historic and improbable comeback for Donald Trump, who left office in 2021 after failing to overturn the 2020 election results. The only difference is that as a sitting President, John Dramani Mahama did not attempt the Trump's malady of 2020.

For the records, John Dramani Mahama (JDM), is set to return as Ghana's president after his main rival accepted defeat, even though the electoral authorities are yet to announce the official results. It is said that true leaders lead the people towards abundance. The paragon of democracy, JDM remarked as follows:

"I seek the mandate of the people of Ghana once again, confident that together, we have the human and natural resources to build the Ghana we all want. I approach this quest with the humility, introspection, integrity and urgency of an experienced leader convinced that Ghana is headed in the wrong direction and must be rescued." This is from a pure democrat in a great nation republic of Ghana in Africa where democracy is constantly on the downward trend.

The enviable records and lessons for the other troubled Nations of the continent of Africa particularly Nigeria, is its seamlessness unlike others. General elections were held in Ghana on 7 December 2024 to elect the president and members of Parliament. The next day 8 December 2024,Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, the ruling party’s presidential candidate, has conceded defeat in Ghana’s 2024 elections and congratulated former President John Mahama.

"Let me say that the data from our own internal collation of the election results indicate that former President John Dramani Mahama has won the presidential election decisively,” Mr Bawumia said

Furthermore, a few days before the election, the incumbent President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, stated: “I came to office as a result of a peaceful and credible election, and I want to go out through the same process,” Akufo-Addo told the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission, led by former Nigerian Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo, during a meeting at Jubilee House in Accra on 3rd December.

Far too often, people learn from their experiences that one of the reasons why our well deserved systemic change has continued to elude us is because of weak INSTITUTIONS, bad precedences, sentiments and not principles that guide our judgements and decisions.

In conclusion, I'd like to share with my readers a poignant, provocatively and profoundly incontrovertible fact as posited by Nana Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana. He said it is “incomprehensible” that Africa — a continent of 1.4 billion people — has no permanent voice in shaping decisions that affect global peace and security. “Yes, we are a continent rich in potentials and resilient in the face of adversity, but we have also been disadvantaged by a global system that has generally treated us as an afterthought,” he stressed, adding that the people of Africa are not asking for handouts. Rather, they are demanding opportunities in a new global architecture."

Finally, I wish to dedicate this contribution about today's events in Ghana to the evergreen memory of Ghana's former President Jerry John Rawlings whose life and legacy continue to resonate deeply with Ghanaians. Known as a "man of the people" Rawlings is remembered for his steadfastness, dedication to Justice, Integrity, and the fight against corruption. His contributions to the Ghana's political landscape are undeniable, and unprecedented. So, therefore, I wish to join millions of our compatriots across the globe in celebration of the events in Ghana, particularly the victory in pools of Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings who is the eldest daughter of JJR, a Member of Parliament for the Klottey-Korle Constituency and humanitarian.

My Dearest Brother,

On behalf of my family and myself, I extend our heartfelt congratulations to you on your resounding victory in the December 7, 2024, Presidential and Parliamentary elections in Ghana. 

The joy and celebration filling the streets of Ghana reflect the deep love and admiration your people hold for you, as well as the lasting impact of your remarkable legacy as a former President.

I will always cherish the unwavering support you extended to investors in Ghana, as well as the profound honor of receiving the highest Ghanaian National Honor from you in 2016.

May this second chapter of your leadership be even more successful and transformative.

God bless Ghana.

With warmest regards,

Dr. Mike Adenuga Jr.

(GCON, CSG, CdrLH)

...Lists Ecomomic Gains of utilizing land for agriculture

Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, on Saturday handed out cheques to the tune of N146 million as compensation to 46 indigenes of Oke Ako Ekiti whose land were acquired for commercial agriculture.

A total 4,000 hectares of land was allocated to young farmers in the “Bring Back the Youth in Agriculture” scheme done in partnership with an investor, YSP Farm in Oke Ako. The project is aimed at boosting agribusiness, engage youths in commercial agriculture and open up the community and its environs for wealth creation.

Also, different range of tractors and processing equipment were inaugurated by the Governor for use by the young farmers.

The event coincided with the dry season harvest by the participants in the “Bring Back Youths in Agriculture” programme of the state government in partnership with YSJ Farms Limited.

Speaking shortly before distributing the cheques, Governor Oyebanji said he was satisfied with the takeoff of the agribusiness project despite the initial delay witnessed in a bid to resolve some issues around land acquisition.

He explained that the payment of the compensation was delayed to allow for the conclusion of enumeration of economic trees that were affected by the acquisition noting that the second round of the enumeration exercise would soon commence to pay compensation to more landowners.”

While noting that Oke Ako is an integral part of the Ekiti State Special Agriculture Processing, the Governor stressed that the centre is a great economic asset capable of becoming a hub for training of tractor drivers, assembling and repairs of tractors with expatriates on ground to train the youths.

The Governor lauded the Oke Ako community led by the Regent, Princess Tinuade Ogunbiyi for their cooperation with his administration, said commercial agricultural activities would attract rehabilitation and reconstruction of roads, provision of health facilities and establishment of cottage industries capable of turning around the economy of the axis.

The Governor charged the people of the area to support YSJ Farms Limited led by Mrs. Yemisi Joluwe, who is partnering with the state government on the agriculture development project.

He explained that his administration would always provide the enabling environment for investment opportunities,empowerment of the youths and development of the grassroots economy to thrive in every part of the state.

The Governor also noted that kidnapping and other criminal activities have reduced remarkably in the area as most of the forests that served as hideouts have been cultivated under the agribusiness scheme involving the youths.

"What we are doing here today is another promise we have kept in ensuring that compensation is paid to our citizens whose land were acquired for commercial agricultural purposes.

"We are paying them the compensation for the economic trees lost to the acquisition process and for them to use the money to get another land for the continuation of their farming so that they will not be denied of their means of livelihood.

"For development to get to any place, it will be accompanied with some pains. It's just like a woman who is giving birth to a baby, she will have to endure pain after which the pain will be overshadowed by the joy of the birth of a new baby.

"Before we remove the remaining economic trees, we will pay compensation to the owners and the presence of large scale commercial farming will bring many positive things. Factories, schools and hospitals will spring up here while we can also have tractor assembling and engineering hub."

Speaking earlier, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Mr. Ebenezer Boluwade, said the commitment of the Governor made the payment of compensation possible.

He added that the personal appearance of the Governor bore eloquent testimony to his commitment to the growth of agriculture and ensuring food security in the state.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Lands, Survey and e-GIS, Prof. James Olaleye, said the sacrifices of the landowners would go a long way in turning Ekiti into a leading agricultural centre in Nigeria.

He pointed out that the Bureau of Lands under his watch has been working tirelessly to ensure that land administration practices align with the vision of economic growth and food security.

The Regent of Oke Ako, Princess Ogunbiyi, hailed the Governor for attracting the investor to the community pledging the unflinching support of her people to the smooth operations of the farms.