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There is presently tension and anxiety in Orlu community, Orlu Local Government Area of Imo State, following reports of plans to clandestinely donate the expansive premises the Technical Skill Acquisition Center (TESAC) that once served as the Orlu Campus of Imo Polytechnic to the Catholic Church.
The community had earlier accused the ex-Rector of Imo State Polytechnic Umuagwo, Fr Wence Madu of recommending that the Orlu Campus of Imo State Polytechnic be relocated to Omuma as a way of massaging the governor’s ego in a bid to actualize his age-long ambition of acquiring the premises for the Catholic church.
Recall that Fr Wence Madu, who vacated office as Rector of Imo State Polytechnic, Umuagwo, in very controversial circumstances served as Chairman of the committee that harmonized the conversion of the multi-campus polytechnic to a single campus system.
Speaking with our reporter, the Vice Chairman of Orlu Town Development Union,(OTDU) who is also a landlord in the area,Hon MC Okereke said that the villagers did not donate the land to the Church.
He noted that the original land owners had an arrangement with the Irish missionaries. Hence, they gave them the premises and they started paying rent. After the Nigerian Civil war, the church said they needed a place where they will train teachers. The leaders of the community agreed and pleaded with the landlords to oblige the Church which the graciously did with an agreement that the Church,like the Irish Missionaries will be paying rent to them. The government later took over the place to establish a State owned school.
“The place was briefly used as a site for the Alvan Ikoku College of Education (AICE) and later as Technical Skill Acquisition Center(TESAC) from which it metamorphosed to Technical Skills Acquisition Institute(TESAI). There was never a time the property was given to the church. It is therefore surprising that the Catholic Church is now laying claim to the land”.
Another prominent son of Orlu who pleaded anonymity, said, most of his colleagues who are knights of the Catholic Church are the ones escalating the tension by ganging up against the communty because of their selfish interests.
“As a knight of St Mulumba KSM, I don’t support the idea of clandestinely appropriating a public property in the name of religion or denomination. Could this be why most of them kept quiet while Governor Uzodinma relocated the Polytechnic to his village.I expected the governor to attract a federal Government Institution to the place now that he took away Imopoly from us.
“I was also told that some of these people from Orlu community lobbying for the premises to be handed over to the Church have been promised compensatory vantage positions in the establishment.
He wondered why the traditional ruler in the community has not deemed it necessary to speak out to prevent the plot to acquire people’s land for private or organizational purposes.
He noted that the renewed tension was kindled by a viral video where the Imo state Commissioner for Education, Prof Johncliff Nwadike, was seen handing over a piece of paper purported to be handing over note to the church.
When contacted, Prof Nwadike, confirmed the development that the school was handed of the Church.
