From “Time to weep for Imo State Polytechnic” I am moving to “Imo Polytechnic and Travesty of Deceit” This topic is again informed by the present perfidy and high level deceit that has characterized the creation of multi campus system and relocation of existing courses from the main campus of Imo Poly, Umuagwo to Orlu and Ehime Mbano campuses respectively.
In the previous analysis, I gave a historical account of how the 34-year old institution limped from a monothecnic to Polytechnic with the attendant privileges. I went further to state that I am not only familiar with the institution from origin but had exposed certain oddities plaguing the school in the past. And my recent commentaries were not targeted at any person, group or individual as they case may be.
Interestingly, hack writers and few I can best described as pen mercantilists I mean those who write for a fee without adopting the necessary technical know-how of verification are coming into the Imo Poly debacle. I can feel the coming of vuvuzela writers who stuck their pen-like claws on the unsuspecting Imo Poly Rector, Rev Fr Wence Madu, with a view to drawing from the cleric and the lean purse of the institution.
If the Rector is performing as they seem to express, I don’t think his idea of buying spaces in both electronic and print media in the state as well as getting the services of Agbata Ekee writers to show case his achievements are necessary since a Latin world states “Res Ipsa Loquitor (fact speaks for itself).
However, I have managed to go through their feeble efforts to prove that Imo Poly is intact, including the series Fr Madu is running in the Owerri Archdiocese owned Leader Newspapers. While I have no intention of casting aspersion on any fellow for the ludicrous views on the Imo Poly matter, most of those who have turned to emergency and over night image launderers for the institution are sheer gold diggers and reckless opportunists seeking cheap means to eck a living either from the school or their pay master, the Rector.
According to the famous world class jihadists who established the Sokoto caliphate, Othman Dan Fodio, who said that “conscience is an open wound only truth can heal, irrespective of the half baked truths and puerile attempts of the purveyours of falsehood in turning black to white through concocted expressions and fabricated lies, I stand to expose the travesty of deceit in the school.
Before I commence, a respondent challenged my earlier views on the ascendancy of Fr Madu as substantive Rector after acting briefly in that capcity . Part of Imo Poly law entails that the position of a substantive Rector would be advertised as the school has done recently when it publicised vacancies for management positions like Bursar and Librarian. Contrary to this procedure, Okorocha in his usual disregard for rule of law, approved Fr Madu as Rector after he served for months without regard to laid down guidelines.
Again, Imo Poly law stipulates that Chief lecturer is the qualification needed for a substantive Rector. According to Imo Poly records, Fr Madu joined the institution in 2008 as lecturer 11. Since 2008 when he joined the institution the only promotion observed was in 2012 when Madu was expected to have migrated to Lecturer I. Before that 2012, Fr Madu who was made Rector in late 2011 should have been a lecturer 11 official, and not qualified to head a Polytechnic. If the position for Rector was advertised as IMSU has done for the position of VC, Fr Madu would not have been qualified to apply not to talk of meriting the position. To placate his employers who jettisoned laid down procedures before appointing him Rector, has been dancing to the whims and caprices of government agents without recourse to established laws and operating standards Fr Madu credited several land mark projects to the Imo State Government. Granted, the Catholic Priest may be making good use of the allocations due to the school from state government and federal agencies as new structures and facilities are springing up in all quarters, the cleric was economical with the truth when he showcased projects established and completed by his predecessors courtesy of ETF and Tetfund.
It was amusing to see the Rector showcase the magnificent ETF Hall as part of his achievements courtesy of the state government when the new Block was federal government Education Trust Fund, ETF, project for all state Polytechnic which Imo Poly became one of the beneficiaries. The project was started and almost completed by his predecessor. It is also a well known fact that the ICT Unit had been in existence before Fr Madu took over.
Another theatre of absurdities rocking the school Fr Madu’s claim that all is well when for the first time in 2007, when it became a Polytechnic fresh graduates when were mobilized for NYSC were disgraced and sacked from Orientation camps across the country. Instead of giving sufficient explanations, the Priest only explained that there were administrative lapses that necessitate that national embarrassment. Who is responsible for the NYSC sack notice to fresh graduates of the school and what really transpired? If all is well why would HND students not admitted in the school for Engineering and management courses for 2013/14 academic session?
