Thousands of Women Want Oko Rector , Prof Onu Sacked , Took To Protests

Thousands of placards and green leaves carrying women yesterday protested at Federal Polytechnic Oko , calling for the removal of the rector, Prof Godwin Onu. Many staff who were inside the school were held hostage while those outside could not enter for several hours. 

The placards with inscriptions such as ‘’Onu must go’’ We are tired of Onu’’, Appoint new Rector For Fed Poly, ‘’ Onu has destroyed the Polytechnic , Stop Molesting us , chanted several songs of sorrow moving round the community.

The protests were peaceful but the heavy police and SSS presence did not deter the women although they were not allowed through the polytechnic gates earlier shut by security operatives.

The women were accompanied by men and youths as a show of solidarity. The women Leader (President General) Mrs Caro Okeke and President of Umuada Oko (Daughters of the Soil married outside) , Mrs Maureen Uzoegbunam led the protesting women and spoke on behalf of the women.

The women summoned one Ebuka Okoli who supervised the fake award to Prof Onu to the community’s civic center where he apologized and covered his face in shame. He allegedly admitted having been induced with Siena bus , employment promises and cash grant for the award to be arranged. The women invited another two senior staff of the Polytechnic allegedly induced with millions of naira bribe to scuttle wishes of Oko Community.

The women lamented the continual assault on the people of Oko, disregard for the culture and authorities in the town and steady harassment of their children by private security of the rector. They said it has become impossible to peacefully coexist with the rector of the institution , alleging plots by Prof. Godwin Onu to relocate some departments of the institution to his home town Ezira.

The Rector of the institution Prof Onu had earlier on Tuesday when he was given award by select youths of the community denied this allegation, even though the award has been denounced by the Community leadership describing those who gave the award as banned group.
                                          

The women recalled that the Town Union had urged the Federal Government to remove the rector from office as a matter of urgency but regretted that the rector is still in office damaging the institution and the town.

The women promised to continue with the protest until the rector is removed from office. 

In a related development, the Oko Peoples Union has dissociated herself from a purported award given to the rector of the institution by unauthorised youths of the town in his office on March 3, 2014.

In a press release issues on March 4, 2014, signed by CY Nwanmuo President General Oko Peoples Union and Sir Clement Udoye Vice President, the Town Union noted that the tenure of the rector expires in March, 2014 and the town is opposed the renewal.

The press release has it: “Some of the reasons for community’s opposition included as in this case, the rector’s penchant for creating crises from nothing and his woeful failure to operate harmoniously with others in his work place and environment among numerous other well considered reasons. We are told that he needed desperately to rebut these well known antecedents of his in order to stand a chance of achieving a second term ambition. Let us disregard the so-called award.”

The Oko Peoples Union has formally notified the Minister for Education of the rejection of Prof. Godwin Onu as the rector of the institution. 

 The management of the institution has been having issues with unions on campus and relationship with unions appear frosty. The unions on campus had in a communiqué urged the Federal Government to appoint an internally generated rector. The tenure of incumbent rector expires March 10, 2014. Now it is an additional burden for management to receive fresh salvos from the host community.