The federal government must urgently address the issue of encroachment on university lands once and for all. Many a time, we have been fed with news of encroachment of university lands by grabbers, yet, the government has not for once made any attempt at arresting the situation to ensure that it does not degenerate into a crisis.
In 2020, we read of how violence erupted at the University of Jos over nefarious activities of land grabbers who are obviously adamant at claiming the university’s land. They had even gone ahead to erect structures on the land.
The encroachment of university lands is a very serious problem bedevilling ivory towers today. In fact, the situation at OAU is a case apart. The pattern is so disturbing and alarming that the federal government must wade in to immediately put the issue to rest once and for all.
It is quite unimaginable that on April 2, one Oba Ologudu led a supposed group of Ife indigenes to the university land with a bulldozer to create a pathway behind Poplat fuelling station. According to him, he had been mandated by the Ife community to build a fence to demarcate Ife land from that of OAU which was his purpose of being there.
It is even more disturbing that part of the land they are laying claim to has a 3-block students’ hostel which the Ife community has not allowed the university to utilise since 2018 while the federal government looks the other way.
It is the height of insanity for anyone to start erecting a fence on land which has a students’ hostel built with taxpayers’ money on it.
It has become clearer that these intruders have special interest in government land and properties considering how recalcitrant they have become in encroaching on the university land. It is a case of impudence and criminality.
The university management must ensure that the fence being erected by these elements does not stand. The federal government must not just give a last warning to encroachers who have become so bold but they should be arrested and prosecuted. Encroaching on a land that has been gazetted for the university by some elements who are now occupying some seats which should ordinarily symbolise and promote decency is highly disturbing. The federal government must urgently wade in to stop these land grabbers from encroaching the university landed property which was built with taxpayers’ money.
Kazeem Olalekan Israel wrote from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.
