By Valentine Amanze, Online Editor
The issue of who owns Eastern Palm University, located in Ogboko, Orlu, Imo State has always been a knotty issue.
While the former governor of the State, Rochas Okorocha, in whose community, Ogboko, the university is located claims ownership, not a few Imolites insist that the university was built with the people’s patrimony and, therefore, belongs to the State.
But the controversy seems to be coming to a head as it has become a major source of rift between the incumbent governor, Hope Uzodimma, and his Okorocha.
On Thursday, Uzodimma said he had recovered the university from Okorocha.
Oguwike Nwachuku, his media aide, in a statement titled, Imo State Government recovers eastern Palm University from fraudulent claimants, said the state had “resolved that all necessary steps must be taken to recover the University from fraudulent claimants.”
“Fraudulent claimants to the state-owned Eastern Palm University at Ogboko in Orlu have been warned to stay away from the facility or be prepared to face the full weight of the law.
“They have also been reminded that the government has been empowered to deal decisively with anyone or group of persons ready to test the will of government over ownership of the university,” the statement added.
Nwachuku said “the Executive Council of Imo State took the decision at its weekly meeting of Wednesday, February 10, 202, presided over by the Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma.”
The statement said, “The Council did while accepting the Whitepaper Report on Land Use and Related Matters which recognizes that the Eastern Palm University is owned by the state,” and, therefore, resolved that all necessary steps must be taken to recover the University from fraudulent claimants.
The statement further reads:
“Addressing newsmen at the Government House Owerri, the Imo State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba, informed that the Eastern Palm University was accredited by Nigerian University Commission (NUC) as the second Imo State owed University.
The Whitepaper, according to the Commissioner, recommended that the University should be recovered and appropriately designated as a State University in accordance with the laid down guidelines of NUC.
Consequently, Council has directed the relevant Ministries to take immediate steps to implement the decisions of the Executive Council as they concern the Whitepaper Report.
Buttressing the Whitepaper report, the Executive Council stressed that Eastern Palm University was not only registered with NUC as second Imo State University, but was built and funded with Imo State tax payers money, hence government will not waste time to implement the recommendations of the Whitepaper.
Emelumba said that in the nearest future government will decide on what to do with the University and that the people of Imo State will be informed appropriately.
Emelumba, who was accompanied by the Commissioner for Tourism and Culture, Barr. (Mrs.) Doris Akubue-Onyeali warned that “now that the University has been recovered and returned to the State, anybody seen at the site or premises parading himself or herself in any manner in terms of ownership or otherwise will be dealt with decisively.”
On the plight of the students and workers, the Commissioner said the Council assuaged their fear, noting that none of them will be made to suffer for anything they are innocent of.
He added that the relevant Ministries and Agencies have been charged to handle such cases as they may be applicable to the full implementation of the Whitepaper.”
But on Friday, Okorocha fired back, daring Uzodimma to recover his private university, Eastern Palm University (EPU), Ogboko, Ideato South council area of the state, if he has the legal power to do so.
Okorocha, who represents Imo West Senatorial District, insisted that the university, which was a creation of the law, does not belong to the state government.
In a statement issued on his behalf by his media adviser, Sam Onwuemeodo, Okorocha urged the general public to disregard the claim by the state government that it had recovered the university because it had no reason to take over the university from him.
According to him, the government’s claim was only aimed at distracting the public from the total collapse of governance in the state.
“The Eastern Palm University was a creation of the law. It has a law establishing it. It is a legal entity. So, it is not a kiosk or market store one could wake up one day, to claim or announce to have recovered.
“The Eastern Palm University was established by the Imo State of Nigeria, Law No. 3 of 2019. And part II, No.3 (3) Stated that, “the University shall be owned on a Public Private Partnership (PPP) basis, by the Imo State Government and the Incorporated Trustees of Rochas Foundation, hereinafter referred to as the Parties.
“And the Agreement and Memorandum of Understanding between the Concerned Parties are domiciled in the relevant bodies or Institutions. And the law also provided that any of the Parties, “may decide to opt out of the Agreement upon giving the prescribed notice and meeting the conditions for opting out as contained in the Agreement,” the statement reads.
Okorocha said it was absurd for the government to announce to have recovered an institution established by law, through a press conference held in one of the offices in government house, with a and claim to have based the action on a Whitepaper, seen by nobody.
The former governor reminded Governor Uzodimma of his assurance to release the Whitepaper on all the recommendations of the panels set up by his government or the government before him.
“And instead of living up to his vow or assurance to release the Whitepaper, he decided to play Politics of Vendetta with the issue.
“It is also important to state that the government came up with the worrisome claim of recovering the Eastern Palm University to distract attention from the ugly developments in the State, in the past two days, in which, not less than five Imo Indigenes had been killed, including the former Chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, Owerri Branch, Barr. Ndionyenma Nwankwo, because the Security situation in the State has deteriorated. A Journalist, Mr. Precious Nwadike was beaten into coma, allegedly by one of the governor’s brothers, with his Private Security Personnel. The man was flown to Lagos when his condition was getting out of hand.
“ln the past two days too, ISOPADEC workers had chased away the management and locked the gates of the Commission before embarking on indefinite strike, for non-payment of Salaries for ten months. The workers in the State just called off their own Strike for the same reason.
“There was also a general outcry within the same period over the approval of N9 billion loan for the governor by the State House of Assembly, making it about N40 billion loan, the government has taken in one year. Add the N40 billion to N94 billion Federal Allocation, N52 billion from IGR, ISOPADEC funds and Local governments’ allocations and see the Billions that had come into the coffers of the lmo State government , with not even one project to show for all the Billions. Whereas, Okorocha never borrowed money for any reason, and was able to have more than one thousand verifiable projects to his credits,” the statement adds.
The last definitely has not been heard on the matter.
