Alemere cooperative disagree over land offered to Lira University

AMOLATAR – Leaders of Alemere Farming Cooperative Society in Alemere sub-county, Amolatar district have disagreed over the land offered to Lira University to establish Faculty of Agriculture and Fisheries.

Last month, a section of executive members of the cooperative headed by the district LC5 Chairperson, Geoffrey Ocen Kiling handed over 400 acres of land to the university’s Vice Chancellor, Prof Jasper Ogwal Okeng.

But Joseph Ekong, the Chairperson of the cooperative said, he was not available at the time of handover and secondly the procedure was faulty.

“I was not there and the executive who handed over the land didn’t follow the right procedures,” he said on Thursday 10^th 2022 without mentioning names. The cooperative has 1,250 acres of land.

“Our position is very clear and we are going to give the land to Amolatar District Local Government and Amolatar hands it over to Lira University,” he adds.

He adds they will offer 200 acres only to establish the university but not 400. “The rest will be for the cooperative.”

“We shall give a little portion and the other part will be used for cooperative development,” he says.

Access to higher education has since been a major challenge to the district surrounded by two water bodies, Lakes Kioga and Kwania.

The major economic activity in the district is fishing which has since increased the rate of school dropout compared to the nine districts in the Lango sub-region.

According to statistics by the National Population and Housing Censure of 2014, 12.5% of the primary age children (6-12) were not attending school which means they have dropped out.

Ekong said, they are not denying the opportunity to give land to Lira University but the right procedure must be followed including surveying the land.

The university’s Senior Communication Officer, Patrick Opio said, it was the leaders of the cooperative that handed over the land.

“True, it’s public land and the cooperative comprises of the area residents and the leaders,” he adds.

During the handover, Prof Ogwal said being a government institution, the University plans to open its branches in Dokolo, Alebtong, Otuke, Oyam, Kole, Apac and Kwania districts.

“We shall open our branches in all the nine districts in the Lango sub-region and beyond,” Prof Ogwal said.

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