By Awyetu Asabe Hope
Youth groups from Ogoniland and the South-South region on Monday staged a protest in Port Harcourt over the alleged neglect of the Federal University of Environment and Technology, Saakpenwa, in Rivers State by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
The protesters, under the auspices of the Ogoni Youths Development Initiative and the South-South Youths Initiative, marched through major streets of the city, calling on the oil company to release funds for the development of the institution.
Speaking during the protest, the Global President of the Ogoni Youths Development Initiative, Imeabe Saviour, accused the NNPCL of failing to comply with a directive by President Bola Tinubu to support the university.
He said the university, established by the Federal Government in February 2025, had been facing serious infrastructure challenges due to the alleged delay in the release of funds.
According to him, the situation has left students without adequate lecture halls, laboratories and hostel facilities, while contractors handling projects at the institution are yet to be paid.
The protesters displayed placards with inscriptions such as “Ogoni University Must Be Funded by NNPCL” and “NNPCL Pay FUET Contractors.”
Saviour warned that the protest was only a warning, adding that the groups would intensify their action and move the protest to the NNPCL headquarters in Abuja if their demands were not addressed.
Responding to the protesters, the Head of Corporate Services and Administration of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission in Port Harcourt, Mfon Ati, urged the group to formally follow up on their correspondence with NNPCL while maintaining peace.
