The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has accused Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration of planning to cede the state-owned Agodi Government Fish Farm in Ibadan to Baywood Estate, raising concerns over the possible loss of the decades-old agricultural facility.
The party alleged that the proposed move was part of efforts to expand the private housing estate around the Agodi Government Secretariat, following the reported destruction of a conservation forest in the area to make way for the development.
The 40-year-old fish farm, situated between Agodi Gardens and Dandaru Stream in Ibadan, houses offices, laboratories, demonstration farms, fish ponds and training centres used by staff, students and practising and prospective fish farmers.
It also accommodates Ogunpa Lake, where different local and exotic fish species are bred for educational and commercial purposes.
In a statement issued on Friday and made available to journalists in Ibadan, the Oyo APC Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, accused the Makinde administration of disposing of government properties and allocating public land for private estate development.
The party also criticised what it described as poor maintenance of public assets under the current administration, alleging that several state-owned facilities had suffered neglect since 2019.
Sadare said the party had uncovered plans by the governor and his associates to extend private housing projects around the Agodi Government Secretariat, with the fish farm allegedly marked for conversion into part of Baywood Estate.
“After the destruction of the enviable green zone that protects the environment around the area, the next in the 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 statement said.
The APC questioned the rationale behind the alleged plan, arguing that the fish farm had served educational and commercial purposes for nearly four decades.
It also listed the 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 under the administration.
The party further expressed concern over the future of other government facilities around the area, including the Agodi Government Secretariat, Government House and Cultural Centre complex.
It called on Makinde to suspend the alleged plan to transfer the fish farm to Baywood Estate and refrain from converting other public facilities to private use.
The APC also urged elders and concerned residents of the state to prevail on the governor against the alleged move, warning that those responsible should be prepared to account for government lands and properties it claimed had been sold or illegally taken over.
The state government had yet to respond to the allegations in the statement.
Kehinde Ayanboade
Kehinde Ayanboade is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Naija Metro News, with over eight years of experience covering Nigerian politics, crime, legislative proceedings and metropolitan affairs.
