Food Security: OSV Hails Oyebanji Over Launch of ‘Ounje Ekiti’, ‘Ilu Eye’ Hubs.

Food Security: OSV Hails Oyebanji Over Launch of ‘Ounje Ekiti’, ‘Ilu Eye’ Hubs.

…Says Initiative Will Tackle Hunger, End Poverty.

A grassroots mobilisation group, Oyebanji Street Vanguard (OSV), has commended the Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, for his bold steps towards tackling food insecurity and inflation in the state.

The group gave the commendation shortly after the official commissioning of the “Ounje Ekiti Retail Outlet” and “Ilu Eye Aggregation Hub” on Tuesday, describing the move as a strategic milestone in the state’s war against hunger and poverty.

Governor Oyebanji, at the commissioning, explained that the initiative stemmed from the recommendations of the State’s Food Security Committee, chaired by the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security.

He disclosed that over 715 metric tons of white beans, 239.167 metric tons of paddy rice, 101.54 metric tons of maize, and 1,716 bags of garri had already been aggregated from local farmers within the state, signalling a boost for local production and farmer empowerment.

According to the Governor, the Ilu Eye Aggregation Hub is a registered company set up to procure and store farm produce within the state, while the Ounje Ekiti Retail Outlet serves as a government-backed retail system where food is made available to residents at subsidised rates.

The initiative also aims to curb post-harvest losses which, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), account for a staggering N3.5 trillion in annual waste across Nigeria—an amount that overshadows the nation’s five-year agricultural budget allocation.

OSV applauded the government’s foresight in setting up such facilities, describing the investment in storage, processing, and aggregation as “a legacy-making intervention” capable of rewriting the state’s food economy narrative.

Speaking on behalf of the group, the Convener, HC Ade, called for more robust and sustained budgetary allocation to the agricultural sector. He urged the government to replicate the initiative across all 16 Local Government Areas and 28 Local Council Development Areas in Ekiti State.

“It is in the seamless continuation of laudable programmes like this that we can banish poverty from our state,” he said.

OSV further encouraged citizens, retailers, and other stakeholders to embrace the initiative wholeheartedly, noting that the future of Ekiti lies in political stability and the continuity of people-focused policies such as Oyebanji’s food security agenda.