Indigenes of Umunakanu Owerre in Ehime Mbano LGA of Imo State have appealed to Governor Hope Uzodimma not to relocate Imo State Polytechnic, Ehime Mbano Campus, located at Umunakanu Owerre, to Omuma, his community.
They begged the Governor to allow the campus to remain at Umunakanu Owerre, Ehime Mbano, instead make Omuma as Main Campus of Imo State Polytechnic.
They made the appeal when they carried out a peaceful protest at the Gate of Imo State Polytechnic, Ehime Mbano Campus, Umunakanu Owerre, last week.
The Protesters who comprised of Students, Youths, Market Women and Stakeholders of the community, chanted, carried placards with inscriptions such as: “No Relocation Of Imo Poly Mbano Campus – Mbano People And Imo Poly Students Mbano Campus Want The Mbano Campus – Allow Imo Poly Mbano To Remain.
“Imo Poly Students Mbano Campus Don’t Want The School To Be Relocated To Omuma. We Are Comfortable Here In Mbano. Let The Imo Poly Mbano Campus Breath. We Are Enjoying Our School”.
Speaking, one of the leaders of the protesters and a community leader, Hon. Victor Diala, told Uzodimma to rescind his decision of removing the school as such may heighten crimes and increases poverty at the community, calling on stakeholders of Ehime Mbano to rise to the occasion which he described as ill -timed and unfortunate.
“The Ehime Mbano Campus has been in existence since 2012 during Rochas Okorocha regime who saw the need to create a multi – campus system to improve development, give people sense of belonging. Since the existence of the campus the economy of the community has turned around and Ehime Mbano has been given sense of belonging, our people were recruited and are working in the Polytechnic, investors came in, invested and a lot of houses have been built. The Governor should rescind his decision and allow the campus to stay here”, Diala maintained.
Stating that the removal of the campus in Ehime Mbano is not a good decision, President – General and Youth Leader of Umunakanu Owerre autonomous community, Hon. Ekeanyanwu Cajethan and Evangelist Egwim Nnabugo, pleaded that the school remains there, saying “the only dividend of democracy we have received is the Poly. The removal will increase social vices as hoodlums would turn the area as their hideout”.
Earlier in his comment, the traditional ruler of Umunakanu Owerre autonomous community, Ehime Mbano, His Royal Highness, Eze Boniface Onyedikachukwu Iheanetu Onuoha (Eze Udo 1), told government to leave the Polytechnic at Ehime Mbano as the people are enjoying its existence and economic gains.
According to the Eze, “we welcomed the School in good heart. The campus was formerly Federal Government Teachers Training College, Ehime Mbano. It was converted to National Teachers Institute…Rocha’s intention of bringing the Polytechnic to the peaceful Umunakanu Owerre was to make it a Main Campus of Imo Polytechnics. We were surprised of its rumored relocation. If the amiable Governor insists on relocating it to Omuma, his community, he should kindly bring back Federal Medical Centre to its original location, Umunakanu Owerre, Ehime Mbano”.
