ARAROMI RUBBER PLANTATION AND THE GROWTH OF LABOUR MIGRATION IN ONDO DIVISION OF SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA, 1951-1986

This paper interrogates the effect of government-owned Araromi rubber plantation on labour migration in Ondo Division of Southwestern Nigeria between 1951 and 1986. It argues that prior to the emergence of government-owned plantations in 1951, plantation agriculture was mainly dominated by the peasant Nigerian farmers. This development was facilitated by the British colonial agricultural policy, which was characterised by classical laissez-faire. However, with the birth of Western Regional government in 1951, the long standing British agricultural policy was completely reversed by the indigenous Nigerian politicians. This paved way for the establishment of government-owned plantations in some major areas in Western Nigeria Ikenne, Okitipupa, Araromi, Lomiro and so on. In order to pursue this agricultural objective, the Western Regional Government created an agency known as the Western Nigeria Development Corporation (WNDC), which acquired large tract of land in the region for the establishment of government-owned plantations such as rubber, citrus and oil palm. The acquisition of land in Araromi Area of Ondo Division was characterised by adequate consultation with and compensations to the landowners and the community. This helped to prevent the issue of land conflict between the government and the host communities of the plantation. It submitted that Araromi Rubber plantation attracted large number of migrant labourers from Western, Mid-Western and Eastern Nigeria during this period. The methodological approach adopted in this paper is historical, qualitative, quantitative and analytical utilising materials from both primary and secondary sources of data collection such as archival documents, oral interview and extant literature.