The Unity Schools Old Students Association (USOSA), an umbrella body for old students of federal government colleges across the country, on Saturday, staged a peaceful protest against the massive encroachment of the land belonging to the Federal Government College, Kaduna.
The old students were joined in the protest by students of the school.
The immediate past administration of former governor Nasir El-Rufai was alleged to have taken over 800 plots of land belonging to the school located in Malali village of Kaduna.
Hundreds of students of the school and the some of the old students participate in the peaceful protest which held within the school premises.
The protest was led by Mike Magaji, national president of USOSA, and Sheyi Gambo, president of the FGC Kaduna old students association.
The students carried placards with inscription condemning land grabbing.
Some of the placards, “We say no to land grabbing”, “Land Encroachment threatens students’ safety” and “FGC Kaduna, not for sale…”
Speaking in an interview with journalists during the protest, the USOSA President said the encroachment of the school land by the Kaduna state government is 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 “Kaduna state government) without due process from an existing school”, Magaji said.
He described El-Rufai’s action as “a threat to public education and nation building”, noting that unity schools were created for integration.
Magaji said, “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 the 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 doesn’t belong to the state government so President Tinubu has the responsibility to protect the assets of the federal of government all over Nigeria”, Magaji said.
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,” he said.
According to him, “Over 200 plots of land had been taken away, but I am told it is much more than that”.
development and this is not acceptable,
“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 was chiselled out from the school land by the El-Rufai administration.
