Seyi Gambo: How Kaduna government annexed FGC land in Malali

Seyi Gambo is the president of the old students association of Federal Government College Malali, Kaduna state. In this interview, he speaks on the battle to reclaim the school land from the government of Kaduna state.

How has it been presiding over the old students association?

It is an extraordinary experience truth be told. As you know every unity school is a microcosm of Nigeria. So my team and I are face to face with all you can think of , and we have to make on the spot decisions if time doesn’t allow for long consultations, just as some issues requires we seek the opinions of experts within our commonwealth. One of the biggest issues is that of unemployment. Graduates and non-graduates looking for meaningful engagement. So it is a daily activity to match those looking for quality human resources and those with the prerequisite credentials. It also behooves on leadership to inspire our membership, to move them closer to the light at the end of the tunnel. It is sad whenever we cannot meet the great expectations of members most especially the younger ones. Now we are building structures that will make the alumni more responsive to the needs of members, things like professional clusters to enhance cross fertilisation of ideas and exploration of business partnerships is a perfect example. I count it an uncommon privilege to serve my alumni association at this eventful time.

What would you consider the biggest challenges so far?

Our members are sold out to Nigeria, we will be right to call them Nigeria’s finest. However things outside our ecosystem have been undermining us. The inverted cultural and political values of Nigeria of today which is in direct collision with our indoctrination of Nigeria first. The insensitive of players in the system to give us space to unleash our potentials to the benefit of all Nigerians especially in the political space. Where our members have held sway in the corporate world, we have set the agenda for corporate governance and progress. Our inability to take charge of all the facets of Nigeria and give the required leadership is a source of concern.

There is a raging issue over the takeover of parts of FGC Malali land by the Kaduna state government. What is actually the situation?

This is one of the grave challenges I alluded to earlier. Our political elite can do the unthinkable. Who annexes the land of a school anywhere in the world? The ministry of education who are owners of the land title have given exceptional and I must add patriotic leadership. They have taken the matter to court. The ministry got a stop work injunction against Kaduna state and her agents, but you won’t believe Kaduna state did not respect same! The office of the IG of police was petitioned and an instruction was sent to the Commissioner of police to investigate and act, with all the documentation and media exposure on the matter the commissioner of police did nothing not until some journalists called him and he now sent the DPO of the area. By this time the annexation pf more than 80 percent of Federal government college Kaduna had be accomplished. This is a land students use for farming practicals, land embarked to have ITC hub, land designated to have a CISCO training center, first of it’s kind in Nigeria, land for sporting events and activities. Land for new hotels and classrooms to mention but a few… in fact it is because of alumni association future plans for development as our giving back to our alma mater that we instituted an one billion endowment fund in the first instance, ten billion and hundred billion at the last phase of development.

What efforts have you made to resolve the situation?

We are working with all stakeholders to resolve the matter. We are engaging the federal government, informal discussions with opinion leaders, making in roads to see the new governor to chat a more progressive course. We can not afford to eat the future of our children and convert an institution which is an incubator for moldering future Nigerians and indeed Africans, in my time we had students from Angola, South African and many other countries come to study in FGCK. We cannot allow this citadel of learning to something akin to an extra moral entity – lesson in our local parlance.

There is a rally on Saturday by USOSA. Do you expect much to change?

Yes it is an issue at the heart of USOSA because if this is not redressed all the 115 unity schools will be exposed to land speculators whose only intest is naira and kobo. Our rally is to capture the aspirations of our children for a standard environment to be educated. As a nation we cannot afford to start losing our Secondary school age students to schools in Ghana.

Is land grab a common occurrence across Unity Schools in Nigeria?

It is not a common occurrence because most people appreciate the pivotal role these schools serve, not only as the bastion of our unity and the Nigeria of our dreams, but as a collective center of excellence which brings under one roof children of Nigerians from all works of life. The president’s children and those of the office messager sleep on the same bunk, eat together, learn in the same classroom and are indoctrinated with nationalistic values. The same reverence we give our places of worship is the same we must accord this institutions.

There’s this question about the relevance of Unity Schools in modern day Nigeria. What’s your take on that?

If Nigeria is to continue to exist, if we still want a black nation that will lead the African continent as equals on the table with the west, there is none other institution in Nigeria that is equipped to achieve this outside the unity schools. The military institutions, NYSC etc only addresses a limited concerns. The unity schools graduates are the total man/woman, total Nigeirans from all works of life. We are the only critical mass of Nigerians who are vanguards of the Nigeria and Nigerians of positive and progressive values. We are the crystalization of our founding fathers dreams. We are the root, uproot the roots and the tree is left to die. Honestly more than ever the unity schools are an essential part of Nigeria