Ekiti Govt. goes tough on school land grabbers, threatens arrest, prosecution

Tue, Mar 26, 2019 | By publisher


Education

EKITI State Government on Tuesday warned people encroaching and erecting structures illegally on land already allotted to public schools across the state to stop forthwith.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Mr. Ayodeji Ajayi, gave the warning at an emergency peace parley with education key stakeholders in Ado-Ekiti.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was attended by representatives of government, key stakeholders in the education sector and residents of Ikingbisin area of Ado-Ekiti.

The meeting followed government discovery that some people had started encroaching on part of the land on which Ikingbinsin/Olorunda Community High School, Ado-Ekiti was established.

“Government wishes to warn that recalcitrant persons or groups that fail to heed the warning must be ready to forfeit such illegal structures to the state without any compensation. Aside forfeiting such structure, such person will be arrested and prosecuted,” he said.

The permanent secretary, who spoke through the Director of Schools, Mr Alani Daramola, commended the residents of the area for originally releasing the plots of land for the establishment of the school.

He also appreciated the collective efforts of the residents in resisting land grabbers from further encroaching on the school land.

Ajayi advised the people to always ascertain the status of any land adjoining public schools from the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development before making any transaction on them.

He also warned land owners already compensated by government to stop re-allocating such lands to prospective buyers, adding that government was prepared to prosecute both the buyers and illegal sellers of government land.

The permanent secretary said that the state government was not unmindful of the challenges of decayed  facilities in the school.

He gave assurance that efforts were on by the Gov. Kayode Fayemi-led government to rehabilitate them and provide more facilities and materials that would make teaching and learning more conducive to teachers and students of the school.

Chief Jimoh Adelusi, who spoke on behalf of the community, promised to cooperate with the state government to prevent further encroachment on the land on which the only secondary school serving the area, Ikingbinsin/Olorunda Community High School, was established.

He vowed to ensure that the encroached portion of the school land was reclaimed and restored, urging government to erect perimeter fencing to demarcate the boundary and make it difficult for any further attempt to encroach on the land.

Adelusi also assured that the entire residents of the area would continue to support government and work for the development of the school, so that its products would be forthright and dependable leaders of tomorrow. (NAN)

– Mar. 26, 2019 @ 16:35 GMT |

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