A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State, Hon. P. O. Oju, has appealed to Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, Governor of the State, to shelve the alleged plan to relocate some faculties in the Delta State University of Technology, Ozoro, especially the Faculty of Business Administration to Orerokpe, his hometown where he alleged a campus of the institution will be set up.
He said Governor Oborevwori of Delta State should do a re-think of the alleged plan since, in his view, it will amount to killing Delta State University of Science and Technology, Ozoro and “bury the corpse at Orerokpe, his hometown, to create the impression that he loves his people so much.”
Oju, former Chairman of Isoko Local Government and former chairman, Isoko north PDP Elders Council, alleged that the critical faculties in the university are to be relocated to Orerokpe to establish a campus in the Governor’s hometown.
In a statement issued yesterday, the Isoko leader warned that carrying out such a plan for a university that is barely three years old will cause tension in the state and potentially upend the harmonious relationship between the Isoko and Urhobo people.
In his statement, Oju called on the “good Orerokpe people, Urhobo people the closest to Isoko people and the peace loving people of Delta State to without delay advise my amiable governor for whom I almost lost my life mobilizing people to vote for him as my PDP candidate to go back to history and copy what H.E. Governor James Onanefe Ibori did when he wanted to establish Oghara Polytechnic.
“He did not kill Ogwashi-Uku and Ozoro Polytechnics which were almost dying. Rather, he revived them and established the Oghara Polytechnic. There was jubilation in the whole of Delta State.
“H.E.Governor Sheriff Oborevwori should not create unnecessary tension in Delta State in his time for people in Isoko to pass a vote of no confidence on PDP, our political party.
“It is my sincere and honest advice that H.E. should have listening ears and do his PDP members in Urhobo, Isoko and the whole of Delta State proud. I will not stop advising until the right thing is done”, Oju said.
The Delta State University of Science and Technology, Ozoro was first established as a College of Agriculture which was turned into a Polytechnic on January 1, 2002, by law during the administration of Chief James Ibori.
In February 2021, Governor Ifeanyi A Okowa upgraded the Polytechnic to a university, the same time he established two additional universities in Asaba and Agbor.
Meanwhile, Ozoro Positive Voice has cried to His. Excellency, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, the Executive Governor of Delta State, for a matter of urgency to call the Chairman of the Governing Council, Ambassador Godson Echegile, of the newly established Delta State University of Science and Technology, Ozoro to order over his ungodly move to relocate the Faculty Social Sciences and Management to Orerokpe Community in Okpe Local Government Area of the state on the guise of Governor’s directive.
“Historically, Ozoro and Orerokpe are brothers, as they are children of same parents, as such an Ika man cannot come to divide us for his personal acrimony and benefits,” the group said.
In the press conference held at Ozoro, Isoko North Local Headquarters, Dr. Enahoro Michael who is the leader of the group appealed to the Executive Governor who is their brother and son of the soil to jettison the devilish move of the Ambassador Echegile Godson led governing council of the university.
Dr. Enahoro said that the university is a specialized one with limited courses in line with requirements of the National Universities Commission, hence the only viable faculty is the school of social sciences and management with about seven (7) departments which is the soul and source of internally generated revenue of the institution.
He said with the upgrading of the former Ozoro Polytechnic to a university status by former Governor Okowa Arthur Ifeanyi, a lot of investors have surfaced in the Kingdom thereby boosting the economic activities of the town and its environs.
Dr. Enahoro further passionately appealed to the Governor to drop the resolution of the governing Council on the relocation plan in order to save people’s investments in the town and avoid total collapse of the newly established institution.
