Residents raise alarm over encroachment and vandalism on NCRI research land
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Communities around the National Cereals Research Institute say makeshift structures, workshops and block-making businesses have taken over parts of the premises, bringing security and environmental problems and prompting demolition exercises.
For residents living around the premises of the National Cereals Research Institute (NCRI), what was once regarded as a valuable government research environment has in recent years become a source of growing concern, with parts of the land allegedly taken over by activities unrelated to its original purpose.
Community members say the sprawling facility was once associated with agricultural research and plantations, and offered work to local people, particularly during long school holidays. They now describe makeshift structures, mechanic workshops, carpentry operations, block-making and other businesses operating on the premises.
Security is the central complaint. Residents allege theft of electrical cables, pipes, generators and other valuables, and say the facility's proximity to a police station has not eliminated the problem. One community member, Olumide Johnson, said residents eventually sought the intervention of the South-West Local Government chairman, Kehinde Akande, after concluding they could not resolve the situation themselves, and that security operatives accompanied the chairman to the area, where several structures were identified and subsequently demolished.
The demolition has not settled the dispute. Johnson said some affected occupants insisted they had paid money to NCRI and therefore had rights to remain until whatever arrangements they entered into expired. Residents also alleged that some facilities meant for staff had been rented out, with payments taken for the use of shops and other spaces.
Another resident, Lasunkanmi Ojutielegan, said repeated intrusions and acts of vandalism had left the community increasingly disturbed. He recalled theft of electrical cables and the cutting of a major water pipe, and said a suspect was once apprehended and handed over to the police, but that residents were yet to see a permanent solution despite repeated reports.
Residents are asking the federal government and NCRI management to clarify the status of the land and its activities. Johnson suggested that if the government no longer needs the entire area for research, portions could be converted into productive ventures such as agricultural processing or rice production that would create employment rather than allow the site to become a haven for criminal activity.