Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Ogoni Youths Development Initiative, OYDI, has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, over the alleged refusal to fund the Federal University of Environment Technology, FUET, Ogoni.
In a letter dated Monday, 2 March 2026, and signed by the President, Comr. Imeabe Oscar, and Secretary-General, Comr. Lekia Godwin, OYDI accused NNPCL of reneging on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive to finance and supervise the take-off of the institution.
The youth group described the alleged inaction as a “deliberate attempt to truncate the smooth take-off of FUET,” citing abandoned construction projects, unpaid contractors, and restricted access for students and lecturers to critical facilities, including hostels, classrooms, and laboratories.
“We have it in good account that part of the confidence-building measures for the resumption of oil exploration in Ogoni land is the establishment of FUET,” the letter stated. “Yet, under the current NNPCL administration, contractors executing projects on campus remain unpaid, and progress has ground to a halt.”
The youth group stressed that while other federal universities established around the same period have received operational funding, FUET continues to face neglect.
“As a body, we are being forced to view this as a deliberate breach of the agreement between the Ogoni people and the President,” the group added.
The youth leaders warned that failure to release the funds within seven days would compel them to occupy the gates of NNPCL’s office.
“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,” the letter declared.
Copies of the protest letter were sent to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the National Security Adviser, the Director-General of the Department of State Services, DSS, and the Ministers of Petroleum and Education.
The development comes amid ongoing efforts by the federal government to secure local support for renewed oil exploration in Ogoniland, a region historically impacted by environmental degradation and activism.
OYDI’s ultimatum highlights mounting tensions between host communities and national oil institutions, raising concerns over project execution, accountability, and the pace of infrastructure investment in strategically important oil-producing regions.
