Vice chancellor of Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Ikwo in Ebonyi State, Prof. Sunday Elom has appealed to the federal government to assist the Ebonyi State government to compensate and resettle the owners of the land the institution occupied to enable them vacate the campus.
Elom said the institution is yet to achieve meaningful development following the continued stay of the land owners in the school campus.
He made the appeal when the senior special assistant to the president on students’ engagements, Mr. Asefon Sunday paid him a visit in his official as part of the safe school initiative campaign.
Prof. Elom said, “I want to commend the president for his determination to revive the university system through the Renewed Hope Agenda. I also commend the government for the Students’ Loan Scheme and the Safe School Initiative and Security Architecture in the country.
“Let me equally applaud the Ebonyi State governor, Francis Nwifuru for his people-oriented policies, especially his plan to revitalize education in the state.
“As a university, we are seriously challenged because the original owners of the land where the university is situated are still living within the campus because they have not been compensated and resettled by the Ebonyi State government that donated the land to the federal government
“Because of this, we have not been able to completely fence the campus. This has been a source of worry to us. I therefore, appeal for the intervention of the federal government in the matter.
“I strongly appeal that the federal government support the Ebonyi state government to resettle the indigenes to enable them vacate the campus for all-round development to take place.”
In his remark, Asefon said the Tinubu’s administration is passionate about education noting that the Students’ Loan Scheme and the Safe Schools Initiative project of the administration were intended to scale-up access to education to all Nigerians and also provide safe and conducive environment for teaching and learning in schools.