As the various groups involved in the relocation committee mandated by the state government to find a suitable place for the permanent site of Imo State University continue to trade blames Imo Trumpeta can authoritatively reveal what transpired among the members of the committee that resulted to the reported discontinuation of some members from the committee.
It would be recalled that the Imo state governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha on making a volte face about his desire to take the state university permanent site to his Ogboko-Ideato home town, raised a powerful committee among people of Owerri zone to get a place for the location in the senatorial district. The committee is led by the Deputy Governor, Sir Jude Agbaso.
Few months after the committee commenced deliberations, indications that the Agbaso-led committee is in disarray and may not respond to the request of the state Governor emerged as nine out of the 20-man committee have declared intention to withdraw.
Their refusal to continue came after prominent citizens of the zone; Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu and Senator Chris Anyanwu jettisoned the committee at ab initio.
Trumpeta inquiries revealed that the alleged partisan inclinations of the committee Chairman, Sir Agbaso ignited discordant tunes and mutual suspicious during committee deliberations. These fears prompted the nine members representing Aboh Mbaise, Ahiazu, Ezinihitte and Ngor Okpala to notifying the state Governor through a letter of their intention to withdraw from the committee.
It was learnt sinister moves by the Deputy Governor to use his vintage position to tilt the permanent site position to his side blew open after the inaugural meeting. At one of the meetings held in August 10, 2012, the Deputy Governor in his concluding remarks after all the persons presenting the proposed sites had concluded reiterated the fact that Government took the decision to site Loyola Jesuit University at Ngor Okpala, prior to the present search for a permanent IMSU main campus location within Owerri zone.
According to submissions of the Deputy Governor which sent a warning signal to the suspicious Mbaise/Ngor Okpala representatives, the state Government rescinded earlier decision to site IMSU main campus at Ideato due to the factor of European University proposed for Ogboko. Therefore, Loyola University at Ngor Okpala adversely affects IMSU main campus being located at Mbaise/Ngor Okpala site again. Sir Agbaso was reported to have said that it lacks wisdom and most inappropriate for two universities to be located within a short radius in Imo state. He sincerely wished that the committee should quickly come up with a single site for recommendation.
This assertion said to be the views of Sir Agbaso alarmed the Mbaise/Ngor Okpala members who expressed misgivings over the state’s government second-in-command suspected subterranean tendencies to diminish the chances of the 30 year-old site getting the nod to be the permanent site.
Further details also revealed that Prof. Fabian Osuji had presented the Mbaise/Ngor Okpala site before the committee and outlined reasoning for asking that the land measuring about 890 hectares and acquired by previous administrations of the state with Certificate of Occupancy (CofO) be made IMSU main site while stating that it would amount to waste of time and resources searching for another site. The SA to the Governor on Education opined that anything other than choosing the site will arouse feeling of marginalization among the Mbaise/Ngor Okpala bloc.
On the proposed site at Ogbaku in Mbaitolu, Prof Uche Nkwogu was introduced by the member representing Mbaitolu LGA in Imo House, Hon Victor Ndunagu. Nkwogu outlined the advantages of the Ogbaku site adding that the traditional rulers of Ogbaku community, entire land owners and Mbaitolu leaders offered the site which is a table land with attractive indices suitable for a university.
