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From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
United Patriots Assembly of Nigeria (UPAN), yesterday, said that the federal government should prepared to relocate the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) from Edo State over what its tagged alleged marginalization of its host communities (Benins).
The national facilitator of the group, Amb. Aiyamenkhue Edokpolo, made the call while reacting to Hon. Chief Billy Osawaru who moved a motion on the floor of the Green Chambers of Nigeria’s National Assembly – calling attention to the petition endorsed by him (Aiyamenkhue Edokpolo) as the National Facilitator of the United Patriots Assembly of Nigeria over the 84 years systemic marginalization of the Benins in NIFOR.
Edokpolo, while commending Osawaru, said the people of the communities have been taken for granted for too long and the crass exclusion of the Benins from clinching the Chief Executive position of the NIFOR must stop forthwith, else, they may be compelled to seek help, including processions by the youths to NIFOR and to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food security.
Edokpolo said the population has increased over 500% since 1,600 hectares of the host community land was taken for the institute in 1939 and they no longer have land for farming their regular crops such as cassava and maize which are major tools of food security in their local communities and rural areas.
He asked why should the people suffer in hunger and make all the sacrifices if their qualified sons and daughters are mischievously excluded from the leadership of the Institute? Adding that God and the ancestors forbid their continuous tolerance of this socio-cultural contempt enemies of Benin nation.
The National Facilitator of UPAN further decried that the people of the state have been marginalized since the establishment of the Institution, stressing that the federal government is taking the people of the state for granted which ought not to have been.
“The Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) is a Federal Parastatal under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
“The Institute occupies about 1,600 hectares of land and is surrounded by more than seventeen communities of natives and additional fifteen communities in the catchment area.
“NIFOR was established in the year 1939 and clocked 84 years this year 2023.
” During this 84 years period, our son has only been Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer once.
“The Institute and its supervisory ministry have systematically excluded the Benins from the line of headship of the Institute overtime.
“This systemic exclusion has taken place under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security as they are now called.
“We have tolerated these unprovoked exclusivity against our people because of our indulgence for peace and mutual co-existence which we are aware does not happen in other localities where NIFOR has their substations.
“At the moment, NIFOR Abak, Akwa Ibom State is closed and the place sacked by the natives for similar discrimination against landowners.
“We have accommodated the antics of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security for too long”, Edokpolo threatened.
