By Yemi Olakitan
Environmentalists have rejected the Oyo State government’s alleged conversion of Agodi Gardens to a residential estate which according to reports will benefit a privileged few.
Writer and environmentalist, Kazeem Olalekan Isreal said, that those who started the Nigerian journey had good intentions before people in uniform hijacked it and later some “democrats” attempted to thwart the good vision.
Olalekan Isreal said, “Several narratives from loyalists to the State Governor and most recently from the Commissioner for Lands trying effortlessly to defend a planned conversion of Agodi Gardens to a housing estate is nothing but a ruse.”
According to him, the statement of the Commissioner in defence of the conversion is so twisted incoherent and lacking details. It is not even the case that the houses to be constructed will be accessible for low and middle-income earners. The statement failed to answer why the conservation area must be converted to a housing estate when a green revolution should take off from that spot.”
According to reports, the Agodi Gardens did not start with Governor Ajimobi who launched the construction in 2014. It was conceived and initiated as far back as the 60s during the days of Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
He noted that the trees were brought in from several countries and planted there to make the reserve which is about to be washed off by the Governor to give way for a housing estate. Meanwhile, the trees that will be cut off to give way for the housing estate are as old as the Governor and even more.
Reports say, there used to be at least 8 ranches in the defunct Western Region under Obafemi Awolowo in present-day Lagos (Agege), Ogun (Imeko), Ekiti (Aiyedun), Ondo (Ikare) and Oyo (Saki) States amongst others. these ranches have now become history because of misgovernance.
Meanwhile, countries like Israel, Argentina, Brazil, Australia and the United States of America have implemented cattle ranching successfully. Ranches contribute $ 123 billion annually to Brazil’s economy. Unfortunately, today, there is nothing to show for the ranches established in the old western region.
Forest parks/game reservation is a big economic asset. Forest helps to normalize the earth’s natural systems, contribute to biological diversity, and maintain air, water and soil quality. Forests also regulate runoffs and groundwater, control soil erosion, influence local climate and ensure downstream sedimentation and flooding are reduced.
The location of Agodi Gardens and the conservation forest being destroyed today was chosen strategically specifically for its hilly nature and previous soil and the fact that it sits on a subterranean rock which extends from Mokola hills down.
The location is where the greatest volume of runoff water is absorbed by the roots of the trees when it rains. Now, with the absence of trees in that area, the torrent of water will freely flow downstream to Mokola with no hindrance, thereby opening the city up for flooding.
Analysts think that 50% of Oyo State’s land area is undeveloped as of 2023. The choice of a garden that homes the only living pieces of some life species in Oyo State is an attempt to extinct such life species in the State.
Through this, the government is waging a war against conservation and sustainability. This becomes worrisome as to how far the government will go in causing an imbalance in the ecosystem.
However, the Oyo State Government has described it as mere rumours making the rounds that it has allocated Agodi Botanical Gardens to a proposed Housing Estate, as baseless and untrue.
The Commissioner for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Mr. Williams Akin Funmilayo said that mischief makers are trying to bring the State Government into an unnecessary distraction and nullify the laudable achievements recorded so far.
He disclosed further that the Government values reforestation and afforestation, and as such, would not convert Agodi Gardens into a residential Estate.
He added that the large expanse of land to be converted to Baywood Estate does not include the Agodi Botanical Gardens.
The Commissioner also said the State Government has plans to upgrade the garden to an international standard, such that it will compete with other botanical gardens across the globe.
Therefore, Akin-Funmilayo re-echoed that the Governor did not give any order to his office for the conversion of Agodi Gardens to a Housing Estate.
Igbo Agala forest reserve is a natural area in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State in Nigeria. It is located on the hilltop of Oke Are, the highest of the seven hills that surround the ancient city.
The forest reserve is home to Bower’s Tower, a historical monument erected in 1936 in honour of Captain Robert Lister Bower, the first British resident and travelling commissioner of Yorubaland. The tower offers a panoramic view of Ibadan and its landmarks, such as the University of Ibadan, the Cocoa House, the Dugbe Market, and the Agodi Gardens.
The forest reserve is also a habitat for various species of plants and animals, such as monkeys, birds, and butterflies. The forest reserve is a popular tourist attraction in Ibadan, as visitors can climb the 47 spiral staircase of the tower, enjoy the scenery, and learn about the history and culture of the city.
Environmentalists have opined that the Oyo State Government should learn from the New York Central Park which is the largest and most important public park in Manhattan, New York City. It occupies an area of 840 acres (340 hectares) and extends between 59th and 110th streets (about 2.5 miles [4 km]) and between Fifth and Eighth avenues (about 0.5 miles [0.8 km]). It was one of the first American parks to be developed using landscape architecture techniques.
In the 1840s the increasing urbanization of Manhattan prompted the poet-editor William Cullen Bryant and the landscape architect Andrew Jackson Downing to call for a new, large park to be built on the island.
Their views gained widespread support, and in 1856 most of the park’s present land was bought with about $5,000,000 that had been appropriated by the state legislature. The clearing of the site, which was begun in 1857, entailed the removal of bone-boiling works, many scattered hovels and squalid farms, free-roaming livestock, and several open drains and sewers.
A plan was devised by the architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux that would preserve and enhance the natural features of the terrain to provide a pastoral park for city dwellers; in 1858 the plan was chosen from 33 submitted in competition for a $2,000 prize.
During the park’s ensuing construction millions of cartloads of dirt and topsoil were shifted to build the terrain, about 5,000,000 trees and shrubs were planted, a water supply system was laid, and many bridges, arches, and roads were constructed.
The completed Central Park officially opened in 1876, and it is still one of the greatest achievements in artificial landscaping. The park’s terrain and vegetation are highly varied and range from flat grassy swards, gentle slopes, and shady glens to steep, rocky ravines. The park affords interesting vistas and walks at nearly every point. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is in the park, facing Fifth Avenue.
There is also a zoo, an ice-skating rink, three small lakes, an open-air theatre, a band shell, many athletic playing fields and children’s playgrounds, several fountains, and hundreds of small monuments and plaques scattered through the area. There is also a police station, several blockhouses dating from the early 19th century, and “Cleopatra’s Needle” (an ancient Egyptian obelisk). The park has numerous footpaths and bicycle paths, and several roadways traverse it.