The Bible quotation that says “touch not my anointed and do my prophet no harm” is not a license for a Cleric to misconstrue civic right and democratic agitation of a group marginalized in the present dispensation. His claims that Ohaji/Egbema people have the height number of employed person when it was the statics before his coming into power speaks volume of his surreptitious means of annihilating the host communities in the institution. No wonder of the first three hundred senior staffers he engaged none is from the host community and land owners Let me rest now before, letting the public read the position of the landlords to the security agency handling the matter.
I will not let the cat out of the bag without another small story. When the sultan of Sokoto was deposed during the military era, gentlemen of the press accosted him for reactions, Alhaji Dasaki who hardly opened up merely said “we have seen today. Who knows tomorrow because we have not seen it. The position of host communities.
With due regards, it has become imperative to notify your outfit our stand on the above issue. This is necessitated by the fact that our Civil approach to reject injustice, discrimination and modern day imperialism by the Imo State government propelled by the Rector of the Institution Rev. Fr. Wence Madu, has been grossly misunderstood and misconstrued by those who are not familiar with our grouse and facts of the matter as the case may be.
For the avoidance of doubt, the Stakeholders’ Forum is a union of host communities and concerned bodies not only interested with the development and progress of the school but also opposed to acts that would undermine the institutions.
It is in this regard that we adopted the best method in democratic dispensation to condemn and oppose the planned relocation of vital courses from the Imo Poly campus at Umuagwo to the so-called multi- campuses located at Orlu and Ehime Mbano respectively.
Imo State Polytechnic, Umuagwo, established by an Edict in 1978/79 existed first as college of Agriculture, Umuagwo. In the originating law, there was no provision for a multi campus system. Even when successive military and civilian governments improved on what they met until it was called Michael Okpara College of Agriculture and Technology, MOCA TECH, by the Achike Udenwa government, no attempt was made to balkanise it. In 2007, the Ikedi Ohakim government transformed it from monthecnic to polytechnic and renamed it, Imo State Polytechnic without any proviso for multi- campus. It now surprised everybody that the present regime under Owelle Rochas Okorocha came up with a multi-campus system, whereas the state-owned Imo State university founded in the 80’s with a foundation law to reflect the three zones has not been actualized till date even as the three universities Governor Okorocha Promised to bequeath Imo; namely Jesuit Loyola University Ngor Okpala (Owerri Zone ) Imo European University Ogboko (Orlu Zone) and IMSU school of Engineering (Okigwe) have remained on paper. The Imo State College of Education (Technical) meant for Okigwe zone has also become a mirage. Instead of adopting practical measures towards the realization of three aforementioned higher institutions the present administration employed sheer rhetorics and turned Imo Poly as the sacrificial lamb to be balkanized for the purposes of satisfying some powerful forces in the state.
Suffice it to note that due process and laid down procedures were not followed in this balkanization policy. Governor in one of his visits to Orlu verbally converted the Technological skills Acquisition centre TSAC, Orlu to a Campus of Imo State Polytechnic. When reminded that since Imo Poly is creations of law and verbal pronouncement have no effect, the Exco induced the House of Assembly Leadership to raise a law to that effect. In the process, the Speaker, Ben Uwajumogu, Who is from Okigwe zone inserted the cooperative college, Mbano in Okigwe zone as another campus, a top and ranking member of the House who it is not necessary to mention his name who got wind of the development insisted that a school in his community in Owerri Zone be made a campus hence the inclusion of St Columbus Secondary School premises. The Law to Reflect the Multi-Campus System did not go through the known crucible of lawmaking in a manner Similar to the controversial and repealed abortion law. There was no public hearing and we challenge the state legislature to make public mansards (verbatim recordings of contribution by members) and video recordings to show the bill for the multi-campus system was passed into law.
While it is important to note that this is the first time in the history of the state where existing departments and courses were grossly relocated from its original station to another location under the guise of multi-campus system.
