Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria branch, on Monday, protested against the alleged forceful takeover of the institution’s land by the Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai.
At the Mando campus of the College of Agriculture and Animal Science of ABU in the state capital, the lecturers called on the Senate of the institution to formally withdraw the degree certificate awarded the governor over his many actions, which contravened the requirements to award him such certificate.
The lecturers carried placards with various inscriptions such as, ‘Our land is our right’, ‘Governor El-Rufai is an enemy of public education’, ‘El-Rufai stay away from Ahmadu Bello University’s property’, ‘Sardauna’s legacy in jeopardy’, ‘Leave Mando land alone’, ‘ABU Mando land is not for sale’, ‘ABU land is Sardauna’s legacy for public education’, ‘Stop encroaching our land’, and ‘ABU did not teach you land grabbing’, among others.
The Chairman of ASUU in the institution, Prof Harun Jibril, while addressing journalists shortly after the peaceful rally on the premises of the institution, called on the Senate of ABU to consider withdrawing the degree certificate awarded El-Rufai as his many actions were in contravention of the requirements in character and learning deemed worthy of the degree award.
He noted that the governor’s desperate attempt to take over the land of the college was an affront and insult to the late Premier of the defunct Northern Region, Sir Ahmadu Bello, and his indelible legacy to public education.
Jibril described the action of the governor as quite despicable, saying he carried out the action against a court order, which restrained the state or its agencies from tampering with the institution’s land.
The ASUU chairman stated, “Sadly, we are here once again to update you on the encroachment on the Ahmadu Bello University land covering 196.258 hectares situated at the College of Agriculture and Animal Science, Mando, by the Kaduna State Government under the leadership of El-Rufai.
“This is quite despicable when one considers what the governor did to the citizens of Kaduna State, who built houses around the Al-Hudahuda College and the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria, on the account that the land belonged to these colleges.
“You may recall that on January 13, 2022, our union issued a press release, where we cautioned the governor to desist from this callousness and unlawful takeover of the property belonging to ABU, Zaria.
“However, instead of abiding by the caution, he went ahead to destroy the wall of the college and several trees. It is instructive to note that the trees destroyed were more than 50 years old, using bulldozers of the Kaduna State Urban Development Authority under the watch of over 100 well-armed security personnel, despite a subsisting interim court order restraining the governor and state attorney-general, their servants, agents and proxies from further entering and trespassing on the said land, which was duly served on them by the court.
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