‘Special’ students reject attempt to sell school land to senator, others in Oyo
BY ADEGBOYEGA STEPHEN
Students of Christian Mission School for the Deaf in Ibadan, Oyo State have called on the state government to stop the planned selling of their 39-acre site land.
They are resisting the selling of the land located at Kilometre 18 Lagos – Ibadan expressway to political office holders and other individuals.
The students, who protested, displaying placards with various inscriptions, made a passionate appeal to Governor Seyi Makinde to stop encroachers from taking over the land.
It was learnt that the said land was acquired for the proposed establishment of the first university for the deaf in Africa.
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Some of the inscriptions on their placards read: “The Deaf Have Rights To Live,” “Please, Do Not Snatch Our Lands,” “Don’t Punch The Deaf In The Face,” and “Please, Do Not Oppress The Deaf; The deaf among others.
Speaking with journalists on behalf of the management of the school, a member of the school’s advisory board, Dr. Gbenga Idowu, said: “We bought the land in 2005 and the problem started when the state government acquired the land in 2018, without prior notice, despite the fact that we duly registered the property with them.
“We have no power of our own. We are not happy about the encroachment. We have only 39 acres. In a saner clime, the government will fully support us, due to the disability of these innocent and helpless children.
“If our government will not help us, they should leave us with the little we struggled to get.
“A senator coming to take the land of the poor. What for? There’s land everywhere. Why should it be the land of these defenceless innocent children you want to take by force?
“This deaf school is not meant for Christians alone; there are Muslim children among these students who come from all over the country. Governor Seyi Makinde should please help us do all he can to protect us from these encroachers.
“For years, our mission has strived tirelessly to uplift deaf individuals, preventing them from the indignity of becoming street beggars and urchins. We established primary and secondary schools for the deaf, located at Plot 78 Commercial Reservation, off Kudeti Avenue, Onireke GRA, Ibadan in 1998 and 2004.
“However, the overwhelming number of students and dedicated staff has rendered this place severely congested.
“Driven by a profound commitment to expand our reach and provide comprehensive training, encompassing primary, secondary, vocational, agricultural, and even university education – a pioneering initiative for the Deaf in Nigeria and the African continent – we embarked on a mission to buy a larger expanse of land.
“Through the generous contributions of compassionate families, friends, and supporters who share our unwavering love for the deaf, we got it. This land represents a beacon of hope, a tangible step towards realising our vision of a self-sufficient and empowered deaf community.”
“We are a mission driven by compassion and a desire to serve a vulnerable segment of our society. We are not profit-driven, nor do we represent any particular denomination other than the universal Christian call to love and serve our neighbors’ as ourselves.”
He said they implore the governor to personally look into “our predicaments and provide a final and just resolution to this protracted issue. The future of countless deaf individuals, their hopes for education, self-reliance, and dignity, rests upon your compassionate intervention.”
