Controversies Trail FEDPOFFA’s Plan To Demolish Campus Business Ventures

By Sikiru Obarayese

Controversies have been trailing the decision of the management, Federal Polytechnic Offa, on the order for immediate evacuation of business ventures, minimarts in the main market point of the campus.

The security men on campus, claim to be acting on the order given by management, who ordered the shutdown of business activities around the school’s back gate, popularly known as Abuja area, one of the major business point on campus.

It was gathered that on Monday, 14th of August, School security agents were everywhere to monitor and close any shop opened for business, a situation that propelled the shop owners to stage a protest to the Director of Students Affairs Office, after which some shops were reopened for business.

Investigation revealed that the shop owners also matched to the Rector’s Office at the Main Campus to show their grievances, and the Rector gave them two weeks ultimatum to evacuate from the area.

However, the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of the polytechnic, Mr. Mustapha Nurudeen said, though they were not privy to the actual reason the management made such decision, but it was the thinking of the management that the shop owners harbour criminals in their shops.

According to him, ”closing down of the shops is a proposed action and the school management is keeping it in view. As a chief security, I admit that there has not been any time that we informed the school management that the shop owners are harbouring criminals in their shops.”

He said that the shops owners sometimes assist the security officer to carry out their jobs effectively on campus.

”I could recall sometimes ago, one person named Kayode was macheted and it was one of the shop owners that called security to  interfere in the matter. If not for that act, the boy might have been killed.

During the Osun Defender Campus Review’s interviews with some shop owners, it was gathered that on Monday, 7th of August, Poly Consult sealed all the shops in the area, requesting that they should pay for Poly Consult due which is N12,000.

A student, who operates a computer business venture, Mr. Solomon, asserted that he paid a N12,000 to the Poly Consult and security came to last week Friday  and told them to vacate the area.

Quoting him, “This is what I’m using to sponsor myself. This is inhuman and it is not done anywhere; FEDPOFFA Management wants to cheat us”.

“Most of these shops are owned by students, that’s what we use to sponsor ourselves.”

Another business owner, Mr. Qoyum also said, “all these shops were built by individuals, not the school management; we pay the owners and still pay Poly Consult”.

A student from the Faculty of Engineering frowned at the management’s decision, lamenting that the damages being caused the students due to the closure of the Abuja gate were enormous.

“It is difficult for student to move 120 degree to the only gate which is opened”.

Another student, Olaleye Afeez, a Mass Communication student said, it is not possible to dismantle shops in the school premises.

In his word, the shops render good services to students, saying, they could easily be contacted hastily at time of needs.

They now pleaded with the management to consider them and change its decision.