Member representing Ikwuano/Umuahia federal constituency of Abia State, Hon. Obi Aguocha has expressed regret over the damage done at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike (MOUAU) in a recent protest by students of the institution, saying it’s huge and heartbreaking.
He said it would cost at least N2bn to fix the damages which include burnt down buildings, windows and doors shattered, fences felled, and other infrastructural damages.
He told ABN TV on Friday that he has met with the management of the university to see ways the school could be reopened for academic activities to resume so that final-year students could complete their examinations.
ABN TV recalls that the students had engaged in demonstration on Tuesday over a new policy of the school which mandates students to complete the payment of their fees before they could be allowed to take part in examinations.
The Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Maduebibisi Ofo Iwe accused miscreants of being responsible for the attack.
Hon. Aguocha said he visited communities bordering the institution, including the traditional ruler of Amaoba community, His Royal Majesty, Eze Otuwa, his Elders-in-Council, and Traditional Cabinet with a view to ascertain the remote and immediate cause of the crisis.
“The level of destruction in the institution, the buildings that were burnt, the windows that were broken, the university fences that were felled, for me it should not have been so.
“It would require about N2bn to reconstruct fully, to bring the university the way it was before the crisis”, he noted.
The lawmaker noted that no level of aggravation warrants the level of damage done on the infrastructure of the university.
He therefore appealed to the management of the university to consider reopening it for resumption of academic activities.
According to him, a committee has been set up by the university which will liaise with him on the amicable resolution of the issues.
He therefore solicited for measures that will forestall similar occurrences in the future, appealing to the school management to introduce a phased payment system that will enable students to pay in bits given the economic difficulties in the country.
