John Shiklam in Kaduna
Students of Federal Government College, Kaduna and officials of the Unity Schools Old Students Association (USOSA) yesterday staged a peaceful protest against the massive encroachment into the school land.
The administration of former Governor Nasir El-Rufai was accused of taking over 800 plots of the land belonging to the school located in Malali village of Kaduna.
Consequently, hundreds of students of the school and officials of its old students association participated in the peaceful protest which held within the school premises.
The protest was led by the National President of USOSA, Mike Magaji and President of FGC Kaduna Old Students Association, Sheyi Gambo.
The students carried placards with inscription condemning land grabbing. The placards read: “We say no to land grabbing. Land Encroachment threatens students’ safety. Bring back our land.
At a session with journalists during the protest, USOSA’s president said the encroachment of the school land by the state government was a threat to public education.
“As USOSA and as the president of the association, we condemned the encroachment of the land belonging to Federal Government College Kaduna.
“On behalf of the executive members of USOSA and millions of our members all over the world, we here to protest what has happened to FGC Kaduna, where hundreds of plots of land belonging to the school were taken by the state government without due process from an existing school.”
He described El-Rufai’s action as “a threat to public education and nation building. Unity schools were created for integration.”
“As old students of FGC Kaduna, we are here to protect the future of the students and the future of education in Nigeria.”
He appealed to Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani and President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the matter with a view to recover the school land.
“We are appealing to governor Uba Sani to intervene in this matter to address it and correct it. We are also calling on President Bola Tinubu to use his good office to prevail.
“FGC Kaduna is own by the federal government, it does not belong to the state government so President Tinubu has the responsibility to protect the assets of the federal of government all over Nigeria.”
The USOSA president said nobody should be allowed to undermine the future of public education through land grabbing.
“We should be promoting access, more infrastructure and not taking away the scarce infrastructure we have in our schools. Over 200 plots of land had been taken away. But I am told it is much more than that.
“We will not accept this. We are in touch with the federal ministry of education over the issue. We are in the process of further engagement with them so that the original purpose which the land was meant for is restored”, he said.
Magaji said already the federal ministry of education is in court with the Kaduna state government over the encouragement.
He said a court injunction was issued to stop any development on the encroached land.” Sources claimed that about 800 plots of land were chiselled out from the school land by the El-Rufai administration.
