Lawmakers back recovery of varsity from Okorocha

A bill for a law to repeal the Eastern Palm University Establishment Law No. 3 of 2019 has been passed by the Imo State House of Assembly.

Sponsored by the Deputy Majority Leader of the House, Emeka Nduka (Ehime Mbano), the bill seeks also to rename the university to Kingsley Ozumba Mbadiwe University, Ogboko.

Presenting the bill on the floor of the House yesterday, Nduka said: “This bill, if signed into law, would be one of the best things that would have happened to Imo State. The law is for the general interest of the people.

“The bill speaks for itself and I want to urge my colleagues to give this bill accelerated hearing to enable its speedy signing into law and to rename the Eastern Palm University to K. O. Mbadiwe University, Imo State.”

Majority of the lawmakers, including the Deputy Speaker, Amara Iwuanyanwu (Nwangele), Kennedy Ibe (Obowo), Eddy Obinna (Aboh Mbaise), Paschal Okolie (Orlu), Ekene Nnodumele (Orsu), Dominic Ezerioha (Oru West), Arthur Egwim (Ideato North), and Uju Onwudiwe (Njaba), applauded the sponsor of the bill and endorsed its speedy passage.

According to them, the bill was timely, commendable and people-oriented, stressing that the university should be fully recovered by the state, since it was allegedly built with the state’s funds.

They also queried some processes involved in the establishment of the university and its initial claim of ownership, saying it was fraudulent and not in the general interest of the people.

The Speaker, Paul Emeziem, said the law would answer the clarion calls by concerned citizens of the state, who had written several petitions for the full recovery of the university from the acclaimed owner.

Also, the Assembly congratulated Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on her recent emergence as the Director-General of World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Speaking during plenary yesterday, Emeziem described Okonjo-Iweala as an amazon whose capacity to deliver on her assignments was not in doubt.