Chief Chidiebere J. Okoh has made a passionate appeal to the people of Item in Bende Local Government Area of Abia State to support the location of the proposed university in Okoko Item, warning that continued disagreements over its siting could jeopardise the entire project and cost Item a historic educational opportunity.
Okoh stressed that the people of Item must prioritise the successful take-off of the university over disagreements about where within the community it should be located. He urged them to embrace the practical option of establishing the institution in Okoko Item, where the required facilities, according to the National Universities Commission (NUC) report referenced in the discussion, are already available.
He maintained that the university project, attracted to Item through the efforts of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, should be protected through collective understanding, cooperation and constructive engagement rather than political rivalry or prolonged disputes over location.
Okoh’s central appeal is that Item should not risk losing an entire university project in pursuit of a preferred location when the resources needed to establish the required infrastructure elsewhere are not readily available.
He cautioned that insisting on relocating the project to another part of Item without the necessary facilities and funding to meet the requirements for its commencement could create avoidable delays and potentially give other areas within Bende an opportunity to benefit from the institution instead.
According to him, the issue should not be about which community within Item gains the advantage of hosting the university, but about how the entire Item community can secure and benefit from the institution. He urged the people to recognise that having the required facilities already in place in Okoko Item presents a practical advantage that should not be sacrificed to internal disagreements.
Okoh therefore appealed to the people of Item, particularly those advocating a different location, to exercise understanding, reconsider their position and support Okoko Item as the proposed site in the collective interest of the community.
He emphasised that the immediate priority should be to secure the university, facilitate its commencement and preserve the opportunity for future generations, rather than allow disagreements to undermine the efforts already made to bring the institution to Item.
Okoh concluded that the people of Item must act with unity and foresight, warning that it would be a painful and avoidable loss for the entire community if a university opportunity already within reach were to slip away because of disagreements over where it should be located.