Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta is facing fresh tension over the alleged non-funding of the Federal University of Environment and Technology (FUET), Saakpenwa, in Tai Local Government Area of Rivers State, as Ogoni youths threaten protests against the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
Under the aegis of the Ogoni Youths Development Initiative, the group issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, demanding the immediate release of funds to enable the smooth take-off of the university or risk the shutdown of its offices in Port Harcourt and Abuja.
The Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Chinedu Mmom, had earlier disclosed during a February briefing that since FUET was established following a bill signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on February 2, 2025, the university has yet to receive any take-off allocation or grant.
Addressing journalists in Port Harcourt on Sunday, OYDI President Imeabe Saviour said the group had formally written to the NNPCL Group Chief Executive and the Office of the National Security Adviser to highlight the institution’s funding challenges.
Saviour recalled that as part of confidence-building measures tied to discussions on the planned resumption of oil exploration in Ogoniland, the NNPCL was directed to renovate the university’s temporary site and provide funding for its operations.
He alleged that contractors handling projects on campus remain unpaid, leading to abandoned works and restricted access to facilities. According to him, the absence of hostels, classroom blocks and laboratories has stalled academic activities and limited the university’s ability to admit more students.
“We have it on good authority that part of the confidence-building measures for the resumption of oil exploration in Ogoniland is the establishment of FUET, alongside the mandate of Mr President that the NNPCL should fund its take-off,” he said.
“However, we note with great dismay the refusal of the NNPCL to heed that directive, as contractors remain unpaid and projects abandoned. Many students are without hostels, classrooms and laboratories.”
Saviour further claimed that other federal institutions established around the same period have received operational funding, while FUET has not, describing the development as a breach of trust between the Federal Government and the Ogoni people.
Consequently, the group warned that failure to release the funds within seven days would result in peaceful protests and occupation of NNPCL offices.
“We are non-violent, but we will not allow our inheritance and the fruit of the labours of our slain heroes to suffer neglect and abandonment,” he said.
The development highlights renewed pressure in the Niger Delta, where education initiatives are closely linked to broader conversations about resource control, community inclusion and long-term stability in one of Africa’s most strategic oil-producing regions.
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