I must strongly extend apologies to my numerous readers who may be bored with the return of Imo State Polytechnic topic on this page. Though, I promised in the last two editions of Agwodinuju column, to conclude my earlier work on the school with regards to the sleaze and orgy of alleged financial scam rocking it which I however shelved, but recent reactions trailing my epistle have forced me to make a volte face and clear some air concerning the earlier views expressed.
Initially, I ignored tissues of lies and falsehood orchestrated by few uniformed persons who attempted to disregard revelations made in my write-ups, with claims that I was either being sponsored by an opposition party and some persons or a blackmailer. It is important to state that the unfolding events started June last year when the Imo Poly stakeholders; the body protesting the relocation of vital courses from the Umuagwo campus to the new campuses of Orlu and Ehime Mbano respectively, staged a three-day demonstration against the action.
My debut about the rot going on in the school titled; “Imo Polytechnic and planned Balkanization of courses” gave rise to the first stage of protest in June 2013, where the host communities took hold of the front gate of the institution, thereby shutting down all activities in the school. Instead of handling issues raised, confused persons handling affairs of the state government blamed political opponents and parties for instigating the stakeholders and host communities to embark on the protest march ahead the rescheduled Oguta State Assembly election between the major contenders, Walter Uzowanne of APGA, who is enjoying the support of Governor Rochas Okorocha administration and PDP flag bearer, Eugene Dibiagwu.
Oguta is a sister local government to Ohaji/Egbema where Imo Poly main campus is domiciled. Apart from sharing things in common as only local government areas in Imo State that produce oil and bordering neighbouring River and Delta states, there are spill over effects of actions in any of the two councils.
As a smokescreen to undermine the agitations of the Imo Poly stakeholders who independently rose to kick against the balkanization exercise, government agents politicized the action by accusing a particular party and opposition forces of using the stakeholders to bias the minds of people in sister LGA of Oguta ahead the June 29, 2013 bye-election for state Assembly Seat. Even as the said election has remained inconclusive, the stakeholders have proved the harbingers of falsehood in government quarters and their alarmists wrong with perennial agitations against the balkanization agenda. The struggle blossomed this year with the abortion of the planned matriculation in February. The continuous struggle of the stakeholders has however rubbished the politically-induced claim that the opposition influenced the kick against Imo Poly scramble and partitioning of vital courses.
In a similar vein, I was chanced to be at a social gathering where a contract staff of Imo Poly, sympathetic to the Rector, Rev Fr Wence Madu attended. The adhoc worker, who it is not necessary to disclose his identity, works also as an information gatherer to the management, made a cynical statement. Incidentally, the agent who is not familiar with my looks but aware of the name when accosted about the shenanigans rocking the institution, blamed my humble self and the spokesman of the Stakeholders Forum, Prince Rollyngs Ohagwam for the negative publicity Imo Poly has attracted in recent times.
According to the fellow, who was unaware that I managed to eavesdrop the discussion, “Mejuobi and Rollyngs are PDP paid agents asked to use Imo Poly to tackle Okorocha government” I maintained my cool, including my in the minds of other co-demagogues about my Imo Poly exposure and the civil and democratic resistance posed by the Rollyngs Ohagwam led stakeholders.
The warped expressions of that contract staff, who could simply pass as an errand boy of Imo Poly information unit, reminds me of a similar scenario in the office of the Secretary to the State Government of Imo state, SGI, Prof Anthony Anwukah, when he met with a youth group, called ISOPADEC Youths (Ohaji/Egbema). At the creation of ISOPADEC in 2007, youth groups for the two oil producing areas of Ohaji/Egbema and Oguta were formed to include them in the scheme of things in affairs of the area. Overtime, the ISOPADEC youth bodies have transformed from a formidable organization to pseudo political units for political oppressors outside the Ohaji/Egbema enclave. It was in their usual style of playing a lick-spittle role that Ohaji/Egbema is yet to witness any ashalphated kilometer road in their area despite the acclaimed 15 kilometre roads the state government claims it has constructed, went on a “sorry sir” visit to Anwukah, who was said to have been fired sachet water packs at the front gate of Imo Poly protests to stop the institution’s 2014 botched matriculation.
