Encroachment on varsity’s land by individuals affecting expansion – LASU VC

The Vice-Chancellor of the Lagos State University, Ojo, Prof. Lanre Fagbohun, has said that the encroachment on the institution’s land by some individuals is affecting its expansion.
Fagbohun disclosed this in a chat with our correspondent at the end of a recent stakeholders’ meeting held in the university.
According to him, 682 hectares of land, which is equivalent to 75 per cent of the university’s land had been taken over by trespassers.
He said that was why expansion had been a major challenge facing the university, especially with the determination of the administration to make the institution a centre of excellence.
Fagbohun said the aim of the government to make the university a world class institution, fully residential with the right infrastructure and facilities might not be possible since 75 per cent of its land had been encroached upon.
“Our carrying capacity approved by the National Universities Commission is 8,000, but we cannot admit up to that because we don’t have the facilities. That is why expansion is important for LASU,” he said.
The VC said many students prefered the university but due to space constraint, the institution could not admit above its current capacity.
He added that the state government gave the land to LASU because it had foresight, stressing that with time, there would be the need for the expansion of the university, especially in the area of hostel accomodation.
“We agree that there is negligence on the part of the institution because we did not make use of the land for many years, but that does not mean individuals should take over. We are all stakeholders and we need to protect what belongs to the government; not taking it over,” he said.
Fagbohun said that the meeting was convened to look for the way forward so that LASU would not continue to suffer over what rightfully belonged to the institution.
“But instead of the government coming with bulldozers, the governor has made it easier for the trespassers to pay some amount and will continue to pay rent to LASU as long as they are on the land,” he said.
He, however, said that some set of people who went as far as building inside the premises of LASU would not be pardoned.
“we have no choice but to demolish them, because these set broke the wall of the university and built their houses on it,” he said.
The VC urged trespassers to take optimum advantage of the opportunity offered by the government by doing what they had been asked to do.
Fagbohun disclosed that owners of the affected houses should comply within the stipulated deadline as non-compliance would bring the wrath of the law upon them.
A total of 14,400 houses are on the land and following the regularisation exercise, annual land use charges and rental fees are to be paid to the Lagos State Government and LASU, respectively.