Benue leases land to Obasanjo farms for mango, milk

The Benue State Government says it has leased a total of 2,599 hectares of land to Obasanjo Farms for mango plantation and milk production.
Lawrence Onoja, the Commissioner for Information, while briefing newsmen after the State Executive Council meeting on Thursday in Makurdi, said 2,420 hectares were for the plantation, while 139 hectares were for milk production.
Onoja said the lease agreement would be reviewed after every five years, adding that a hectare was given out for N10,000
He said that Benue State had embraced the National Health Insurance Scheme, with the Attorney General, Mike Gusah, detailed to draft a bill to the state assembly to that effect for adoption.
He further disclosed that the council had approved the renovation of three dams – Agu in Guma Local Government Area, Ber-Agbum in Ushongo Local Government Area and Oweto in Agatu Local Government Area.
The commissioner said the council had approved the extension of the biometric verification exercise for workers in the state, to give a chance to those yet to be verified.
He said the council had resolved to appeal to the Federal Government to revisit abandoned federal projects, especially the dualization of the Aliade-Otukpo road.
“We also discussed the security situation and directed security personnel to intensity efforts to apprehend herdsmen that had persistently attacked Benue people,” Onoja said.