For years, Oko a community in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State, was at war with itself. For its pride, the only polytechnic in its land, was at daggers drawn with the monarch of the community. Established by former Vice President Dr Alex Ekwueme, the Federal Polytechnic Oko was torn apart by the acrimony between its leadership and the community’s traditional institution headed by Igwe Laz Ekwueme, brother of the former vice president. The monarch accused the Rector, Prof. Godwin Onu of marginalising the host community, while the rector charged the ruler with seeking to suppress the institution by demanding that every appointment and contract pass through him as the traditional head of the community.
At a time, it led to killings and destruction of property in the kingdom by the two camps which involved security operatives from both the state and federal levels.
The battle ground later shifted to Abuja with both parties boasting of highly connected people.
Today, the story has changed with the new governing council of the institution, Hon Lasbry Amadi leading others including the Rector of the school to the traditional ruler of the kingdom, Igwe Prof Laz Ekwueme to talk the way forward.
The longstanding misunderstanding between both camps had indeed denied both the polytechnic and the host community a lot of good things from outside the state.
The 10th new governing council of the institution was inaugurated recently by the minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu in Abuja.
Speaking at the palace of Igwe Ekwueme, the chairman of the council, Hon. Lasbry Amadi said the Polytechnic and the council hold the monarch in high esteem and would do everything possible to seek a wholesome synergy from the wealth of experience of the monarch and his people.
He said, “We have gone to the institution and have seen the developments on ground and we have equally seen the challenges. And we think we will achieve more by the esteem cooperation of the Igwe and his entire subjects”
“There is no alternative to peace and we cannot work without the inputs and contributions of the community. The council will do its best to achieve greater developments and peace is a panacea to attaining such goals”
“We are hopeful that with peace, the cooperation of the Igwe and the entire polytechnic community, coupled with the experiences of all the Council, the polytechnic will be placed in a first position among its peers”
“The polytechnic is what the nation needs for technological advancements in this country”
“Therefore the Council is here to tap from your fatherly disposition and we hope to rely on your wise counsel to achieve greater results,” Amadi emphasised.
However, he commended the president, Mohammaadu Buhari and his team for finding the new council worthy to serve in the federal institution.
The member, representing Orumba North and south at the National Assembly, Hon Ben Nwankwo, advocated for peace and progress, while charging the council to restore the confidence of the community.
He said he was already working on a bill to make the institution a university of technology, adding that the Rector of the school had done well, stressing that the school should work closely with the host community.
On his part, the traditional ruler of the community, though visibly angry over the alleged treatment he received from the institution in the past, commended the new council for toeing the line of peace and solidarity, which he said had been lacking before now.
He maintained that Oko community is a peaceful place that has coexisted with the polytechnic since its inception, while accepting to work with the new council.
He revealed that Federal Polytechnic Oko under his watch as the past Chairman of the Board of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) was rated high in academic and physical developments and charged the present council to work harder to achieve the aim of making Oko a Federal University of Technology to serve the Southeast.
He bemoaned the strained relationship with the institution’s management adding that Oko continue to create open hands for peace to reign stressing that it is still not late to renew a positive and resourceful relationship which will be rewarding to both the school and the host town, Oko.
He called on the council to restore the lost glory of symbiotic relationship between the school and the host community adding that the town is well disposed to accept peace at all times.
The Rector, Prof Godwin Onu revealed that his initial intention which is conspicuously present in his maiden address is to make Oko look like Massachusetts Institute of Technology in development and innovations.
He quickly appealed for forgiveness for the past misunderstandings between his administration and Oko community stressing that detractors may be feeding fat from the feud.
He regretted situations where some people were sending wrong signals to the either parties in the struggle adding that there is no alternative to peace.
According to Onu, “war has never been an alternative to peace and the scares of war does nobody any good.
“I came with passion to transform Federal Polytechnic, Oko, and even with the massive progress we have put in place, we could have done more if not for the negative turn out of the strained relationship.
Onu, therefore pleaded with the traditional ruler Igwe, Prof Laz Ekwueme to forgive and forget as he sued for a more cordial relationship that he believes is what is the only option for progress of the school and the Oko town.
“Initially I was so afraid of this visit occasioned by wrong signals, but I was so encouraged by the Council Chairman with other members to join in the visit. And I thought it wise to use this opportunity to amend the wrongs and chart a course for a more positive relationship”
“I will also want to use this same opportunity to ask Dame Beatrice Ekwueme who represented the former Vice President of Nigeria, His Excellency, Dr Alex Ekwueme at this occasion to send my candid apologies to him”
“I respect him a lot and would never do anything to despise him”
Also, the council paid a visit to His Royal Highness, Igwe Chika Uchime of Ufuma, another host community housing Ufuma Campus of the institution.
The monarch, Igwe Uchime, stressed that Ufuma Community has remained the most patient town for not seeing any development on the Ufuma Campus, since over three decades the town handed over the Community School to the polytechnic.
He said that the institution has not make judicious use of the campus and have not erected any structure on it until the emergence of the present management that renovated all the existing buildings and is also erecting two structures.
He thanked the management for their initiatives and called on the council to do more with the large expanse of empty lands begging to be developed.
The council on their part pledged to transform the place through mechanised agriculture and other academic activities.
Highlights of the visit included inspection of over 15 modern structures and 10 others at various levels of completion by Onu’s administration.
Other facilities inspected included construction of roads within the campus, beautification, modern community radio and television stations.
