Chaos at Gregory University, Uturu, Imo State

There was near bedlam at the Gregory University, Uturu, Imo State, Thursday morning, as some students were prevented from leaving the campus for their Christmas Holiday for failing to purchase a book titled:  IDEAL VOCABULARY FOR READING AND WRITING…A Novel Approach, by Peter Roger.

The university makes the purchase of the book mandatory for students.

To underscore the fact that it was serious about the purchase of the school as a pre-condition for leaving for home for the Christmas and New Year holiday, the students were made to sign a form in which it was stated at the bottom:

NOTE: A copy of the text and this form duly signed is a precondition for leaving the school for scholars going for Christmas and New Year Break.

The Acting Bursar of the university, Chris Udigwe, confirms payment on the form once the student has complied.

A source close to the university told The Crest that the precondition so incensed the students the situation became chaotic Thursday morning. Another source told The Crest that the problem almost boiled over when the chief security officer (CSO) of the university, Chief Ibe Odoemelam, allegedly fired into the air, ostensibly to scare the students away.

But when The Crest contacted the CSO on phone, he denied any knowledge of any chaotic situation in the school.

“Where did you get the information?” he charged. “If you are here, you will see students being carried away (in cars) by their parents. Nobody is stopping anybody from leaving the campus. How can you say students are not being allowed to leave? How can you be acting on false information?

“I asked you where you got your information, you refused to give me. Anyway, I’m not in a position to speak on the matter. Call the VC or the director of information. Thank you.”

Attempts to reach the Vice Chancellor and the Director of Information were unsuccessful as at the time of filing this report. It was also not clear how the matter was resolved.

Gregory University, Uturu, GUU, was licensed in February 2012 by the Federal Government of Nigeria as a private university. It took off in October of the same year with its pioneer students for the 2012/2013 academic session, with the motto: “Knowledge for Tomorrow”.