Defending the pact during a session that lasted over two hours, Bariya said the agreement was done in good faith towards a swift transformation of the economy of the state.

According to Isau, the white farmers would not, as being alleged, lay claim to the ownership of the agriculture portions at Sanai and other locations given to them to farm on.

He said: "Members of the Zimbabwean Farmers' Union are here to bring their skills to bear on agriculture so that the economy of the state can be better. We have a lot of benefits to derive".

Bariya added that the white farmers would also utilise the terms of the pact to create job opportunities for the people of the state, as many training centres for skill acquisition centres would be established.

For Isau, the seven-part agreement with the white farmers has been redrafted to read Collaborative Agricultural Agreement (CAA) as against the initial Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

According to the justice commissioner, the 1999 Constitution and other relevant laws of the federation formed the thrust of the legal draft in the pact.

Citing paragraph 3(a) of the deal, Isau said a thousand hectares of land each were granted to each of the 35 white farmers for 25 years renewable for another 25 years at the expiration of the initial term.

To confer the ownership of the land to Kwarans and the urban generation in line with the customary land acquisition statutes of the federation, the state's attorney general said two valid vital documents that could give the land to the white farmers were not in the agreement.

These documents are the certificate of occupancy and registration of occupancy.

He added that the involvement of the bankers in the deal was to make them creditors while the state government would serve as guarantors.

The bankers, through the local manager of Intercontinental Bank, said the banks were mainly interested in the commercial aspect of the deal, adding that no viable bank would depend on government's involvement only before conceding to such an arrangement.

Gbadebo opined that the government's initiative was superb and that the local farmers would not object to it.

The Speaker of the state's House of Assembly, Alhaji Issa Bio Ibrahim, praised the stakeholders for heeding the call.

Reacting to the development, Abdulfatai Salimon told reporters that the decision of the House was in order, adding that "since they represent their people, they will need to take back the explanation of the executive arm to the people".