Save us from Fulani herdsmen, Fed Poly Ado-Ekiti cries out

Authorities of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti has raised the alarm over alleged invasion and subsequent destruction of the institution’s farmlands by persons suspected to be Fulani herdsmen which had led to loss of millions naira by the institution.

At a pre-convocation press conference in Ado Ekiti on Friday, the Rector of the institution, Dr. Taiwo Akande, called on the federal government to intervene in the crisis.

The Rector added that the police and eminent Nigerian like Chief Afe Babalola whose university is located directly opposite the polytechnic had tried to curb further damage but to no avail.

“Our major headache is that of the menace of the Fulani cattle rearers that has been destructive to many of our demonstration farms and pilot plantations.

“It is most painful to also disclose that some of the pilot farm projects, academic, research demonstration farms and recently established plantations on which we pinned our hope of future revenue enhancement have been destroyed one after the other by the Fulani herdsmen.

“They bring their animals to the campus environment and eat up every green thing in sight and if we challenge them, they will bring out guns and matches”, she lamented.

Dr. Taiwo Akande, recalled that the systematic destruction of the institution’s farms and project sites had been on for over two years.

In the same vein, she said that another major problem confronting the polytechnic was the activities of land grabbers and illegal settlers within the polytechnic campus territory among others

Other problems confronting the Polytechnic according the Rector were continued dwindling resources arising from low funding by the federal government and poor patronage by the private sector in terms of endowment as part of current challenges of the polytechnic.

On the coming 16th combined convocation ceremony of the institution, Dr. Taiwo Akande, said would involve graduating sets of 2010/2011,2011/2012 and 2012/2013 academic sessions amounting a total of 11,558 students drawn from full and part-time 3,855 HND and 7,882 ND graduands.

The Rector however pleaded passionately with the federal government to make polytechnic education more attractive to Nigerian admission seekers and sponsors alike by removing the age-long dichotomy between the Polytechnic and the university.