THE LAND DISPUTE BETWEEN ORLU COMMUNITY AND THE CATHOLIC DIOCESE: Matters Arising (Part 2)

THE LAND DISPUTE BETWEEN ORLU COMMUNITY AND THE CATHOLIC DIOCESE: Matters Arising (Part 2)

 

By Dr Chiemeka Durunwa

Secretary, Orlu Town Development Union, Owerri Branch

 

Notable institutions owned by the Catholic Church in Orlu include Bishop Shanahan College (BSC), Mater Christi Maternity Hospital, Holy Trinity Cathedral premises, Marist Brothers’ Quarters, the Pastoral Centre, Reverend Sisters’ Quarters, Holy Rosary, Nwannegadi Microfinance Bank, Trinitas Primary School, among others.

 

All these establishments are profit-oriented, and there is no preferential treatment for the original landowners. The Catholic Church in Orlu has grown more powerful than its host community. Some unscrupulous stakeholders in Orlu have sold out their people to the Church, and this is why the centre can no longer hold.

 

Bishop Shanahan College and its sister institution, Bishop Shanahan Teachers’ College (BSTC), were taken over by the government at the end of the Nigerian Civil War. The Alvan Ikoku College of Education, Orlu Campus, was established at the BSTC site, while BSC remained under government control. When the college was later relocated, a Technological Skills Acquisition Centre (TESAC) was opened on the site. Years later, TESAC was removed by Governor Rochas Okorocha, and the Engineering Department of Imo State Polytechnic, Umuagwo, was established there.

 

When schools were returned to their original owners by the Ohakim administration, the Catholic Church reclaimed BSC. However, BSTC remained under government control. Upon reclaiming BSC, the Catholic Church shut out the Orlu community, hiked the school fees, and changed the traditional white-on-white uniform that BSC was known for.

 

Today, to register a child at BSC, one must pay almost ₦300,000 — non-negotiable — with no preferential consideration for members of the host community who even donated their lands, unlike what is obtainable elsewhere.

 

I have learned that the student population at BSC has dropped drastically in this once-glorious citadel of learning — a school that was once the pride of Orlu and Imo State. BSC was a prestigious institution, known nationwide during its golden years. Today, it is a shadow of itself, with a student population of fewer than 50, compared to the over 3,000 students we had in our time.

 

When the Engineering Department of Imo Poly was recently moved to Omuma by Governor Hope Uzodimma, the Catholic Church immediately began plotting to seize the BSTC land from the Orlu community. To achieve this, they allegedly connived with few prominent stakeholders in Orlu, promising them heaven and earth if they could convince the people to relinquish the land. Without consulting the community, these land grabbers hurriedly mounted a signpost announcing the establishment of TRINITAS UNIVERSITY, ORLU, at the site. They thought it would be business as usual.

 

But in anger, the youths of Orlu mobilized and stormed the site, and in no time, stopped them from errecting the signpost.

 

When concerned citizens of Orlu went to court to challenge this daylight robbery, those who had colluded with the Church began preaching to the people that the project was for the benefit of their children and for Orlu’s overall development. But Orlu responded with a resounding “NO” and declared that “Enough is enough.”

 

Orlu is a peaceful community. From time immemorial, it has been a safe haven for the troubled. During the Nigerian Civil War, people from neighbouring communities and beyond, affected by the conflict, thronged to Orlu for safety. They were warmly received and soon became an integral part of the community. Throughout the war, Orlu remained safe for both indigenes and refugees. The war never reached Orlu Gedegwum.

 

The vitriolic exchanges and insults we now see among brothers are alien to Orlu. We were always united. Today, we are tearing at each other’s throats because the Catholic Church and its agents — who have held our people by the jugular — have cut through the fabric that binds us, and now we can no longer speak with one voice. Accusations and counter-accusations have become the order of the day since the Church decided to include the BSTC land among those it had already taken from Orlu.

 

No community would be happy if the purpose of donating its cherished property is betrayed. While a select few smile to the bank at the expense of their kinsmen, the true landowners languish in poverty. The recent protest by Orlu youths was an expression of long-held grievances — a message to the Church and its collaborators that we are no longer in the era of business as usual.

 

The conversion of the Pastoral Centre into a guest house, where customers allegedly lodge with women, is another slap in the face of Orlu. It now appears that the Catholic Church is willing to do anything — even the unthinkable — to make money.

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Imo Trumpeta

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