Government orders recovery of encroached university land

The Cross River State Government has issued a quit notice to illegal occupants of the state-owned University of Cross River, vowing to reclaim all encroached property.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Asset Management and Recovery, Gilbert Agbor, issued the quit notice on Wednesday.

This was during an inspection of the institution with a security personnel team in Calabar.

The directive followed renewed complaints by the university over escalating encroachment threatening its expansion and academic development.

Agbor said the governor had ordered the immediate recovery of all encroached portions of the university’s land without compromise.

“The instruction of His Excellency is clear: every inch of land encroached upon must be recovered,” he said.

He described the level of encroachment as massive and embarrassing, warning that the government would no longer tolerate the illegal occupation of public assets.

Agbor also announced an immediate halt to the supply of building materials to affected areas to stop ongoing illegal construction activities.

“The government is issuing a clear warning to all illegal occupants: vacate immediately,” he warned.

He added that enforcement operations would continue until full recovery of the university’s property was achieved.

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) of the university, Prof. Thomas Ojikpong, commended Governor Bassey Otu for responding swiftly to the university’s distress call.

Ojikpong said decisive measures were necessary to secure the land for future academic growth and infrastructure development.

He added that the encroachment had severely affected the institution’s expansion plans and implementation of key academic programmes.

Similarly, Edem Ekanem, Director of Administration and Council Affairs, disclosed that nearly 60 percent of the university’s land had been encroached upon.

Ekanem said earlier assessments placed the figure between 50 percent and 52 percent, but noted that the situation had worsened over time.

He explained that the land was legally acquired and gazetted by the state government between 1972 and 1974.

He expressed confidence that the university would fully recover its land with sustained government support and enforcement efforts.