Mujeeb Akindoyin
The Aheri Development Council in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State has rejected the proposed Dangote Industrial City in the Ilaje-Aheri Kingdom, declaring that the community would not accept arrangements that could turn its people into “tenants” on their ancestral land.
The council, however, expressed support for the Olokola Free Trade Zone and said it welcomed Dangote Industries Limited’s renewed interest in industrial development in the area.
The position followed a meeting convened by the Maporure of Aheriland, Oba Ilesanmi Raphael Ikuemonisan-Mafo, at Zion-Pepe, Ilaje.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the Ondo State Government and Dangote Industries Limited to discuss the proposed investment in the Olokola Free Trade Zone and the reported plan for a Dangote Industrial City in the area.
In a statement issued after the meeting, the Secretary of the Aheri Development Council, Ayeoba Ige Asemudara, said the kingdom supported the industrial development agenda of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa within the Olokola Free Trade Zone.
However, the council said it was concerned about what it described as the exclusion of host communities from the Technical Committee established by the state government to collate records and liaise with Dangote and other companies operating or planning investments in the zone.
The community also questioned the circumstances surrounding activities being carried out on its land and forests in connection with the proposed development.
The council said, “As government acts only through verifiable documentations, it is unacceptable that our land and forests are currently invaded by strangers on the basis of a proposed government acquisition of land with no clear location, dimension, and on the pretext of crops enumeration, data collection and environmental impact assessment of undisclosed projects.”
The council argued that there must be clarity over the location, size and purpose of any proposed land acquisition before activities are undertaken on the affected communities’ ancestral lands.
Asemudara also raised questions about the size of land originally associated with the Olokola Free Trade Zone, comparing it with other major industrial and free trade zones in Lagos and the Niger Delta.
According to him, Dangote Industries had previously left the 10,000 hectares allocated to it in the Olokola project for Lekki, while the Lagos State Government subsequently acquired 2,635 hectares of low-lying, swampy reclaimed land for the Dangote Refinery.
He argued that the 10,000-hectare Olokola Free Trade Zone was already substantially larger than several other major developments, including the Lekki Free Trade Zone, which he put at 3,000 hectares; Eko Atlantic, 1,107 hectares; and Alaro City, 1,000 hectares.
The Aheri Development Council therefore called for greater transparency, proper documentation and meaningful participation of host communities in decisions concerning land acquisition and major industrial projects in the area.
The community’s position comes amid renewed efforts to revive industrial activities around the Olokola axis, with Dangote Industries and government authorities pushing for investments expected to transform the coastal corridor.
While expressing willingness to support genuine development, the Aheri community insisted that such development must respect the rights and interests of the indigenous population.
The council said its acceptance of the Olokola Free Trade Zone should not be interpreted as blanket approval for every proposed project or land acquisition within Aheriland.
It stressed that host communities must be adequately represented in discussions concerning projects that affect their land, livelihoods, forests and future.
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