President Ernest Bai Koroma has said that all illegal constructions done on Fourah Bay College property would be demolished to make way for the actualisation of a long-standing project to refurbish the college infrastructure.
The president is reported as having told a meeting of college authorities, Ministry of Lands officials and representatives of the squatter communities all around the college campus that his government's programme to refurbish FBC, funded by the Arab Bank for Reconstruction and Development, BADEA would proceed according to plan and the full weight of the law would be brought to bear on those illegally occupying FBC land.
The president said his government was disturbed over the present condition of the FBC infrastructure and would do everything to improve the facilities at the oldest institution of higher learning in Sierra Leone.
The meeting which took place at State House on Monday 18th May, was told that more than twenty-one acres of land belonging to the college had been encroached upon on all sides in communities like Mount Aureol Terrace, Kamanda Farm, Leicester Road and Tree Planting, housing hundreds of people.
According to a source who attended the meeting, the squatters' representatives accused some FBC lecturers of grabbing some of the land in question. They told the president that they only intend to construct community facilities on the land FBC wants to take from them. Our source confirmed that president Koroma told the squatters not to proceed with any construction on the land and that on the question of lecturers grabbing college land, the authorities at the University of Sierra Leone would investigate the issue and take appropriate action.
Politico understands that a further meeting is planned between FBC authorities, the squatters and the Ministry of Lands on Thursday 21st May. Ministry officials were not available for comment as we went to press but many FBC lecturers, particularly those residing on the campus welcome the stance of the president saying their security and the learning environment "had been badly compromised by the squatters."
Under the thirty-six million dollar BADEA project, student hostels and classrooms would be refurbished, and new classrooms and other facilities constructed. It's not clear when the project would commence. FBC students have been out of their hostels for about four years now.
© Politico 21/05/15
