Kaduna FGC old students kick as state govt take over school land

The Old Students of Federal Government College Kaduna have decried the excision and acquisition of acres of land belonging to the school by the Kaduna State government.

Addressing journalists on Sunday, the president of the association, Seyi Gambo,  described the state government’s action as as injustice towards major issues that concerns the education of Nigeria’s successive generations.

The Kaduna State government had on Monday, April 17, acquired, excised   and occupied acres of land belonging to the school.

It was gathered that the state government  through its Ministry of Urban Planning and Development (KASUPDA)  had written  a letter to the  school Principal about the “excision OF Un-utilized Land Along The Stretch Of River Kaduna For Security Reasons”.

The old students who noted they had benefitted immensely from the success of the school, said they would not watch some leaders illegally take an inch of the land of the  school.

According to them, the 110 federal unity schools was the idea of Sir Ahmadu Belllo, the late Premier of Northern Nigeria with the philosophy to have an education incubator where children from all parts of Nigeria, irrespective of tribe, religion or social status,  will meet, live and learn under the same roof with the sole aim of fostering the much needed national alignment.

“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.

“I am a beneficiary of one of these schools in question – Federal Government College Kaduna situated in Malali village, Kaduna State.  I am one amongst many which include captains of industries, military generals, billionaires and hard-working old students who are scattered across the globe from all Nigerian tribes who have adopted Kaduna as our cradle.

“It was thus a rude shock to witness on Monday 17th, 2023 the physical excision and occupation of acres of land by the Kaduna State Government. We have benefitted immensely from the success of our school, we will not watch some leaders illegally take an inch of the land of our school, Federal Government College Kaduna as this we are told, is the first of future balkanization of the parameters of other Unity Schools across Nigeria,” Gambo said.

The old students explained that a letter dated 12th February, 2015 had earlier been despatched from the Office of the Director of Basic and Secondary Education Department, Federal  Ministry of Education to the Kaduna Sate Ministry of Lands, Surveys and Country Planning.

The letter titled: Re: ILLEGAL ACCESS AT THE SOUTH-WESTERN FENCE OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COLLEGE MALALI, KADUNA, they noted, rejected emphatically the attempt by the Kaduna State government to excise 45meters land from the South-Western end of the fence inwards along the stretch of Umar Mohammed road to provide plots for immediate development.

“This request was totally rejected by the Minister of Education under whose ministry our school falls within. This letter was received by the Permanent Secretary of the Kaduna State Lands Ministry.

“The Kaduna State government persisted in July of 2015 coming up with another angle. The Principal of F.G.C. Kaduna then was forced to write to the Federal Ministry of Education on the attempt by the Kaduna State Government through its Land Ministry to forcefully acquire the said land.

He pointed out the  proposed excision will be too close for comfort as it would  endanger the lives of the students; Boundaries of building will be by the athletic track with the sports podium entirely subsumed into the proposal;  The boundaries will be too close to the Science Laboratory;  Demarcating the school with residential buildings in it is tantamount to totally leaving the school bare and at high risk of kidnapping of our students.

“The college totally rejected the idea and advised the ministry against even listening to such ignominious proposal. A STOP WORK ORDER ON CARVE-OUTS IN PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS was published in the Daily Trust newspapers of Thursday 9th July 2015 and signed by the Secretary to the Kaduna State Government, with the hope that this whole illegal process will stop once and for all.

“The Principal, knowing these attempts will not stop.  he had this documented and sent to the Federal Ministry of Education warning that they ignore the request then and any that will come in the future on this same matter.

“The Kaduna State’s illegal acquisition is illegal and suspect as that the letter was not addressed to the Federal Ministry of Education the owners of the school but rather to the Principal who is just a staff of the ministry. This illegality is not only distasteful and outright wickedness on the part of leaders but it is an agenda to obliterate the memories of the founding fathers of this country and the only institution which is one of the last bastions of moulding Nigerians devoid of the things responsible for our arrested development as a Nation. Our leaders and elders should be concerned about strengthening these institutions and not destroy same,” the old students said.

Gambo said the Kaduna State government is aware that the old students have  an endowment on infrastructure which runs into billions of Naira. “We are working on making F.G.C. Kaduna a centre of information technology with the hosting of a SISCO training lab with certification for all graduates of the institution, a telecoms repair lab, among other plans to turn our students to global brands.

“The alumni association of this school are leaders of thought whose concerns for what is going on now is very altruistic. It has angered us and we are going to fight this to the last until all lands belonging to our school is returned. We have been reliably informed that the lands have been distributed amongst very top bigwigs of the present Kaduna State government, and friends of the State Governor. We say, this will NEVER be allowed to be proceed. Not on our watch!,” the students vowed.