The Kano State Government will soon commence the demarcation and clearance of land belonging to Bayero University Kano (BUK) affected by the nearly 50-year-old Rimin Zakara land dispute, following the completion of compensation and resettlement arrangements for verified beneficiaries.
The exercise is being conducted by the Kano State Ministry of Land and Physical Planning in collaboration with the management of BUK and representatives of the Rimin Zakara community.
The Commissioner for Land and Physical Planning, Abduljabbar Muhammad Umar, led representatives of the parties to the affected area on Thursday for the demarcation and identification of BUK’s boundaries, as part of measures to recover and secure the university’s land.
Umar said the exercise would be followed by the clearance and demolition of illegal structures erected on land belonging to the university, after which steps would be taken towards the construction of a perimeter wall to safeguard the institution’s land and prevent future encroachment.
The development follows the settlement of the longstanding dispute between BUK and the Rimin Zakara community through a compensation and resettlement programme implemented by the Kano State Government.
More than 6,000 claims and interests were identified and processed under the settlement programme, while more than 85 per cent of BUK’s landholding was preserved for its present and future academic, research, residential and infrastructural development.
Umar said the government’s intervention was aimed at achieving a lasting solution to the dispute while protecting the legitimate interests of BUK and innocent residents who had acquired land in good faith.
He warned land-grabbing syndicates operating in Kano State and their collaborators to desist from illegal activities, particularly the unauthorised occupation, subdivision, allocation and sale of government or institutional land.
The commissioner said anybody who felt powerful enough to subdivide, allocate or sell land belonging to BUK or the Kano State Government would meet the full force of the law.
He stressed that the compensation exercise should not be interpreted as government recognition of illegal private sales or as an opportunity for land grabbers to continue exploiting unsuspecting members of the public.
Umar also commended the management of Bayero University Kano for its patience, maturity and cooperation throughout the process of resolving the longstanding dispute.
He equally appreciated traditional rulers and community leaders for their support and cooperation, saying their contributions were instrumental to the peaceful resolution of the crisis.
Representing the management of BUK, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academics, Professor Ahmad Muhammad Tsauni, expressed appreciation to the Kano State Government for its intervention and commitment towards bringing the dispute to an end.
Tsauni described Rimin Zakara as a close neighbour of the university and said BUK had maintained a good relationship with the community over the years.
He noted that many residents of Rimin Zakara work at BUK, while children from the community have also benefited from scholarships and other educational opportunities provided by the university.
The BUK representative expressed delight over the state government’s support for the ongoing demarcation and clearance of the university’s land, as well as the planned construction of a perimeter wall to secure the institution’s boundaries and prevent future encroachment.
He said the university was ready to continue working with the Kano State Government and the Rimin Zakara community to ensure the full implementation of the settlement.
Also speaking on behalf of the Rimin Zakara community, Malam Habu commended Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf for resolving the nearly 50-year-old dispute.
He particularly appreciated the governor for approving compensation for affected beneficiaries, saying the amount paid was significantly higher than what beneficiaries were originally expected to receive.
Habu said the government’s intervention had provided an opportunity for BUK and the Rimin Zakara community to move forward peacefully after decades of disagreement.
He urged members of the community to support the implementation of the settlement and respect the demarcated boundaries of the university.
The ongoing demarcation and clearance exercise marks a new phase in the implementation of the settlement, with the Kano State Government and BUK moving towards securing the university’s land and preventing a recurrence of the encroachment and disputes that persisted for decades.
The Kano State Government has maintained that the settlement is final, that genuine beneficiaries will be protected, and that further attempts to occupy, develop, subdivide or sell protected BUK or government land will attract enforcement of the law.