Some owners of buildings on a parcel of land belonging to Community Secondary School, Obosi, in Idemili North Area of the State, have commenced projects worth millions of naira to upgrade the school in restitution for their unintentional wrong.
The Chairman of the Anambra State Physical Planning Board, ANSPPB, Barr Chike Maduekwe, had led some stakeholders in the state to inspect the numerous projects ongoing at the school, being sponsored by the landlords, under the supervision of the School’s Alumni Association.
It was gathered that the school land, measuring over 250 acres, was bought by the landlords unsuspectingly from Obosi indigenes with a falsified survey plan. Many had built and lived on the school land for over 30 years.
However, it took the efforts of the present leadership of the Alumni Association three years ago to raise an alarm over the anomaly, prompting the state government’s intervention.
The Alumni Association, with the support of the State Government, reached out to the landlords, who acknowledged their fortuitous wrong and opted to embark on a series of projects to upgrade the school as a restitution for their wrong.
Among the projects, whose value was put at over three hundred million naira, were perimeter fencing of the school, hostel, borehole, smart classrooms, ICT centre, vocational and skill acquisition centre, and a bakery.
The Perimeter fencing is almost 50% completed, while the SMART 500-pupil classroom has kicked off already, expected to be completed in August.
Speaking during the inspection visit to the school, Barr Maduekwe recalled how the matter was reported to the State Executive Council, prompting the State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, to set up a committee to investigate it, chaired by his Special Adviser on Security, retired Air Vice Marshal Ben Chiobi.
Maduekwe, who noted that the state government had given the school over 250 acres of land, reported that through the hard work of the School’s Alumni Association, about 70 acres of land were recovered.
He revealed that the school’s projects were being sponsored by innocent persons who bought the land from Obosi indigenes.
“In law, we call them ‘Bonafide Purchasers of Value without Notice’, because these innocent persons bought land from indigenes of Obosi, thinking that they were the legitimate owners.
“Some of them have built here for over 30 years, and the government is not interested in punishing its innocent citizens.
“So, these people said they want to do restitution, to show the government that they acknowledge their wrong and are ready to make amends.
“Government is happy that innocent persons who bought lands from people who do not have the authority to sell, have realized their mistakes and are prepared to assist the government to provide these projects. When these projects come on stream, they will be of immense benefit to the children,” he said.
The ANSPPB boss, while commending the cooperating landlords, observed that it was the first time the government had seen such an initiative because lots of government land given to schools had been encroached on.
He warned occupants of buildings within the area who have refused to cooperate with the School’s alumni and the government that they will face the full wrath of the law.
“The government appreciates those who have decided to do this restitution because the money the government would have used for these projects would be deployed for other things.
“For those who are recalcitrant, they will be brought to the full embrace of the law. The board will mark all the buildings that did not cooperate with either the Old Boys, the landlords, or the government, and they will be demolished.
“But, we want to approach this in a way that it will be a win-win for everyone because this administration does not take delight in demolishing properties belonging to its citizens,
“I will report the matter back to Mr Governor at EXCo for his attention,” Maduekwe noted.
For his part, Sir Kenneth Obi, the global president of the school’s alumni association, said the initiative was the most pragmatic way the Alumni envisioned resolving the problem of encroachment, appreciating the landlords for cooperating.
“It was a journey we started over three years ago when we came in and found that out of the over 170 acres of land here is almost gone. We also found out that all the facilities, well-built, that used to be here when we schooled here in the 80s were all dilapidated.
“We got the survey plan for the school, and the government also helped us to identify the properties that encroached on the school land.
“We also realized that a different survey plan was forged in 1986 and presented to the innocent buyers so that the individuals who sold these lands could perpetrate their nefarious act, with the support of some prominent people from the town.
“So, we approached the landowners, and some of them cooperated with us. That is why we are here today,” he narrated.
Sir Kenneth, who noted that the Alumni is supervising the project that will gulp over 300 million from the landlords, said that for the landlords to put in such an amount of money in restitutive efforts, the onus is on the government to temper justice with mercy.
