Unity School Old Students Association, USOSA has expressed displeasure over the encroachment into its facility by the Kaduna State Government at the Federal Government College, Kaduna.
President General of USOSA Mr. Michael Magaji who stated this in Kaduna during a solidarity rally , said the incursion into the Federal Government assets was unacceptable and inappropriate.
Mr. Micheal Magaji explained that, the Association with over one million members cut across the one hundred and ten, unity schools across the country has the mandate of promoting public education, particularly that of unity schools toward protecting the interest and future of children.
He said, it was inappropriate for anyone including state government to encroach into such assets which was meant to promote educational development of the country.
According to Mr. Michael Magaji, over eight hundred plots, and two million square feet of land belonging to the school has been excised illegally which he described as a blatant violation of the rights of the school as well as that of the students.
According to the USOSA President, unity schools in Nigeria including Federal Government College, Kaduna were established to promote unity and national integration, noting that such philosophy must be sustained to enhance unity, peace and sustainable development of Nigeria.
“If the land were earmarked for educational or communal purposes like building of hospital to give people better access to health-care, that would’ve been understandable, and it would be a collaboration and agreement between the state government, the ministry of education and indeed all stakeholders in which the Alumni is part of”
“We are here to register our displeasure and to build consensus, tax payers money was used to educate us forty, fifty years ago by this same government, and we are only giving back to the society by being members of the Unity Schools Old Students Association, USOSA, and we must protect the land, if the land was taken forty, fifty years ago even me myself wouldn’t be here advocating, so we must protect the right of the Nigerian child”
“The Association is calling on governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to use their good offices and intervene on the matter to protect the future of public education, particularly unity schools which were created to foster unity and national integration”.
“Unity Schools were created for these kind of social and developmental provision, so we must protect the assets of the Federal Government, especially those assets that are created to foster national unity,
“We the Alumni have plans to expand the school infrastructure wise, to build more classes, hostels, library, clinic and even build staff quarters for the teachers, and to ensure we double the enrollment into Federal Government College, Kaduna and indeed, all Federal Government Colleges in Nigeria”, said Magaji.
On his part, the National President of Federal Government College, Kaduna Alumni Association, Mr. Sheyi Gambo lamented that the land
“It is what they tried since 2015 and was not successful that they now did at the tail end of the former government, which shows alot of insincerity, because I can see them pushing the burden on the new government”
“The ministry of education were up and doing, as they took the matter to Court, and when they went to court, the court passed judgement and stop the state government from interfering in the land, but they refused to obey court injunction and went ahead with the annexation.
During the peaceful rally at the school premises, students were seen carrying placards.
Daniel Karlmax
