Kwara Assembly Orders Probe of Abandoned Work at KWASU’s Satellite Campuses

By Hammed Shittu

The Kwara State House of Assembly has resolved to investigate the circumstances that led to the abandonment of construction work at the two satellite campuses of the state owned university, KWASU, despite several millions of naira allegedly collected by the contractors handling the projects.

The two affected campuses are Ilesha-Baruba in Baruten Local Government Council Area and Osi in Ekiti Local Government Council Area.

The development, THISDAY gathered, might not be unconnected with the non-appearance of the contractors handling the projects at the two campuses since the present administration came into office on May 29, 2019.

It was gathered that the two sites in Ilesha-Baruba and Osi have become a ghost sites as reptiles and wide animals have taken over them.

However, at the sitting of the lawmakers last week, the House Committee on Tertiary Education raised the alarm over the abandonment of the projects at the two satellite campuses and urged the house to investigate the matter.

This followed a matter of general public importance raised by a lawmaker representing Okuta-Yashikira, Constituency, Hon. Muhammed Baba-Salihu titled ‘Need for Speedy Completion of Baruten and Ekiti Satellite Campuses of Kwara State University, Malete’ during the plenary.

The lawmaker noted that billions of naira have been expended on the two satellite campuses without commensurate development since the establishment of the state university 10 years ago.

Baba-Salihu pointed out that the structures of the satellite campuses in Baruten and Ekiti Local Government Areas are less than thirty per cent completed, which was worth looking into.

Other lawmakers who spoke on the matter, expressed concern over the abandonment of the two campuses and stressed the need for the contractors handling the projects to be summoned for questioning.

The Speaker of the House, Hon. Yakubu Danlad-Salihu however said the house unanimously agreed to direct the House Committee on Tertiary Education to commence full investigation into the development.

He therefore charged the committee to be thorough in its investigation and report back to the house in two weeks.