Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State held a meeting on Tuesday with the alumni of the Federal Government College in Kaduna to address the issue of the college land that was annexed during the tenure of former Governor El-Rufai.
The alumni, represented by the Unity Schools Old Students Association (USOSA) and the Federal Government College Kaduna Old Students Association (FGCKADOSA), had recently staged a protest at the college premises, urging Governor Uba Sani to intervene and restore the college’s land that was taken during the previous administration led by El-Rufai.
During the meeting, Governor Sani expressed his willingness to consider the request made by the College stakeholders regarding the annexation of the College land.
However, he emphasized his belief that the former Governor’s decision to annex the land was driven by security concerns.
Ismail Umar-Dikko, the Director General of Kaduna State Urban Planning and Development Agency, who was present at the meeting, explained that the land was excised due to the escalating insecurity and kidnapping of school children in the North Western region.
He also highlighted the fact that the portion of land had remained undeveloped for over 50 years and its proximity to River Kaduna, which made the school vulnerable to bandit attacks.
Governor Sani acknowledged that, as a Senator, he is aware that the 1976 Land Use Act grants the State Governor control over all lands within the state.
He said, “The Governor has the power to allocate and reallocate land, especially if it borders on public interest. So, I believe the former Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai decided to annex the land because of security challenges, which have been compounded by ungoverned spaces”.
“The former government in its wisdom felt it did not have to wait for insecurity to happen around the FGC before taking action, because the portion of the land annexed borders River Kaduna and Keke Community of New Millennium City, where series of kidnap cases have been reported.”
The governor, however, made a commitment to visit the school accompanied by the old students in order to personally assess the situation. He emphasized the importance of resolving the matter through dialogue rather than resorting to a legal battle, which he believed could complicate the situation further.
Furthermore, the governor assured the old students that all construction activities on the site would be suspended until he had a chance to visit the school and evaluate the situation. Following his visit, discussions between the government and the College’s stakeholders would resume.
Earlier, Michael Magaji, the President General of Unity Schools Old Students Association, who led the delegation to the Government House, expressed gratitude for the governor’s invitation and conveyed USOSA’s discontent regarding the encroachment on FGC Malali, Kaduna’s land. Magaji requested the governor’s inclusion of USOSA’s executives during his visit to the school.
