The management of Delta State Polytechnic Ogwashi-Uku has countered the widespread rumours that the institution is being closed down. The institution refutes any claims regarding its closure, as no official decision has been taken in this regard.
It is imperative to note that Delta State Polytechnic Ogwashi-Uku remains operational and committed to providing quality education to its students. The institution urges all stakeholders to disregard these false and unfounded claims and continue to support its mission of academic excellence.
During a press briefing held on Tuesday, Prof. Emmanuel Achuenu, the Rector of the institution, confirmed that no attack had taken place within the school premises.
Prof Achuenu said the attack happened within some of the public hostels where students reside in the community, stating that the school hostels are intact and nothing like an attack occurred.
This is coming amid the fake news that has gone viral that the institution is been shut down based on the attack by robbers who killed some students, raped, and injured others.
He said the Delta State Polytechnic Ogwashi-Uku management is already familiar with the fake stories that are trending while clarifying that non of the students were killed or raped.
Achuenu said, “There has been a wave of insecurity all over the country and Delta State Polytechnic Ogwashi-Uku is situated in the Ogwashi-Uku community of Delta State, Nigeria and we are part of the wave.”
“Unfortunately, there were some series of disturbances as regards the robbery issues that took place in other communities not only in Ogwashi-Uku. It is a similar case of insecurity that has been ravaging the country.”
“This particular incident happened in some of the residents where some of the students reside. It is that residence they are calling students’ hostels, not the ones inside the school premises that were attacked, and when they brought the information to my notice before I knew what was going on, I had received so many calls about Delta State Polytechnic Ogwashi-Uku being attacked and I was shocked because nobody has attacked the institution.”
“People have decided not to separate an individual from an institution. They mix the community with the campus because the areas they mentioned that the robbers attacked were Mega Chi, Chelsea, and the back of the Africa House area. We have only two hostels in Delta State Polytechnic Ogwashi-Uku, one male and one female hostel is what we have on campus here and both are intact.”
“The hostels they are talking about are the ones in the community because the entire community is made up of global hostels. Those hostels are not related to us, we don’t even know them.”
“It was so painful when I heard the report that Delta State Polytechnic Ogwashi-Uku is under sage that the school has been closed down on account of insecurity on campus. If the school is to be closed down, is it not the Rector that will give directives? I have not even given any directives like that because what we were doing at that time was to call every one of the stakeholders to ensure that the Ogwashi-Uku community was safe as long as our students were involved in the town, it’s not the institution that is under sage, it is some of the areas in the community where students reside in private hostels.”
“Just because people want to make trending news, they now linked the entire situation to Delta State Polytechnic Ogwashi-Uku saying the school is under attack and some students have been killed while some were raped and others injured. Nowhere in this Polytechnic has been robbed? All the vicinities around the Polytechnic and some kilometres away from the Polytechnic non of them were affected. Some of the residences that these students are staying are far from here, they are not close to the school.”
“That fake news is painful, and it must reversed because the information that the Student Union President wrote came as a result of what he felt was right at that time. We did not ask him to issue a statement. This Polytechnic is safe and it is not under sage”, the Rector stated.
While giving a hint about some of the measures put in place to checkmate the incident and the decisions reached during a meeting held with the Aniocha South Local Government Council and the stakeholders of the community and the Polytechnic, the Rector stated that owners of hostels who want the school to note their presence ought to make it official to the management to be aware of their presence.
He said during their meeting with the Local Government Council, he suggested that anyone who builds a hostel in the community should ensure to provide security. Micro and macro security wherein the micro deals with the individual units while the macro security should be within those areas where the individual hostels are located and also general security for the whole community.
He also said there will be a consistent meeting between the hostel’s owners and the security architectures in the Local Government Area to discuss how to provide security for the entire community, adding that they suggested that there should be a security trust fund that will be used to checkmate or address the issues of security in the community.
Prof Achuenu added that the management of the school is still trying to get the perimeter fencing of the school done as a way of securing the institution so that anyone will not be entering the campus, adding that the Obi palace and the police have released a hotline to call whenever there is an attempt of any insecurity within the community.
Also speaking is the Dean of Student Affairs, Mr Agetue Franklin who said none of the incidents occurred in the institution nor did any students killed or raped as speculated, adding that the situation was magnified and blown out of proportion.
He added that the security of the school is intact and students are around stating that nothing of security threat is happening within the school premises.
Similarly, the Students Union President, Comrade Victor Anthony thanked the media for coming to clarify the fake news that is already trending while stating that the school was not shut down as speculated, adding that the students were the reason for the crisis.
Comrade Anthony said it was people who misquoted the content of the statement that was released by the SUG, according to him, the pressure and tension were much due to the fake news that had been circulated on social media.
He said the school management has been proactive about the situation that is happening within the community while also reaffirming that the school was never attacked by the robbers nor was it shut down as speculated.
