Oluchi Chibuzor
The Federal Government College (FGC) Kaduna Old Students Association has kicked against the alleged encroachment of the school land by the Kaduna State government, describing the move as a violation of the Federal Land Use Act.
According to the association, Kaduna State government had in a letter dated April 17, 2023, through its Ministry of Urban Planning and Development Agency (KASUPDA), informed the college through the school’s principal of its intention to remove vacant land along a section of the River Kaduna, citing “security reasons.”
Speaking at the press briefing at the weekend in Lagos, the President, FGC, Kaduna, Old Students Association, Seyi Gambo, said, “We are all alive today to witness the systematic usurpation of the rights of our youths to have a sound education in all ramifications within the context of ‘One Nigeria,’ without duress and under very conducive atmosphere.”
According to him, the old students of the are leaders of thought whose concerns for what was going was grievous.
He noted that the move by the Kaduna State Government has, “angered us and we are going to fight this to the last until all lands belonging to our school are returned. On behalf of the old Students Association of the Federal Government College Kaduna, we say, this will never be allowed to go. Not on our watch.”
He noted that, “This is not the first time the state government has tried to carry out the act. In 2015, they attempted to excise 45 metres of land from the south-western end of the fence inwards along the stretch of Umar Mohammed Road to provide plots for immediate development, which they believed have been divided among very top officials in the current Kaduna State government and the governor’s friends, but the request was totally rejected by the Minister of Education.
“It was a rude shock to witness on Monday 17th April, 2023 the physical excision and occupation of acres of land by the Kaduna State Government. This is the same land they have been trying to take since 2015.
“The pretense that the land is being excised for security reasons falls short any truth whatsoever because immediately this letter was sent to the school, bulldozers moved to the site, plans to build private homes have begun with drawing of allotted plots, and work is presently going on at that site 24 hours/7 days a week.”
Speaking further, he said: “This illegality is not only distasteful and pure wickedness on the part of leaders, but is an agenda to obliterate the memories of the founding fathers of this country and the only institution which is the last bastion of molding Nigerians devoid of the things responsible for our arrested development as a nation. Our leaders and elders should be concerned about strengthening this institution and not destroy the same.”
Gambo revealed that the old students have rallied to give back to their alma mater.
According to him, “The Kaduna state government is aware that we have an endowment on infrastructure which runs into billions. We are working on making FGC Kaduna a center of information technology with the hosting of a CISCO training lab with certification for all graduates of the institution, a telecoms repair lab, among other plans to turn our students to global brands.
“As former students of FGC Kaduna in Malali village, we are very concerned at the chicanery going on, emboldening a concern for good education yet behind the scenes, their senile acts leave bile in the mouth.”
