*Isoko Youths Protest Relocation Of Ozoro Varsity Faculty
BY GODWIN IJEDIOGOR
AS the controversy over the planned relocation of the Faculty of Administration and Management of Delta State University of Science and Technology, from Ozoro, headquarters of Isoko North Local Council, to Orerokpe in Okpe Local Council, prominent Okpe leaders have instead suggested that a comprehensive University of Education to be established in Orerokpe, being centrally located and accessible from all parts of the state.
While commending their son, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori for the decision to have a look at the deficit of public institutions in Orerokpe, one of the oldest administrative centres in the country, which in the late 1920s became the headquarters of the Western Urhobo District, covering the present day Ethiope West, Ethiope East, Okpe, Uvwie, Sapele (at a point) and Udu Local Government Councils, they urged him not to do things for ephemeral benefits and instant fame, but to re-evaluate the planned policy.
Rising from a meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the Okpe Union Worldwide, the Okpe sons and daughters, in a statement encapsulated the union’s educational proposal for the development of Okpe Kingdom, lamenting that public institutions, such as universities, polytechnics, petroleum institutes, colleges of education, schools of nursing, schools of agriculture, federal medical centres and many others, had been sited in various areas without the ancient headquarters, Orerokpe, being considered.
The National Executive Council (NEC) of the Okpe Union, having been inundated by reports of reactions (some disruptive) from several quarters, especially from the Isoko areas of the state in relation to the reported planned relocation of some programmes of the Delta State University of Science and Technology, Ozoro, a town of the Isoko Nation, historical cousins of the Okpe people, emphasised senatorial and ethnic balancing in the state.
The statement, titled, ‘A Call for Calm, Re-evaluation of Policy by Government and Restatement of the Position of Okpe Nation to Foster Ethnic Harmony in Delta State,’ signed by President General of Okpe Union (Worldwide), Prof. Igho Natufe, and General Secretary, Mr. Kingsley Akpederin, commended Oborevwori for seeking to redress the abnormal historical abandonment of Orerokpe and its environs in his balancing agenda.
They recalled that the quest for the acquisition of education degrees has now got the various Colleges of Education in the state to haphazardly secure multiple affiliations with different universities in Nigeria in order for them to be degree awarding.
“A University of Education for Delta State is long overdue. We believe the resources for the creation of another campus would be nearly sufficient for the establishment of this all-important institution for modern competitive teachers’ education for the state.
“It is also time for the Sapele Polytechnic, which construction began under the Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan administration to be completed, so that the historically neglected areas of Orerokpe and Sapele would have been assuaged to some extent.”
The Okpe leaders, while appealing for understanding and calm from their Isoko brothers and sisters, said “we are fortunate to have a listening governor who will certainly do what is best in the interest of the state.
“Violence and destruction of public and private properties cannot be a panacea to this kind of decision. We appreciate the fact that the government has met with stakeholders of the Isoko Nation, including the Isoko Development Union (IDU), traditional rulers and other stakeholders.
“We appeal to them to prevail on all, especially youths, to give peace a chance, as the governor has promised not to undermine the development of the Isoko Nation or any other part of the state.”
Isoko youths had earlier taken to the streets to protesting the relocation of the Faculty, which has the Departments of Business Administration, Accountancy, Banking and Finance, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Office Information and Management, Transport and Marine Technology, and Public Administration, from Ozoro to Orerokpe.
The protest, which paralysed economic and commercial activities, as vehicles plying the roads were temporally stopped, commenced as early as 7am in the university town, Ozoro, involved youths and women from all Isoko communities, bearing leaves and placards, condemning the planned action without recourse to Isoko people, vowing to continue the protest until the state government reversed the relocation.
The Isoko Monitoring Group (IMG) had written a protest letter to Oborevwori to address the issue without further delay, expressing disappointment over the relocation of the “key Faculty” from Ozoro to the governor’s home council.
The group stated: “We wish to draw the attention of the governor to this news and urge him to set the records straight before it is too late. We want to state categorically that the governor should not take the Isoko people’s peaceful nature to be a weakness.
“We have observed with dismay that the governor has jettisoned the PDP rotation formula that brought him to power when he was appointing the Secretary to the State Government (SSG). Each governor in the past had followed a pattern that in their first tenure, the three key executive positions are shared among the three senatorial districts.”
