The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has warned encroachers, especially his sub-chiefs, to desist from selling lands that belong to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) or face his wrath.
He said, the lands are his and the Chiefs are just caretakers. He stressed, there is no family land in Ashanti and adding no Abusuapayin also known as (head of family) has the right to give portions of the land for private development.
The Asantehene gave the warning when he launched the 70th-anniversary celebration of the university in Kumasi.
The year-long celebration is on the theme; “KNUST: 70 years of global impact; A new age for a renewed focus”.
As part of the celebration, which ends next year, there will be a week of an exhibition by the various colleges to showcase their wares, interviews with selected alumni, a book launch on KNUST, a homecoming of alumni next year, a series of public lectures and the establishment of an endowment fund for past students to donate in multiples of 70 of all currencies to help the university’s projects.
The Asantehene challenged any aggrieved person to take him to court but was convinced that there were judges who were fully aware that there were no family lands in Ashanti, which the Constitution also recognised.
He said if, for nothing at all, the current generation must appreciate the efforts of their forbears including his uncle, Prempeh Agyemang I, who doled out the land for the construction of the university.
Otumfuo said as the population of KNUST increased from an initial 200 to now over 80,000, “every piece of land will be needed towards the expansion of facilities to accommodate more students”.
The Vice-Chancellor of KNUST, Prof. (Mrs) Rita Akosua Dickson, who tracked the trajectory of the university to date, seized the opportunity to commend President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for releasing funds towards the completion of the first phase of the KNUST Hospital, which had been stalled for years.
While also thanking the President for lifting the ban on lecturers employment, she said the current staff to student ratio which was 1-63 was not encouraging and that more needed to be done.
Prof. Dickson, who is the first female to be appointed to the high office of the university, expressed delight at the gradual enrolment of female students, which currently stood at 40 per cent, expressing the hope it could still be 50 per cent to equal that of their male counterparts.
She said the university will continue to make a significant impact on the Nation through impactful education.
The Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, added that it was time for KNUST to think outside the African box.
He said being ranked the 12 best university in Africa was not enough because its research was comparable to any of the universities across the world.
He said, the government is committed to promoting more science, Mathematics and technology education in the coming years. He added the government will start 10 new schools that will focus on Science, Engineering, technology and Mathematics.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh