Kwara Poly Management Raises Alarm over Land Encroachment by Suspected Grabbers

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

The authorities of the Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin (Kwarapoly) has raised the alarm over encroachment of its land by suspected land grabbers in the state.

The Rector of the institution, Dr. Abdul Mohammed, stated this in Ilorin yesterday on the sideline of the institution’s 28th convocation ceremony.

He said: “41 per cent of its land areas had been encroached upon. The polytechnic is currently occupying 6 percent of its land mass, while 41 percent of the entire land mass has been encroached in such a way that it enveloped the 6 percent.

“The remaining 53 percent is not accessible because the polytechnic would have to pass through the encroached portion before it can access the virgin land.”

To check the development, the rector said the management had commenced siting some projects on some encroachment prone areas and virgin land areas of the polytechnic.

He said the institution is also collaborating with the state Ministry of Tertiary Education and the state government, which he said had already set up committee on encroachment of lands belonging to state-owned schools in the state.

Mohammed also said the institution had signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with three indigenous industrial companies in its collaboration to encourage students’ practical skills.

The companies, according to the rector, are Prototype Engineering Development Institute, Ilesha; Federal Institute of Industrial Research (FIIRO), Oshodi; and Mantrac CAT, Ikeja, Lagos.

He added that the aim was to make the students relevant professionally where they find themselves in future on knowledge of heavy duty equipment, marine, agriculture and mining industries, as well as to make them employers of labour.

The rector also noted that a total of eight staff of the institution were sacked over certificate racketeering, adding that some staff members were also sacked over presentation of fake certificate and fake results for employment, “just as some were demoted over one offence or another.”

He also said the institution currently offers a total of 56 programmes and four new ones, namely: Nutrition Science, Library Science, Mechatronics and Food Science and Technology.

For the 28th convocation ceremony of the polytechnic, a total number of 62 students bagged distinction at the HND level, just as 56 students had distinction at the OND level