Oil Palm Association’s election postponement generates heat

  Stakeholders complain of foreign influence....

The election expected to produce a new leadership for the National Palm Produce Association of Nigeria (NPPAN) was yesterday shifted by three months, to June 12, 2019.

This new date was announced after a deliberation with all contesting stakeholders by the chairman of the electoral body, Mr. Musa Labaran of the Federation of Agricultural Commodity Association (FACAN) in company of the other members which included representative of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI), Mr. Alhassan Abubakar.

 It was agreed that wider publicity of the election be given to reflect the economic importance of the tree crop and that real stakeholders must be involved through their states and other national stakeholders in the marketing and consumption value chains.

However, the initial announcement of plan to shift the election by six months was resisted by many of the delegates who complained of not being adequately carried along by the executives; being left out of decision to shift the election; being made to waste time and financial resources coming to Abuja only to be told the election was being postponed was seen as non democratic for the election.

One of the contestants, Barrister Bassey Essien insisted that the executive had been unfair to the delegates by not carrying them along enough and called for consultation among stakeholders to decide which way to go on the date to be selected saying the electoral committee and the outgoing executive cannot alone decide on the issue.

Some of the members also complained about the activities of major big players who have perpetually worked at stopping the backward integration policy of the government towards restoring the crop’s lost glory, saying this is one of the great challenge confronting the development of its production as importation continue to undermine local productivity which farmers are the first casualty while over bearing influence of foreign palm oil exporters was another worrisome issue to be tackled.

In response to the allegations, the chairman of the electoral body, Mr. Musa Labaran concurred to a close-door meeting among all interest groups, after which the announcement of shift-in-date was made.

The outgoing National President, Engr. Henry Olagunjoye said that the new leadership must learn from the past mistakes by not allowing gatecrashers in the sector to hijack the association, explaining  that the actual farm owners should be actively involved in the affair of the association for better positioning of the crop for vibrant wealth creation at all the value chains.

Others present at the meeting were chairmen from states of the Federation which includes, Mr. Tunji Ibikunle (Osun), Chief Ige Josiah Olajunsoye (Ondo), Hon. Ugbemen (Edo), NPPAN National Secretary, Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, Mr. Ishaq Mallam Yahaya, National Secretary of FACAN, Dr. Bello Dogodanji and Prince Peter Bakare of FACAN.