By Bida Elly David
The vice chancellor of the University of Juba Professor John Akec has accused Central Equatoria state government and the Ministry of Housing for permitting land grabbers to occupy the University land for investment.
Speaking to No.1 Citizen Daily Newspaper yesterday, Prof. Akec said organized armed forces were severally deployed to harass them and their staff at the University.
He stated that the State government did not compromise and recognize the legal documents and registration of the claimed land for the future of the nation.
He said the land was given to the University in the 1980s and the University acquired the land documents in 2005 after the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).
“Over the past five months, we had serious attacks where they deployed large number of organized forces to destroy buildings that are there,” Prof. Akec claimed.
“These people who are trying to grab the University land have got permission from Central Equatoria State and Ministry of Housing. The University land was given around 1980s and they are all registered with certificates. I registered them after CPA 2005 and on top of this the regional government wants to give it away. They used the army to expel people trying to develop the land by force,” he added.
The University of Juba VC disclosed that the illegal development of the land has been run by private intruders who were not part and parcel of the government or public entity.
“Those people who are trying to grab the land are private individuals and I don’t know their names. They are not the government body,” he noted.
“My message is that, this land has been allocated to the University for educating the Country and for investment by the University if it was. The area that they are occupying has been earmarked for hostels, school of business for many other things. Part of it will go for investment for which the University of Juba will benefit,” he underscored.
Prof. Akec reiterated that the land belongs to the national government meant to serve the purpose of educating the future generation of South Sudan but not individual interests.
“It is a national land under the national government. It doesn’t belong to me or to those who want to develop it for private gains. It actually belongs to our children and their children.”
“I said it is a public land and it will not be good for the act. Juba has got a lot of land though most of it has been sold, but I told them to leave this place to avoid all these conflicts,” he echoed.
The VC urged the State government and the developers to distant themselves from owning public property and think of developing the nation through learning.
“My appeal is that let them leave this land. It does not belong to the vice chancellor but to everybody throughout South Sudan for research and for the development of our Country.”
“Take your business elsewhere and do not grab the University land. The government has harassed us and our staff using their organized forces. We wrote to the IGP and he forwarded our complaint to Central Equatoria State government for resolution but they sent forces again as if nothing has happened,” he stated.