A former Deputy Governor of Abia State, Chief Acho Nwakanma has denied having any problem with the state government over the management of Wilcox Schools in Aba.
New Telegraph reports that former Governor Theodore Orji’s administration, had in 2012, handed over schools to churches and individuals identified as original owners.
In a recent development, our correspondent gathered that Wilcox Memorial Comprehensive Secondary School, Aba, was handed over to the United Evangelical Church (UEC), identified as the original owner of the school.
The State government, however, revoked the handover of the schools, alleging that the churches, including UEC and individuals had breached the agreement through their inability to manage the schools and selling off the lands.
While, speaking on the controversy generated by the new government policy, the former Deputy Governor in an interview with New Telegraph in Aba, noted that the school which was handed over to him in 2022, by the UEC was a hideout for criminals and weed smokers.
Nwakanma said that he has spent over N500 million in rebuilding the dilapidated school, construction of modern hostels and laboratories as well as employment of quality teachers.
He explained that the school is on lease and was not sold to him, contrary to reports and disclosed that he had kept to the agreement with the church by reviving the school and upgrading it to one of the best schools in the State.
He said, “Wilcox schools was abandoned.It became a hideout for criminals and weed smokers. The original owners of the school,the United Evangelical Church ,who were managing the school wanted to lease it out because they could no longer manage it.
“Many people declared their interest to manage the school. I was not even among the first people to declare interest. Maybe, others could not met with the task of reviving the school.
“We communicated our intent to the church that we have the capacity to make Wilcox one of the model schools and they accepted our application.
“The church also showed us the letter from the state government handing over Wilcox to them as the original owner in 2012.
“Wilcox schools is owned by the church and was not sold to me,It was a lease agreement which was signed on 2022 with all sorts of difficult conditions to be met.
“But we were not discouraged because we knew we have to capacity to deliver and even surpass the expectations of the church which we have done.
“The Church has a representative in the board of the school. Wilcox doesn’t belong to me. At the end of the lease agreement,i will either leave or renegotiate the agreement. But I’m happy that the church is satisfied with our performance.
“Part of the agreement was for me to invest a huge sum in the school in 10 years but i want to assure you that I have already invested more than the agreed sum in less than 2 years of managing the school.”
He said that before he came in, most of the school lands had been sold off, as it was mainly bushy, and had no classrooms and fence.
“Criminals and weed smokers took over the school. Infact, they told us that we can’t stop them from using the school even if we construct the fence as high as heaven. We have constructed modern classrooms,hotels and well equipped laboratories.
“The school now has a pre nursery, primary and secondary sections. It is the fastest growing model school in the state. I have no problem with the state government because they never handed over the school to me and I have complied with the laws guiding the school system in the state.
“I have never sold any land belonging to the school.If land is available,I can even buy more land to expand the school to accommodate my vision, he said.
