Sesan Olufowobi

Some parents of students of three public schools in the Ifako Ijaiye area of Lagos State on Thursday protested against the planned takeover of the playing field of three schools by a company in the area.

The affected schools are Keke Senior High School, Estate Junior High School and Stadium Junior High School.

Some of the placards read, ‘Her Excellency, the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, please, save our children’s football field from land grabbers’, ‘Lagos State House of Assembly, please, save our children’s football field’, and ‘The field is for sports’.

The Chairman, Parent Forum, Keke Senior High School, James Ayeni, said the playing field stood at the centre of the three schools.

He added that the pitch was allegedly sold to the company, which wanted to use the plots of land for a hotel.

He said, “We wrote petitions to the Lagos State House of Assembly, the governor, and the Ministry of Education on this matter. The House of Assembly called us last year and we met with them, but we have yet to reach a favourable conclusion.

“The Lagos State Development and Property Corporation told us that the land was sold in 1989, seven years after the school was established, meaning that the property belongs to the school.

“The company broke the lock of the school’s gate with the help of the police.  When we met the Divisional Police Officer, he said he did not know what the company wanted security for, adding that the management only told him they needed security.

“The DPO has locked the gate again, saying the parties would meet with the Commander, Area ‘F’, to resolve the matter. But we want the Lagos State Government to stop the company from doing anything on the land.”

The protesters later moved to the state Assembly complex when nobody addressed them at the Deputy Governor’s Office.