A group under the aegis of the Ondo Reform Vanguard has called on the state government to investigate the ongoing irregularities and fraud occurring on some of the state government’s reserved lands.
In a statement issued in Akure on Sunday by the Convener of the group, Aladesuyi Israel, and the Publicity Secretary, Okeowo Olabode, they described a company claiming to be working for the Ministry of Agriculture as distributing unauthorised forms to farmers, demanding a certain fee for registration.
The group stated that the process is fraudulent and illegal.
The Ondo State government, during the administration of the late Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, had signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU with foreign investors, involving a certain renewable amount which has yet to expire.
The group expressed surprise that the self-acclaimed consultant is now distributing forms and collecting money from illegal occupants of such reserved areas.
The statement added, “Receiving unauthorised fees from occupants of reserves is tantamount to double taxation, which the Ondo State Internal Revenue Service and the Ministry of Agriculture need to investigate.”
The group, however, urged Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa to set up a panel to investigate the illegal occupants of the government reserves and identify the consultant carrying out the fraudulent acts and collecting revenue without the government’s knowledge
