Delta Inaugurates 10-Man Steering Committee for FRILIA, a $750 Million World Bank-Assisted Program

Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, has inaugurated a 10-man Steering Committee on the Framework for Responsible Investment in Land-Intensive Agriculture (FRILIA), a $750 million World Bank-assisted program.

The committee was inaugurated on behalf of the Governor by the Deputy Governor, Sir Monday Onyeme, Ph.D, who also serves as the Chairman of the Committee, on Thursday in Asaba.

Governor Oborevwori explained that FRILIA was conceptualized to facilitate ease of doing business in Delta State, stressing that agricultural development remains a key priority of the Federal Government.

Presenting the eight-point Terms of Reference for the committee, the Governor charged members of the committee to, “promote transparency in land acquisition and resettlement for large scale agribusiness investment, promote the application of inclusive agriculture, agricultural production models.

He charged them to; “Promote and safeguard measures against dispossession of tenure rights holders, monitor the application of compensation standards and Promote environmental sustainability in the utilization of land for agri-business investment.”

In their separate remarks, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Barr. Val Areyinka, and the Director-General of the Delta State Investment Development Agency, Hon. Anthony Elekeokuri, disclosed that FRILIA is a $750 million World Bank-assisted programme available to the state if effectively implemented.

They explained that the World Bank facility is a performance-based financial support scheme that can only be accessed upon meeting clearly defined benchmarks set by development partners.

Also inaugurated was a 20-man Technical Committee to provide expert and technical support to the Steering Committee.

Similarly, a six-member Grievance and Redress Committee, comprising experts in land administration and allocation, was inaugurated to address complaints and disputes that may arise in the process of land acquisition and allocation for agribusiness investments.