Abeokuta, Ogun – In a move that reeks of incompetence and hollow posturing, Ogun State's Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Bolu Owotomo, has issued a so-called "immediate" order for individuals illegally occupying government agricultural land to vacate the premises.

This directive, announced amid growing public outcry over food insecurity and land mismanagement, is nothing short of a pathetic attempt by the Dapo Abiodun-led administration to deflect blame for its abysmal failure to safeguard the state's most vital resource: its farmlands.

Owotomo's order comes at a time when Ogun State, once heralded as Nigeria's agricultural powerhouse, is drowning in neglect.

Reports indicate that vast swathes of government-acquired land – meant for boosting food production and supporting thousands of farmers – have been encroached upon due to years of lax oversight and outright corruption within the state bureaucracy.

Instead of proactive measures like fencing, surveillance, or legal fortifications, the government allowed land grabbers and opportunists to feast on public assets. Now, with the harvest season looming and food prices skyrocketing nationwide, Owotomo's knee-jerk reaction is to bark orders at the symptoms rather than excise the rot at the core: the administration's own negligence.

This is not leadership; it's a scandalous admission of defeat.

Under Governor Abiodun's watch, Ogun has squandered billions in agricultural budgets on flashy initiatives like the Ogun State Economic Transformation Project (OGSTEP) and partnerships with dubious entities such as Agro Rangers, promising food sufficiency while delivering empty promises.

Farmers in clusters across Obafemi Owode and Yewa South have been left to fend for themselves, their yields hampered by insecurity, inadequate inputs, and – ironically – the very land disputes the government now pretends to resolve. Where were these "immediate" actions when communal clashes over acquired lands escalated, or when investors were scared off by unchecked land grabbing?

The commissioner's visit to sites like Oke-Odan Oil Palm Cluster in 2023 was mere theater, assuring harmony while disputes festered.

Critics, including local farmer unions and civil society groups, have slammed the order as draconian and insensitive, potentially displacing vulnerable communities without alternatives.

"This government talks big about digital agriculture and youth empowerment, but can't even secure the soil beneath our feet," fumed a spokesperson for the Ogun State Farmers Association, adding, "evicting people now, without rehabilitation or compensation plans, will only deepen poverty and food scarcity – all because they failed to act years ago."

Governor Abiodun's regime must be held accountable for this farce.

Ogun's agricultural sector, critical to national food security, has been reduced to a playground for land speculators under their inept stewardship.

Demanding immediate vacating without addressing root causes – like enforcing the 1978 Land Use Act or processing thousands of pending Certificates of Occupancy – exposes a government more interested in optics than outcomes.

If Owotomo and his bosses truly cared about food security, they'd start by auditing their own mismanagement, not terrorizing the poor.

The people of Ogun deserve better than this bungled charade, as the eviction order stands as a damning indictment of a state government that has betrayed its farmers and its future.