Students Of FUPRE Protest – Must Read Open Epistle To FG

There was a peaceful protest today at the Federal University Of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE). The SUG released an open letter. READ Below and See photos after the cut:

“FEDERAL GOVERNMENT NEEDLESS DELAY IN IMPLEMENTATION OF FUPRE ACT: A SHOW OF MARGINALISATION, DERELICTION OF DUTY AND LOATHE FOR SOLUTION TO OUR TECHNOLOGICAL AND DEVELOPMENT DOWNTURN AS A NATION.

BY SEN. COMR. OHANWE EMMANUEL. I, GCUF (SUG PRESIDENT, FUPRE)

I won’t allow my bittered, wounded and aggrieved heart to withdraw the etiquette of communication and engagement I have nurtured overtime and that’s why I would seize three lines to bring you greetings.

I bring you revolutionalised Aluta greetings from FUPRE combatants and solutionists who are integral citizenry of our indivisible amalgama.

I write from my secretariat situated in the first petroleum varsity in Africa and sixth in the world as the Grand Commander of all Unarmed Fuprites (GCUF) in representation of battalions of armless, research minded and volatile fuprites.

Over 7000 young, creative and innovative Nigerians with an undergraduate status in Federal University of Petroleum Resources Effurun, preferred FUPRE over other conventional universities because of its specialized nature, the vision that informed the establishment of Federal University of Petroleum Resources, by the Federal Government of Nigeria gathered great minds together in an Ivory Tower situated at Ugbomro, Effurun, Delta state to team up against deterioration and dysfunctionality in the science and technology sector. Students currently schooling in FUPRE see the objectives and blueprint of FUPRE in conformant to the requisite for Nation building particularly the growth of our economy by way of economy diversification, eliminating the foreign patronage of manpower and technical know-how in the oil and gas sector which has been cankerwormic to our treasury as a nation.

No long sighted government will hesitate in transforming FUPRE to a research hub that will receive the nation’s technical, scientific and engineering problems and profer immediate solutions. An institution that has never received take off grant since existence while schools receive N5b and above as grants; whose students have converted their residential areas to research hub and workshop; whose students irrespective of the poor Federal and industry presence have become petrobowl champions, NAMCOSS gurus, Automobile producers, seasoned researchers, NAPE irreplaceable reps, Shell Eco Marathon victors etc; A school that has established a team with a compendium of Practical reforms in the power sector, oil and gas sector, socio economic and environmental sector, and the entrepreneurship axis; even Vice President Osibanjo can testify our worth in the last Expo exhibition at Abuja, yet many wonders why government commendations are always oral and vocal, lacking realities. This alone justifies closing down Aso rock.

It could be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari signed FUPRE bill into law on 17th October, 2017 and the Student Union Government FUPRE sent him a two page letter of appreciation on the 18th October, 2018 through his SSA on media – Garba Shehu, we rained encomiums on his forthrightness in identifying the need to have our nation industrialized and technically developed by assenting FUPRE bill, we further stated the need to implement this act without delay in the letter, but It still puzzles my imagination how the North Eastern Development Commission bill (NEDC) which was signed into law lately one week after FUPRE bill, but was captured in the 2018 national budget even before its assent and currently have received a whooping sum of N45b while FUPRE act is being politicized, what explanation should be given to the stillborn of FUPRE act? Why have we chosen to allow nepotic and fanatic politics replace egalitarianism? Why have the collective patrimony and resources of our nation converted to a kith and kin affair? How has 2% of few parastatals become a burden to a nation that coughs out unestimated 1billion Dollars to fight insurgency, Without mincing words I am made to say that this is the height of marginalisation, nepotism, dereliction of duty and inexplicable hatred for solution and progression.

I still wonder how Mr. President envisions to retain his seat come 2019 without the support of the nine states in the Niger Delta and some northern acquaintances, let me make the record straight to the Federal Government of Nigeria that FUPRE case is not an Ugbomro thing, its an injury to the Niger Delta, this alone has prompted pressure groups and concerned youth and student political movement to add their unequivocal voice while holding back aggressive and volcanic approach as the last resort, we all enjoy the peace in the region and the nation in relative, and we wouldn’t want to bowl the Federal government a googly because of her gross negligence. Crises are instigated and not genetic, we hope to maintain national harmony and modus vivendi.

It’s my honest advice and admonishment to the Federal Government that for the sake of National cohesion which is a precursor in national building and for the sake of the untapped human capital and human resources tangential to our growth as a nation which has been fallowed for over 11 years in the First petroleum varsity in Africa and sixth in the world, let the FUPRE act be captured in the 2018 budget. This alone will make “continuity of the present holders of power” a considerable agenda by the Niger Delta region as we have totally lost fate in.

Governments have come and gone since the existence of FUPRE, and our request has been severally handed over and consistently swept under the carpet, but here comes a messiah, the Buhari led government, who passed and signed this into law but and is yet to receive the full glorification and aggrandizement of this move from the Niger Delta and her allies because of delay in implementation. Remember, “nearly can never kill a bird neither can proximity be mistaken for connectivity”, let the needful be done so we can move forward as a nation.

We have willfully retracted the aggressive and volcanic approach, but I must tell you that as I navigate round my keyboard, we have been pushed to the wall and we can’t afford to jump the fence to the other side but rather confront the oppressor. This is oppressive to our progress as a nation, it’s oppressive to humanity, it deflates your oath to serve the Nigerian populace without sentiments, it’s oppressive to the 1914 amalgamation that gave you the room to share from us, it’s oppressive to the Niger Delta who abhores the nation’s largest source of income and yet bear the consequences of environmental hazards without commensurate discharge of their corporate social responsibility (CSR), this could be likened to milking a cow, claiming the meat and leaving the dungs for the owner to pack up.
Let’s avoid the avoidable.

Signed:

Sen. Comr. Ohanwe Emmanuel I.
Grand Commander of all Unarmed Fuprites.

For :
Aggrieved, embittered and embattled Fuprites and Niger Delta in whole.”