The owners of Ikire farm settlement in Irewole local government area of State Osun state have called on the state and federal government to come to their aid over the recent unfortunate fire disaster that engulfed their cocoa and palm trees farmlands in Ikire farm settlement.
The Ikire farm settlement with nothing less than 15 hectares with cocoa and palm trees plantations worth several millions of naira were burnt.
The six affected farmers who are local farmers made the call in a joint statement issued and made available to journalists in Osogbo, Osun State, soliciting support from government to come to their aid.
They solicited the support of the state and federal government on this ugly development so as to bail them from this unfortunate incident.
The farmers are, Mr Sulaiman Morenikeji (2 hectares of cocoa, palmtrees farm),Mr. Zakariyahu Atanda(2 hectares of cocoa and palmtrees farm),Mr. Opejin Ayobami(4 hectares of palmtrees farm)Mr. Taofeek Sumbo(4 hectares of cocoa and palmtrees farm),Mr. Muraina Fatai(2 hectares of cocoa and palmtrees farm)and Mr .Jide Olayanju(1 hectare of palmtrees farm).
They said that, the assistance from the government became imperative so as to safe them out of present economic mess occasioned by the fire disaster at their farms.
According to them, “On the 6th of February,2024, around 11:30a.m in the morning, we received a call from a co-farmer that a fire broke out on our farms located at Mokore farm settlement, Araromi Owu,Ikire in Osun state.
“On getting to the farm, the entire 15 hectares of farm land that are full of cocoa and palm trees are covered with thick black smoke of fire inferno on the farmland.
“Effort to alert the co- farm owners proved abortive due to lack of telecommunication network around the farm premises but we try to call the fire fighter to put off the fire but we couldn’t achieve it due to lack of telecommunication network”.
They added, “After some hours, we decided to use the local method of quenching the fire inferno by using water, wet leaves, and dry sand but all our efforts didn’t work perfectly. Instead, the fire spread quite fast due to the presence of dry leaves, dry wood, and planks on the floor of the farmland.
“The fire continued to burn our farms till the next day and after much effort from the co-farmers in the next day, we were able to bring down the fire but the major portion of our farms had been burnt down completely”.
