INVESTIGATION: How Governor Spent Over 800 Million Naira On A Ranch That Does Not Exist
A review of the budget performance for the two years confirmed that the sum of N889,005,731 was released for the project, an indication that the construction of the ranch project had commenced. However, investigations by Africast reveal there is no ranching project in Malete town.
Kwara State budgeted billions for a ranch in Malete, but investigations reveal a shocking truth: the project doesn’t exist. Where did the funds go?
The Kwara State Government, led by AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq budgeted a total of over 6 billion naira in the 2022 and 2023 budget for the establishment of a ranch in Malete town, Moro Local government area of Kwara State to boost the agricultural sector in the state.
A review of the budget performance for the two years confirmed that the sum of N889,005,731 was released for the project, an indication that the construction of the ranch project had commenced. However, investigations by Africast reveal there is no ranching project in Malete town.
Students hoping into their various Vehicles / photo credit: Yunusa Umar| AfriCast
It was a busy Wednesday in Malete village when this reporter arrived in the students’ community where passengers including students were jostling for Tricycles, Buses and Motorcycles.
Furniture Speaking with this reporter photo credit: Yunusa Umar| AfriCast
One of the residents in Malete town, Nurudeen Ishaq who had asked to be referred to as Oga Furniture , expressed surprise when asked about the location of the Ranching project in his community. A minute of silence engulfed him and left him repeatedly saying ‘Ranch project in Malete’ before adding that students of Kwara State University would know better if there was any such project.
He added in pidgin language, “I no sure o say Ranch project Dey for Malete here”.
Malete is a town in Kwara State, Nigeria, known primarily for being the location of Kwara State University. The community is part of the larger Ilorin metropolitan area, and located in the Moro Local government area of the state.
Residents Not Aware Of Ranch Project
A quick chat with residents in several spots around the community indicated that no one was aware of any ranch project in the community. We met Jimoh Olaiya, a middle aged-man sitting under a shade and sorting out files. When asked about the location of the ranch, he said “There is no Agricultural ranch project in Malete.
Other residents interviewed similarly dismissed questions about the location of the ranch project built by Abdulrahman’s led administration but none could confirm the exact location where the project was built.
A woman simply identified as Sharifat Yusuf (Iya-guguru) was sitting on the veranda of her house, with her grand-children when this reporter met her. The aged-woman told AfricCast that the government had promised several times to establish a Ranch but has not done so.
“The government is just saying that they would build but they have not done anything about it. Since last year, the government came to clear land to build but didn’t build there”, the aged woman said, while sitting under her Veranda.
According to her, “The three conjoined communities allocated land for them but they didn’t build anything on it”. Multiple residents who spoke to Africast said government’s emissaries came to the community a day before this reporter’s visit on December, 4, 2024.
We also visited nearby communities__Ajagbe and Kogba within Moro local government area but all the residents we spoke to said there was no ranching project in the areas visited. A further 20-minute walk within the two communities by our reporter showed no sign of government-owned properties in the villages.
Our Company Is Not Aware Of Any Other Livestock Company in Malete”, Says Agro Programmer Manager
When this reporter visited hamlet communities in Malete, he was informed about Agro Company, a private enterprise in the town, primarily involved in Livestock development.
Arowojobe, Agro Programme Manager With His Colleague/ photo credit: Yunusa Umar| AfriCast
The company manager of Agro company, Eng. Tolulope Arowojobe, stepped out of his official vehicle with his colleagues when this reporter approached him.
“When it is all about livestock, it is not here. I am the programme manager and I am not aware of any Ranch or livestock project in Malete”, Arowojobe told Africast.
Agro company in Malete/ photo credit: Yunusa Umar| AfriCast
The manager repeatedly mused over the question then told this reporter that if there was any ranch project then it had to be in another place, not Malete. “We are in charge of Agro development but we are yet to build any ranch so far for livestock here,” he said.
Government Bumps Over N800 Million For Ghost Ranching Project
AfriCast reviewed the 2022 and 2023 budget performance of Kwara State to verify if the N6,100,000,000 allocated to establish the Ranch project in Malete community, Moro local government was disbursed.
BUDGET EVIDENCE AVAILABLE
The budget performance between January 2022 and September, 2023, showed that a total sum of N889,005,731 had been spent on the construction of the project yet it doesn’t exist in the area designated for the project.
The community’s monarch.
The community’s monarch, Abdulkareem Babatunde Oreoluwa, known as Magaji Malete further confirmed this when he told AfriCast that there was no ranching project in his community.
“The government had acquired land from the community almost 50 years ago, but each person who owned the land was only given a sum of N2000 for their land”.
He further empahsised that there was no ranch built on the lands acquired while noting that a ranch would have been helpful as there has been conflict between the herdsmen and farmers in the community.
“What we have done so far is to establish a committee that monitors the activities of the Fulani herdsmen in the community and ensures that they adhere to the rules and regulations set by the community,” he said.
Obatunde Toyin, a community development leader in Malete told AfriCast said he was certain that the local government had no ranch project from the government.. He was shocked to hear that funding had been allocated to establish a Ranch project in his community.
“They have not done any project in Malete apart from a farming initiative for young people. That is the only project the state government has done in Malete.
“The government collected land to plant soybean due to shortage of rain but the crops failed. Apart from that one, there is no other project”, he told this reporter.
Kwara Government Keeps Mum
When AfriCast reached out to the Commissioner for Agriculture and rural development in the state, Oloruntoyosi Thomas, she was not available for comments. Neither text and WhatsApp Messages sent to her remained unanswered as of press time.
Also, Rafiu Ajakaye, the press secretary to Kwara State Governor neither answered calls nor responded to SMS sent to him as of press time. All subsequent remainders sent to both commissioner of Agriculture and Press Secretary to the governor were not attended to.
This report is produced with support from Civic Media Lab (CML).
Source:Sahara Reporters
