One major controversial quality of Owelle Rochas Okorocha is the fact that he likes to gamble with almost everything. In 2011 when he won the Imo State gubernatorial election, he had intended to run for Senate.
But he gambled with the idea of contesting for Governorship and succeeded when he lost out to former Governor Achike Udenwa in the tussle for Senate ticket.
Judging from the maverick style with which he governed the State, it became very clear that Okorocha was also gambling with governance and the future of Imo people. All his gambling streak worked until he gambled with the idea of foisting his son-in-law Uche Nwosu on Imolites as his successor; that one failed woefully.
Now another area where Okorocha extended his weird passion for gambling was the idea of the ownership of Eastern Palm University. Eastern Palm University (EPU) was registered with the Nigeria Universities Commission (NUC) in 2016 as a State University; and the record is there till date.
The establishment of the University was also backed by Law No. 13 enacted by the State House of Assembly. A site was developed in Ogboko Ideato with government funds purportedly for the new University. Okorocha’s initial plan, unknown to many was to move Imo State University (IMSU) to the new site and then bring EPU to where IMSU is today.
However, when the ex-governor realised that Owerri people were poised to resist his plan to move IMSU away from the area, he decided to change plan.
He got the rubber-stamp House of Assembly to tinker with the Law establishing the EPU in order to create a false impression that the institution was established under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) between his proxy and the State.
In furtherance of this evil plot and in order to keep Imolites from knowing what he did, he appointed as Vice Chancellor of EPU, one Prof Dafe Otibo who retired as a lecturer in University of Lagos (Unilag),a non Imo indigene from Edo State.
He also appointed as Registrar, another non-indigene from Abia State and his wife’s brother, Mr. Earnest Onuoha. Despite the fact the man had been two-time Registrar in Abia State University (ABSU) before then.
The only reason the former Governor could give such plum positions to retired non indigenes in a State that has the highest number of professors and educated persons in the Country, is just for him to cover up his evil deeds. The greedy ex-governor had intended to convert the EPU to his own had his son-in-law won the guber elections. Unfortunately, he failed.
Now that God has quashed all the evil plans of Okorocha to acquire EPU for himself and family, it is now incumbent on the government of Rt.Hon Emeka Ihedioha to recover the institution at all cost.
EPU is the only quality project executed by Okorocha because he had intended to acquire it. The new Government should jettison any fake MoU purportedly executed between the State and some “private investors” who obviously are proxies to Okorocha.
The Law establishing EPU did not create room for such MoU and the License/letter of registration issued to the State by NUC clearly states that EPU is a wholly State owned University.
So it is about time for the State government to use security agencies to take over EPU, dissolve the Council and Management set up by Okorocha and restore the institution to the people of Imo State who are the rightful owners.
Written by Barr. Ekene Bob-Ekechukwu