FG, Ogun to establish bee keeping factory at J4 in Ijebu-East LGA

By Chinyere Anyanwu

The Federal Ministry of Environment, in conjunction with the Ogun State government, has concluded plans to establish a sustainable Apiary (bee rearing) Cottage Industry at J4 in Ijebu-East Local Government Area of the state.

In a statement by the Ministry of Forestry Press Officer, Kayode Oduyebo, the project, when completed, would produce honey in commercial quantities for the state and beyond.

Speaking while receiving a letter of intent for the establishment of the factory from Messrs Olaiya Olumuyiwa and Ajibola Abimbola of the Federal Ministry of Environment, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Forestry, Timothy Olatunji, said the project would boost economic activities among the residents of the area and the state at large.

The initiative, according to Olatunji, was a clarion call to the youths that the days of waiting for white-collar jobs are over and called on the youths to put on their thinking caps for meaningful engagements.

On the benefits to be derived from bee keeping, Olatunji said apart from being a food supplement and alternative to sugar consumption, especially by the elderly, it serves as a health balm for wounds and as prophylactic for ailments and diseases.

He called on stakeholders to keep the state abreast of any proposed development or activities in and around government reserves in the three senatorial districts of the state.

The state Controller, Federal Ministry of Environment, Olumuyiwa Olatunji, said the choice of Ogun for the project resulted from the state’s effort at ensuring aggressive afforestation in its forest.

Also, the state Director of Forestry, Non-Timber, Gbotemi Adeleye, said it was wrong for the public to engage in mining activities in the forest as such development would be devastating to the forest.

In the same vein, foresters in the state have been charged to report illegal activities and projects discovered in any of the state’s forest reserves.