Strangely, I am not aware of the alleged sachet water attack on the SSG, who can be said to be a “son of the soil” on Umuagwo land. If it did happen, it is sad, unfortunate and regrettable. I think, the Prof needs apologies from those who were accused of pelting him with pure water items than the youth group who attempted to “cry more than the bereaved “with their crocodile tears of sympathy.
Instead of intimating the SSG who is from Oguta LGA the increasing campaign of annihilation and orchestrated neo-imperialist tendencies meted to people of Ohaji/Egbema by the administration where he is a ranking officer, Anwuka reportedly told them how some persons he described as miscreants and societal misfits but enjoying opposition supports, championed by Ohagwum and fuelled by my write-ups have “been disturbing” government activities in Imo Polytechnic, Umuagwo. The ISOPADEC youths who went dumb over his verbal fireworks at the protesting stakeholders and perhaps my commentaries, failed to counter him with the realities on ground that there is nothing to show for the 13% Derivation Fund accruable to ISOPADEC from state fund for interventionist’s programs. Even as they failed to notify Anwukah that contrary to his claims and public vow before the protesting stakeholders that no course or discipline already in existence at Umuagwo will ever be moved to either Orlu or Mbano campuses, normal academic studies have resumed at the affected campuses with the aforementioned departments. The ISOPADEC youths decided to respond to one of the popular satirical music’s of a legend and afrobeat icon I have regards, Fela Anikulap kuti titled, “suffering and smiling” when the kept mute over the persistent blackout and lack of public power supply occasioned by inability of state government funded through ISOPADEC to pay Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, the statutory amount for power supply in the area
The ISOPADEC youths also forgot in a hurry that before the Okorocha administration came into power, communities in Ohaji/Egbema and Oguta with functional electricity facilities had constant power supply courtesy of the arrangement ISOPADEC had with PHCN for bill settlement. However, the coming of Okorocha regime has reskewed the people with darkness reigning in the entire communities. The sympathy-stricken ISOPADEC youths who may have met their brother Anwukah for possible “transport money” after the talk-show had memory loss that Ohaji/Egbema because of vast population and land mass for convenient sake operates two districts notably, Egbema and Ohaji. Apart from the General Hospital at Egbema where the council headquarter is situated, Umuokanne, the district headquarters for Ohaji also had a functional General Hospital with mortuary services. But the Okorocha government in what could be described as retrogressive health policy, scrapped the Ohaji General Hospital at Umuokanne and only left behind, a capacity mortuary to accommodate those who cannot access proper medicare at the rural areas. To make a mincemeat of the Ohaji people, the Okorocha government flew a kite in place of the removed General Hospital, Umuokanne, that an ultra-modern nursing school will be sited at the premises of the hospital. Till date, that nursing school project billed to be erected by ISOPADEC, departed with the sacked chairman of the commission who is from the community. Unfortunately, the deprived Ohaji/Egbema ISOPADEC youths failed to inform the only eye Imo oil producing areas has in Okorocha government that the strategic and veritable organ of the state government that interfaces with federal agencies like NDDC, and Ministry of Niger Delta, on matters that affect them, Bureau for Niger Delta Affairs, created during the last regime, has been systematically flushed out as a state parastatal by the Rescue Mission government. During Ohakim era, the state office of Niger Delta Affairs had a Special Adviser before it was reduced to a mere office manned by a PA with in adequate funding until the last Exco dissolution where it never survived a return. The Ohaji/Egbema ISOPADEC youths may have been hypnotized by the SSG to forget that the non completion of Obinze-Umuokanne-Mgbuisi-Umuapu Ring Road, Umuapu-Obtti-Awarra, Asah Etekwuru-Egbema location roads; federal government projects is linked to the absence of a state office to facilitate federal projects for the two privileged oil producing LGAs in Imo state. I expected them to have also inquired what has become of the N400m Federal Government made available for flood victim which they are part of? And how none of the Roche-type prototype school has been completed in the area despite that multi billion downstream sector, Adapalm Ohaji/Egbema was leased to Roche for a period of 30 years in lieu of N3.5 billion meant to build the precast type of school building. Instead of encountering the SSG, Anwuka with these plethora of worries, the Ohaj/Egbema ISOPADEC youths listened with interest as Anwuka, who was nowhere near the corridors of power four years ago branded those fighting oppression, discrimination and apartheid within his locality as street urchins enjoying backing from disgruntled politicians.
