By Onyinyechi Amakaulo
A new wave of discrepancies is rocking the newly established Imo State University of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Umuagwo in Ohaji/Egbema LGA of the State.
Controversy has dogged the existence of the new varsity beginning from the era of the Rochas Okorocha’s administration till now Senator Hope Uzodinma is incharge.
It would be recalled that before Okorocha left office last year, he hurriedly established several institutions which included the Imo State University of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, through a law of the Imo State House of Assembly. The announcement triggered off protests from the host community, Umuagwo, who demonstrated against it that it was a ploy to hand over the school land and structures to a private operator based on the contents of the law establishing it.
However, the coming of the Emeka Ihedioha administration stopped the new institution before Uzodimma came in. At the heat of the Covid 19 induced lockdown few months ago, the House members piloted by Speaker Chiji Collins amended the new varsity law to remove the Public Private Sector Clause while moving the location from Aboh/Ngor Okpala campus to Umuagwo, where there are existing structures and facilities to agree to the take off requirement. The Umuagwo location housed Imo State Polytechnic main campus. The initial law which had PPP clause whereby Imo State Government had 10% with Private Investor 90% was located at the Aboh/Ngor Okpala.
But careful findings by Trumpeta revealed that there are ambiguous clauses which are at variance with the latest law establishing Imo State University of Agric and Environmental Sciences, thereby suggesting that instead of Uzodinma’s new law, the institution is still operating with the Okorocha’s law. It was observed that instead of the Imo State University of Agriculture and Environmental Science, that was read on the pages of newspapers.
Earlier, apologists of Okorocha had accused Uzodimma of claiming the successes of the former governor by taking the glory of the establishment of the new varsity. They had insisted that the license for the UAES, as the new university is called, was obtained during the Okorocha’s era.
The introduction of the advertorial placed in some media outlets speak volume of the claims that Okorocha set up the varsity and not Uzodinma which further queries the amendments made in the new law by the present lawmakers. The advertorials made for internal and external vacancies gave a brief history how the institution metamorphosised from a monotechnic to Polytechnic and now University via Law No 4 of 2019, the Imo State House of Assembly establishing the UAES.
According to the information provided, the Nigeria University Commission, NUC, recognized the University on the 18th April 2019 as the 49 State and 171 University in the Nigeria University system and the second public University established and fully owned by the Imo State Government.
Going by this exposure, the Uzodinma administration can no longer claim to have established the varsity since it was recognized by the NUC in 2019, a year before the present administration came into place.