Moreover in the full glare of the public staff and student, essential equipment and facilities including the veritable Workforce were moved from Umuagwo to the respective new campuses for the purpose of accreditation. Even courses/departments accredited and approved in Umuagwo were ridiculously mounted at Orlu and Mbano campus which were at variance with the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) regulation.
Apart from failing to undertake institutional accreditation, NBTE is yet to visit the Mbano Campus for assessment and consequent approval. Therefore the action of the state and management is not only ultra vires but a sinister move to plunge the polytechnic into abysmal level.
Our main grouse arise from the fact that the state government has not been sincere in its dealings with us regarding the relocation of courses. When we first protested in June 2013 a representative of the government and chief of staff to the governor Chief Jude Ejiogu while addressing our people stated categorically that government has no p\an to relocate any course it met at the Umuagwo campus in the course of implementing the multi campus system. This view was reiterated by governor Okorocha during an interactive session. Okorocha never minced words when he said that no course will be removed or relocated adding that only affiliate courses will be run at the multi campuses.
Subsequently the rector, Fr Madu in verbal and written communication re-assured the stakeholders that nothing will move from Imo Poly Umuagwo to other places. To cement and confirm the position of government, an advertorial was not only placed on the Leader Newspaper of Sunday November 17,2013, denying the relocation of courses, a letter signed by S. Njemanze (Mrs.) Registrar and Secretary to the council as well as Imo Poly Chairman of Council Prof Victor Kogah did state that” in line with what the Rector has been telling you during previous gatherings, the council hereby affirms that there is no plan to relocate any course/programme mounted in Imo State polytechnic, Umuagwo, to any location (Attached is the letter).
The letter dated October 16,2013 with a ref No IMOPOLY/CR.30/VO/i/159 addressed to the stakeholders Committee on Multi campus, Umuagwo Community Ohaji while giving assurances that no course will be relocated went further to state “the Multi-campus of Imo State Polytechnic will not in anyway diminish the central role and importance of the main campus at Umuagwo the governing council assures you that with the collaboration of management more courses will be introduced at Umuagwo campus in addition it will guarantee more access to tertiary education to Imo citizens.
Contrary to all these assurances, the school of Engineering with existing courses at Umuagwo. Mechanical, Electrical, Building Technology and Computer Science have been moved to TSAC, Orlu, While Marketing, Cooperative Economics and Business Management with HND Students in Umuagwo shifted to Mbano without Institutional Accreditation from NBTE. A course like Co-operative Economics which won accreditation with an existing super market, pineapple orchard and fish pond needed for NBTE exercise at Umuagwo was among those moved to Mbano where such facilities do not exist for the department.
These acts of perfidy unfortunately were perfected by Fr Madu who has turned to our tormentor-in-Chief and architect of misfortune in the present dispensation. In a manner likely to cause breach of peace and tranquility between the host communities and management of Imo Poly, the Rector has either become a willing tool in the hands of selfish politicians or prosecuting a hate campaign and agenda against the stakeholders.
Apart from the Rector’s inglorious role in the relocation, Fr. Madu jettisoned the agreement host community reached earlier with the polytechnic management in the area of employment as non of our people were given jobs among the first 300 persons he employed.
Also, in a manner that heightens Fr. Madu’s hate campaign, only his privately-owned pure water factory and block making industry are only allowed to operate in Imo Poly as non adherence and non patronizes are sanctioned as will.
Finally, the Imo Poly stakeholders are law-abiding citizens who are not opposed to the directions and decisions of authorized bodies like government and security agencies. Our struggle is to avoid the present administration using the infant institution “to rob Peter in order to Paul” for the sake of their parochial interest and political – induced frivolities.
We are not opposed to multi-Campus system even as Imo Poly is not yet ripe for such exercise considering its low ranking in the comity of polytechnics in the Country, All we are saying is that whatever was met at Umuagwo campus be left to exist there while the state government and management are free to run new courses in the new campuses. It is an anathema and unorthodox practice to run same course in three different campuses.
For a healthy relationship, we demand for a reasonable MOU with the management of the institution as the practice before the advent of this present administration was unsatisfactory. More so, the state government should expedite action to pay us compensation for the more than 380 hectares of land acquired for the Polytechnic.
