Free Education deceit: Rochas Okorocha snubs protesting Imo students to meet with Hausa students at Government House Owerri

Free Education deceit: Rochas Okorocha snubs protesting Imo students to meet with
Hausa students at Government House Owerri

Governor Rochas Okorocha on Tuesday snubbed protesting Imo State students under the aegis of National Imo Students Assembly (NISA), to meet Northern students at the government house. The members of NISA cut across Imo State University Owerri (IMSU), Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education (AIFCE) and Imo State Polytechnic Umuagwo.

The students' group who were led by Comrade Kenneth Anozie on the protest to the government house protested against the fraudulent free education policy of the Okorocha Government, were students supposedly on free education were paying exorbitant academic charges to cover the free education regime. The students noted that under the free education regime, students are compelled to pay certain amount of money to the banks for the cheques issued to them by the state government and that the students of Imo State University were also paying N70,000 as acceptance fee, whereas they were not paying any such fee in the past.

Speaking to Nigeria Moment, Comrade Keneth Anozie said that it is bad that the students pay money such as N70, 000 for acceptance fee and N25,000 to the banks before they cheques are cashed. He lamented that the cheques are not even given to the students but kept by the banks.

The students called on the governor to use his good offices to stop such payments and make free education truly free. They also called on the governor to include the students of Imo State who attend Federal Government schools in the state.

The students who numbered about one thousand stormed the Government House Owerri in two trailers and two buses, carrying placards that read: 'Handle with care, we are government's project”; “Let free education be free”; “Imo indigenes deserve bursary”, etc, refused to be addressed by any other government official except the governor. Arguing that they are important stakeholders to the free education policy of the state government and should be given priority attention by the government and the governor.

Attempts by the Special Assistant on Students' Affairs, Hon GTC Samuel, who came to the gate of the Government to address them failed as they insisted on the governor addressing them. 

The students were however shocked and miffed that while they were still at the government house gate protesting and waiting to be addressed by the governor, they were ignored, only for the governor to allow into the Government House a group of northern states who had come to see him and were waiting at the Government House gate at the same time the Imo State students were protesting, to be ushered in. And while the group of Imo students was protesting at the government house gate and waiting to see the governor, the governor was holding a meeting with the students from the northern states. 

The students became angry on their realization that the governor ignored them to hold a meeting with students from northern states, saying that the governor did not regard them. Not only did the governor snub the students and held a meeting with students from Northern states, he did not address even after his meeting with the northern students, as it was said that the governor left the government house through the back gate.

All efforts by Hon GTC Samuel to address the students were rebuffed by the students who insisted they came to see the governor. And miffed by the refusal of the students to allow him to address them, Hon Samuel became upset and threatened to deal with the students who alerted the security men around to the threat from the governor SA.

Hon Samuel became more upset with the students that they did not approach him before the protest, saying that they should have routed their requests through his office to the governor.

The students had refused to leave the government house, threatening to occupy it until the governor addressed them, but they were prevailed upon to leave after the SA protocol to the governor met with the leader of the group and promised them that the governor would look into their grievances and get back to them in two weeks.

Incidentally, while the students were protesting at the government house Owerri, the conference of Nigerian Judges was holding at Rock View Hotel, opposite the government house, and this realization angered the government officials the more, especially the SA on Students' Affairs, who demanded that the students put down their placards, but he was rebuffed by the students.

A protest letter from the group to the governor reads: “The members National Imo Student Assembly (NISA) is protesting against the implementation of the free education scheme by the rescue mission agenda.

“His Excellency, We are not happy about the payment made before the cheque issued can be cashed. If this free education is really free and for Imolites, then those in federal institutions should also benefit from it.

“We ask that you use your good office to stop all payments that is been made by the students (Imolites) of Imo state university and Imo state polytechnic, including the #70,000 acceptance fee paid in Imo state university (IMSU). This is a state benefit which our state governor has given to Imolites; yet those in federal institutes are not beneficiaries of it.

“We therefore ask that the governor should consider those in federal institutes, either by awarding scholarships or by paying monthly bursary. Imo state student will be very happy and supportive of your administration if our demands are met.

“Thanks for your consideration.”

The letter was signed by the leaders of the group, Comrade Kenneth Anozie, and the Secretary, Nnena Opara; but incidentally no government official agreed to accept the letter on behalf of the governor or the state government, according to the leader of the group.

-The Moment