Several years ago, not a few people had reservations about coming to settle in Abuja, because they saw the then new Federal Capital Territory as largely remote and unpromising. Today, there are people everywhere scrambling for any piece of land in Abuja, even in places they should steer away from.
This is, perhaps, the case at the University of Abuja currently, where large swathes of land meant for the University is being encroached upon by all sorts of people, who are claiming rightful ownership, buying and unscrupulously selling portions of such land to unsuspecting persons.
The result is that so many illegal and ugly structures are regularly erected across the campuses, farms and camps are being set up, and of recent even bandits could be sited moving freely and posing security threats. One funny development is that, in some instances, these “landlords” are even levying the University authority, which is the real land owner, before it could be allowed to make use of its own land. Perhaps the encroachers are not wholly to blame for this audacity.
In the face of bourgeoning population in the country, and Abuja in particular, and high cost of living which has sharpened people’s survivalists’ instincts and desperate quest for habitation, any easy land can be up for grabs.
On top of this, successive administrations in this University have neither firmly taken control of their land nor deliberately made effort to secure it from encroachment through rapid development. Is it not sad that not much development has taken place on this University since it was established in 1988 and academic activities began in 1990?
Until 2009 when it relocated to the Main Campus, there had been little or no structural development, and where there was semblance of such development, it had not been that significant. On the Main Campus, beginning from 2009, development was relatively slow and painfully unsteady because not all of the previous administrations had the passion and administrative acumen for developing the institution.
Now the University is lucky to have a chief executive who is not only avowedly committed to changing the narratives, but demonstrating rare competence and passion for development. This Vice-Chancellor, Professor AbdulRasheed Na’Allah, believes that in harnessing the resources of the institution for development, he would brook no further encroachment, and he is sending a strong message to trespassers to look elsewhere because he needs space to actualize his aggressive developmental strategy.
In fact, in the last one year and some months, despite the outbreak of Covid-19 and strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) much development has been taking place on the MainCampus, which now accommodates almost all the 12 faculties of the University. Easily noticeable, for instance, are the establishment of Academic Conference Centre, installation of street lights and completion of the Institute of Legislative Studies.
There are other works such as extension of Electricity from Academic Core to the Institute of Education, Access Road from Academic Core to Agric Farm and Staff Quarters. Given the relatively slow pace of development at the University in the last couple of years, it may appear that the University of Abuja has taken more land – over 11,000 hectares – that it can use. But this reasoning may be unrealistic because the University of Abuja is the only public university in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and will remain to serve many generations in the future.
The battle for reclaiming the University land from constant encroachment will not be a tea party, as he may soon find out that even some staff and students connive to sell such land, especially around Ido, Gwagwalada and Giri axis, and may put up a stiff opposition against his stand. However, I like his determination and doggedness, which characterized his person at Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, where he directed the affairs of the institution for 10 years to an enviable point before being appointed vice-chancellor of UniAbuja.
And given the kind of person he is, I know that he will press harder to stop this vexatious annexation of our campus by some die-hard encroachers. Of recent, we read that Professor Na’Allah has involved the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Malam Mohammed Musa Bello, and that the minister had responded positively to this call. We also read that TETFund had given 400million naira to the University to assist in erecting a fence to stop encroachment on campus.
I urge the University Management to reach out to more stakeholders for support. It is important to give encroachers last warning to stop their nefarious activities forthwith or the long arm of the law will visit them. Illegal structures, some of which have become eye sore should be pulled down. And this is where the minister’s support will be very much needed.
The management of the University should know that the students are very much with them on this project. Nothing should stop the current development phase on the campus now, and the people who are seizing land here should be told in clear terms that the future of this University matters a lot. –Okuboye is a 300 level Accounting student of the University of Abuja