I encountered a similar development during the heat of the Imo Poly “no matriculation” protests, when a highly revered politician and one the few lucky office holders in Okorocha government surprisingly called me on phone about what he heard on my views on Imo Poly misgivings. I never betrayed my feelings to open up that governments and regimes will come and go but what remains vibrant and effervescent is the truth and patriotism exhibited by the partakers. The governor’s aide who is of Ohaji extraction got my message that the relocation of courses from Imo Poly Umuagwo to other areas as well as the continued marginalization of Ohaji/Egbema from distribution of democracy dividends by Okorcha government will no doubt be a bad market” for them on the day of reckoning when they will be expected to show their score scared while representing interest of their people in government. I ended up by informing him that it is not a matter concerning APC, APGA or PDP as most of them from Ohaji/Egbema and working with the present administration should not be deceived by the razzmatazz of office. I told him that “agbacha oso, agu o mile” (After the race, we start counting the distance), because they would be held responsible for failing to stop their principal (Okorocha) from executing punitive measures against Ohaji/Egbema people.
For the avoidance of doubt, my commentaries are borne out the desire to respond to my professional duties of informing, educating and enlightening the public and readers.
As part of my prerogatives to inform, exposing the theatre of absurdities rocking Imo Poly falls under my purview and I owe no one apologies except my conscience if I compromise or fail to adopt professional ethics in the course of discharging my duties. After my little exposure, in past editions I had expected challenges from some relevant quarters. But none is forthcoming to debunk it.
In line with my earlier promise to concluded the part concerning Imo Poly TETFUND academic staff scholarships/seminars, which space encumbered a fortnight ago , suffice it to note that the standard practice in every higher institution is for a committee to assess the merits and demerits of each staff application for scholarship or seminar participation. But the story is different in Imo Poly, because it is the Rector, Rev Fr Wence Madu and his Desk Officer, one Coleman Ibe, who only decides whatever happens to the funds. There is no committee and anything can happen. Call it another Banana Republic in Imo Poly.
Few days ago, while reading the dailies, I stumbled into advertorials placed by Polytechnics for projects in their institutions funded by Tetfund. I challenge Imo Poly management to make public its advertorial for jobs in any known newspaper for Tetfund contracts, or I will make public how contracts for multi million jobs are executed under the guise of direct labour through surrogates. It will also be interesting for the public to know how contracts running into several millions for supply of classroom desks to the school was handled by a top management staff whose wife became the supplier (names withheld). Remarkably, due process and laid down procurement acts were neglected in the whole exercise .
Though, Imo Poly could be experiencing pin-drop silence now since nobody wants to be victimized for questioning illegalities, but there is discomfort in all quarters in Imo Poly over alleged separate accounts where internal generated revenues, like the Departmental dues paid by students and other amounts are kept. Still under the much-touted free education agenda of the present government, the fee was increased from N1,000 to N2,000 in 2011/2012 when the father Rector took over. And with a student population ranging from 14,000 to 25,000 paying annual N2, 000, that gives about N50m, whereas the various Heads of Department (HODS) are experiencing difficulties running their offices due to improper disbursement of the department dues.
Nepotism and victimization is also said to be reigning in the institution with those in Rectors good books enjoying favours and promotion against their contemporaries experiencing backlash for opening up against certain unwholesome acts ravaging the institution.
It is important I inform those wallowing in ignorance about my write-ups concerning Imo Poly that they will continue to suffer in grandeur of delusion necessitated by their desire to prosecute a new found imperialist tendencies against the people of Ohaji/Egbema. Their ubiquitous apartheid approaches reminiscent of the dark ages of slavery are enough to evoke patriotic struggles mental psyche of the already subdued people who are unarguably the beautiful bribe of Imo turning fast to endangered specie. It amounts to insulting the sensibilities of the People of the area by attempting to attribute their struggle against shackle and menaces of nascent political vampires to political inducement. I expect them to know that “anaghi agwa onye nneya nwuru ka obee akwa” (“There is no need to tell somebody the mother died to cry”).
