Sequel to the principled and unwavering stand of Orluzurumee Youth Assembly (OYA) and it’s determination to ensure that the ownership of Eastern Palm University, Ogboko, which was built with public funds on lands donated by the owners for public use, be reverted to Imo people, former Governor Rochas Okorocha has engaged Chief Sam Onwuemeodo, his former Chief Press Secretary and presently his S.A on Media to fight, discredit and tarnish the image of Orluzurumee Youth Assembly, the apex umbrella body of youths in Orlu zone.
It was gathered that Onwuemeodo, in his desperation to play to the gallery and do his masters bidding has recruited some miscreants, half baked and mentally deficient elements who are unknown to the organization, to malign and throw dust at it by peddling misleading and unfounded information that OYA has been proscribed without taking cognizance of the fact that, Orluzurumee Youth Assembly is a corporate entity that fulfilled all processes and procedures and was registered by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Abuja and issued with a Certificate of Incorporation with NO CAC/IT/NO 137482, signed by the Registrar General, Azuka Obiageli Azinge.
According to a source that pleaded anonymity, “the hired miscreants and intellectual dwarfs of questionable character and antecedents who showcased their naivety and ignorance by thinking that their sponsors and accomplices in fraud can unilaterally proscribe OYA, an organization that has legal backing with just a wave of the hand are, Don Uba, who was recently arrested by the police for allegedly defrauding Imo journalists, Desmond C. Ugwumba and Arthur Madumere. These people by their conducts are unknown to and not qualified to belong to the group”.
The source also urged the public to ignore, disregard and discountenance with the watery publication in some newspapers as regards the authentic leadership of OYA, stating that, “the registered and recognized Trustees of Orluzurumee Youth Assembly are men of strong character as boldly printed in the certificate”.
When contacted, Comrade Kyrian Echerebo; spokesperson of Board of Trustees of Orluzurumee Youth Assembly, said, “OYA is a focused organization comprising decent and purpose-driven youths who would not be distracted by the antics and shenanigans of loafers and disgruntled elements who will do anything and go to any length to please their masters because of peanuts”.
He also stated that, the owners of the land where Eastern Palm University is located, trooped to the National Secretariat of Orluzurumee last Tuesday to register their grievances and to initiate moves to reclaim their lands if the university is eventually owned by an individual because according to them, “we donated our lands to the state government because we were made to believe that it will be for public use. Eastern Palm University was from all indications, built with public funds on land we donated for public use. Anything short of that is not acceptable to us”. They also delivered a letter to that effect to the National leadership of OYA before they left.
Responding to a question, Comrade Echerebo said that Orluzurumee will take a stand very soon if nothing concrete is done about the ugly and disturbing situation because the place is gradually becoming a kidnappers den. Besides, OYA has briefed their lawyer for advice on steps to take in respect of the distractive actions and comments of Sam Onwuemeodo, his sponsors and cohorts.
It will be recalled that Watchdog Newspaper had on page 26th of it’s May 25th, 2020 edition, published a letter addressed to Governor Hope Uzodinma by OYA. The group had in the said letter threatened to go to court if the state government did not reclaim the Eastern Palm University from former Governor Rochas Okorocha, within three weeks. OYA, in the letter also posited that Governor Uzodinma’s disturbing silence on the ownership status of the institution which has been abandoned and left to dilapidate, has given rise to unpleasant insinuations, whispers, negated and jeopardized the intention of the host community, who donated their lands for public use.
A government house source who spoke to our reporter on condition of anonymity revealed that some funds have been mobilized for the hired miscreants through Onwuemeodo, to galvanize them into more vitoric attacks, mudslinging and blackmail against Community Watchdog Newspaper and Orluzurumee Youth Assembly that have been in the vanguard for the reversion of ownership of Eastern Palm University, Ogboko to serve the interest of the land owners and Imo people.
It will also be recalled that when Governor Okorocha started construction of the University during his first tenure, he named it Imo European University, giving credence to the fact that it was owned by the state government. But on completion and towards the end of his second tenure, he changed it to the present name that has since then generated controversy and curiosity.
