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By Oluseye Ojo
The All Progressives Congress (APC), Oyo State chapter, and the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde have clashed over allegations that the state government plans to sell or transfer the Agodi Government Fish Farm in Ibadan to a private developer.
While the opposition party accused the governor of plotting to cede the government-owned facility to Baywood Estate, a private housing development near the Agodi government secretariat, the state government dismissed the allegation as false, insisting that there was no plan to dispose of the facility.
The fish farm, established during the colonial era in the mid-1950s, became a model demonstration centre in collaboration with the University of Ibadan.
The APC, in a statement issued on Friday by its Publicity Secretary, Wasiu Sadare, alleged that the proposed move was part of efforts to expand private housing projects around the government secretariat.
The party claimed that the alleged plan followed the destruction of a conservation forest, which it described as an important green zone protecting the environment in the area.
Sadare alleged that the government was planning to level the fish farm and incorporate its land into the adjoining private estate.
He said: “We have uncovered fresh plans by Governor Makinde and his cronies to expand the private housing estate projects around Agodi Government Secretariat, which has birthed Baywood Estate.
“After the destruction of the enviable green zone that protects the environment around the area, the next in line for Governor Makinde is to level up the Government Fish Farm facility with a view to joining the large expanse of land, which it occupies, with the private estate.”
The APC described the alleged development as unfortunate, accusing the Makinde administration of neglecting critical public assets and converting government-owned property for private interests.
It also questioned the administration’s record in agriculture and environmental protection, arguing that the proposed disposal of the fish farm would undermine the state’s agricultural development.
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The opposition party listed Trans Amusement Park, Agodi Gardens, Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS), Oyo State Library Board and Water Corporation of Oyo State among public assets it claimed had suffered neglect or deterioration under the present administration.
It called on elders and concerned residents to prevail on Makinde to abandon the alleged plan, warning that the government would be held accountable for any public property illegally sold or transferred.
However, the state government rejected the allegation, describing it as reckless and unsupported by facts.
Makinde, through his Special Adviser on Media, Dr Sulaimon Olanrewaju, maintained that there was no plan to sell, cede or transfer the fish farm to any private developer.
He challenged the APC to produce documentary evidence or official records establishing that the government had taken any decision to dispose of the facility.
Olanrewaju maintained that government decisions concerning public assets were guided by the people’s interests and the provisions of the law.
He stated: “For the avoidance of doubt, there is no plan by the Oyo State Government to sell, cede, or otherwise transfer the Agodi Government Fish Farm to any private developer.
“The allegation exists only in the imagination of those who appear more interested in generating headlines than engaging in honest public discourse.
“Ordinarily, such a baseless claim would not merit a response. However, given the deliberate attempt to mislead the public and create unnecessary anxiety, it has become necessary to place the facts on record.
‘It is ironic that a party whose years in government were characterised by abandoned projects, institutional decline, inadequate infrastructure and economic stagnation now seeks to portray itself as the guardian of public assets.”
