*Urge Gov Makinde To Urgently Intervene
By Stephen Gbadamosi, Ibadan
Students of Christian Mission School for the Deaf in Ibadan, Oyo State, have called on the state government to stop the planned sale of the school’s 39-acre land.
The land is located at Kilometre 18, Lagos – Ibadan Expressway.
The students are opposed to the sale, strongly rumoured to be in the works with political office holders and other powerful individuals eyeing the vast plot, raising serious concerns on issues of abuse of power by persons in high government office, compassion for society’s vulnerable or lack of same by leaders as well as need for moral high ground.
Protesting today, they displayed placards with various inscriptions, and made a passionate appeal to State Governor Seyi Makinde to stop encroachers from taking over the land.
It was learnt that the said land was acquired for the proposed establishment of the first university for the deaf in Africa.
Some of the inscriptions on the students’ placards read: ‘The Deaf Have Rights To Live’, ‘Please, Do Not Snatch Our Lands’, ‘Don’t Punch The Deaf In The Face’, and ‘Please, Do Not Oppress The Deaf’, among others.
Speaking with journalists on behalf of the management of the school, a member of the school’s advisory board, Dr. Gbenga Idowu, said: “We bought the land in 2005 and the problem started when the State Government acquired the land in 2018, without prior notice, despite the fact that we duly registered the property with them.
“We have no power of our own. We are not happy about the encroachment. We have only 39 acres. In a saner clime, the government will fully support us, due to the disability of these innocent and helpless children.
“If our government will not help us, they should leave us with the little we struggled to get.
“A senator coming to take the land of the poor; what for? There’s land everywhere. Why should it be the land of these defenceless innocent children you want to take by force?
“This deaf school is not meant for Christians alone; there are Muslim children among these students who come from all over the country. Governor Seyi Makinde should please help us do all he can to protect us from these encroachers.
“For years, our mission has strived tirelessly to uplift deaf individuals, preventing them from the indignity of becoming street beggars and urchins. We established primary and secondary schools for the deaf, located at Plot 78 Commercial Reservation, off Kudeti Avenue, Onireke GRA, Ibadan in 1998 and 2004.
“However, the overwhelming number of students and dedicated staff has rendered this place severely congested.
“Driven by a profound commitment to expand our reach and provide comprehensive training, encompassing primary, secondary, vocational, agricultural, and even university education – a pioneering initiative for the deaf in Nigeria and the African continent –, we embarked on a mission to buy a larger expanse of land.
“Through the generous contributions of compassionate families, friends, and supporters who share our unwavering love for the deaf, we got it.
“This land represents a beacon of hope, a tangible step towards realising our vision of a self-sufficient and empowered deaf community.
“We have written several letters to make the State Government see reasons, but our pleas fell on deaf ears. Nobody responded to us until last year when we noticed a new encroachment again by one Senator Afuye.
“We accosted him to enquire why he encroached on our land, but he put up a stiff resistance and told us we should go to court.
“They have forcefully taken over 19 acres, despite the structures we built on it. The place we have at Onireke is already choked up and that’s why we looked for a more spacious place to give life to the deaf.
“After many attempts, the government promised to look into it, but we were dismayed to witness the presence of State Government entities undertaking construction on the said land.
“Left with no other recourse, we sought legal intervention, and the court, recognising the validity of our claim, issued an injunction to halt further work on the property.
“Regrettably, the subsequent court proceedings have been consistently frustrated by the inexplicable absence of the government’s legal representatives.
“We have observed further activity on another section of our land with individuals clearing the area. Upon inquiry, these workers informed us that Senator Afuye had purchased the land.
“We are a mission driven by compassion and a desire to serve a vulnerable segment of our society. We are not profit-driven, nor do we represent any particular denomination other than the universal Christian call to love and serve our neighbors’ as ourselves.”
He implored the governor to personally look into “our predicaments and provide a final and just resolution to this protracted issue. The future of countless deaf individuals, their hopes for education, self-reliance, and dignity, rests upon your compassionate intervention.”
