Posted by Trace Reporter on 13 August 2016Ahead of the planned demolition of Gbagyi Villa houses in Kaduna,Senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial district, Comrade Shehu Sani has begged Governor Nasiru Ahmed El-Rufa’i not demolish the community.
Sani said the encroachment crisis between the community of Gbagyi Villa and Kaduna polytechnic was a federal government business and therefore, the intervention of the state government was uncalled for.
The Senator spoke to the Gbagyi community which fell under his constituency, adding that the state intervention could only be necessary in terms of bringing solution and peace between the institution and host community.
“From my understanding, this issue is between Kaduna Polytechnic, a federal institution and the people of Gbagyi villa”.
“The State government is simply meddling into what it ought not to meddle into. The presence of the state government is for it to mediate and bring amicable solution into whatever problem.
“If the state government is meddling into a state land that has been encroached upon,it is a different issue. You cannot meddle into where you don’t have jurisdiction. It is very wrong for anybody to do that”.
Sani and some of his aides went round the disputed land between the people of Gbagyi villa and Kaduna Polytechnic, where he urged the State Government to play a mediatory role between the residents of Gbagyi Villa and the Management of Kaduna Polytechnic, a federal tertiary institution in order to douse the tension generated in the State by the threat of demolition of houses in the community.
While addressing members of the Gbagyi Villa community, Senator Sani said, “I am here today as your elected Senator to view and see things for myself and my office, the reality of the situation in Gbagyi villa and I am also here to add a moral voice and to make a political presence in the long and protracted controversies and conflict that has become between the Gbagyi villa, the Polytechnic and the State government.
“As your elected Senator, I have both moral and constitutional right and duty to be physically present and listen to you and have a
personal feeling of the situation on ground.
“When you elect people into office, and you have concerns, worries, issues, we are morally bound to be present to listen to you”, he said.
According to him, “your cries, worries, tears have been heard, not just by people in Kaduna State but people in the whole of this country and the world in general”, pointing out that “Gbagyi villa is a long settlement that is as old as the history of Kaduna and Kaduna State”.
He further said: “From my little knowledge of history, the present generation of Gbagyi villa are almost the third or fourth generation of people who have lived in this land. It is right to call you indigenous people of Gbagyi villa. And as indigenous people, you have both the political and moral right to claim the rightful ownership of your land.
“And I will say it in a small phrase that people are more important than land”.
Sani also remarked that “The first objective and principle of any responsible government in a nation is to exist and commit itself to the welfare and wellbeing, peace, order and comfort of its own citizens.
“We are in a democracy, and people have the fundamental rights to say no in a democracy”.
He explained that: “if there is a choice between the rights of the people and what is good for the people, what takes precedence is what is
right.
“The rights of the people take precedence of the good of the people. Anybody elected on a democratic platform should subject himself to the will of the people. We must at all time as democrat, listen to our people and submit ourselves to their wishes”, Sani said.
Sani also noted that “The Gbagyi villa is a test case for our democratic credentials. It is also a test case for our claims to democracy. If we
are actually elected into office to do what our people wants, then the people of Gbagyi villa has spoken and we must comply with the people.
“What is happening here is quite unfortunate. It ought not to have been dragged very long. Those that should have resolved this problem 40 years ago were either negligent about it or decided to sow a seed of discord that will snow ball into a possible conflict. “Kaduna Polytechnic is my alma mata and I am proud of it. But, it is in the interest of any academic community to live in harmony with its neighbours or host community.
“The government can use it force or state apparatus to crush the buildings or drive away the people. But, it cannot win the peace that is necessary for an academic community to thrive. As residents of this villa, you have the right to question the state government.
“From my understanding this issue is between Kaduna polytechnic, a federal institution and the people of Gbagyi villa”, he maintained.
Sani Continued that “the good side is that this is one of the most peaceful communities in the state. You have lived in peace despite the past conflicts between Moslems and Christians. Gbagyi villa has never recorded any incident of crisis among faith. You deserve the State and Federal appreciation”.
“I am here to add a moral weight and side with justice and peace in the state.
“I am here to make a strong appeal to the Kaduna state
government to reconsider its decision and play a role of a peace maker and provide this community with the necessary amenities it deserves.
“And also play a mediating role between the federal polytechnic and the people of this community that existed before the coming of the polytechnic.
“It is unfortunate that your parents were buried here, as threat of bulldozers are now threatening their graves and your houses, but I believe that if we should differ from creatures it is because of senses of compassion and reasoning”, he said.
A former legislator in the Kaduna House of Assembly and former commissioner in the State, Mrs. Maria Dogo in her address said that
“We members of this community have never encroached into the
Polytechnic land”, pointing out that “there was misunderstanding during the time of late Governor Patrick Yakowa which was resolved”.
She remarked:
He (Yakowa) called on me and I explained everything about this place and that was how he intervened and brought out a white paper.
“Our parents were farming here, even though they gave land to the Polytechnic, they still had natural demarcation which is still there today.
“After late Yakowa came down here, the committee that he set up reported back to him and he was convinced by the masquerade trees our
parents had earlier used as demarcation.
” That was why he called the officials on the ministry of lands to gazette this place and make plans for the land. “We sat at the executive council meeting and deliberated on it, unfortunately Yakowa later passed on”.
Dogo argued.
She added “I want to believe that government is a continuous process. I don’t expect an educated person, somebody who is supposed to be a father to all of us, somebody who should provide shelter for the poor and accommodate destitute, rather, want to make people who have come out of their ways build houses and alleviate their own poverty by themselves and you are coming out today to make life miserable for them.
“We understand that Alhuddahuda houses in Zaria were demolished. This case is different, this is our parents land and it is not for the Polytechnic and it is not for state schools”.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Gbyagi Villa Community, Mr. Chris Obudumun commended Senator Sani on his decision to intervene in the controversy, while assuring that the people in the community will continue to live peacefully with their neighbors.
Sani, therefore appealed to Governor Nasir El-Rufai to reconsider the decision and
spare over 10,000 residents of the community from being rendered homeless.
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