Gov Fubara finds location for Fed University of Environment Technology

The newly endorsed Federal University of Environment Technology Ogoni (FUETO) which was signed into life two weeks back by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has found location at last.

Gov Sim Fubara of Rivers State has found a location and has handed the place over to the Federal Government.

The governor found what he termed suitable location at Saakpenwa in Tai Local Council Area of the state in the heart of Ogoni made up of four local council areas (Eleme, Tai, Khana, and Gokana). Tai seems to be in the middle.

The exact location is Kira, which was built by the Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi administration at N4bn each as one of the first world class zonal secondary schools in the state for each senatorial zone. After Amaechi, the site remained fallow and overgrown with bushes like most other Amaechi project sites before it was handed to the Rivers State University as a campus.

As choice of location of the new federal university got heated up, all eyes seemed to rivet to Kira. Now, the place has won.

Gov Fubara who announced the choice said the Presidency wrote requesting for it and he had to get a report about its state and also went down to see things for himself.

Read also: How newly approved environment university will tackle Ogoni’s ecological woes

The governor stated that the existing structures, recently renovated by the RSU authority, and the vast land available, would sufficiently serve to accommodate and ease the process of take-off of actual learning activities at the FUETO

The governor was conducted round the campus by the Vice Chancellor of RSU, Okogbule Nlerum, Tai Council Chairman Matthew Dike, and former Vice Chancellor of RSU, another professor, Barineme Beke Fakae.

Gov Fubara explained that his visit to the Kira Campus of RSU was necessitated by the request from the Office of National Security Adviser to his office to consider and approve the campus for the take-off of the new Federal University.

Gov Fubara explained how the State Government wrote to formally inform the management of the Rivers State University that is directly in charge of the facility for updates on the condition of structures on the campus.

He said, “I strongly believe that it is suitable for the take- off of this university.”

Gov Fubara stated clearly that the property belongs to the Rivers State University, owned by the Rivers State Government, leaving it with the sole right through the university to formally release the property to the Federal Government.

He said: “And we can assure the interested parties, more especially the President who, out of his own goodwill, has approved this university, and the National Security Adviser, who requested for it, that we have released it. After this meeting here, we will officially transmit a letter of release for the take-off of this university.”

Gov Fubara thanked all the parties who initiated the process and ensured the Federal University was eventually approved, and also commended the Rivers State University for keeping the structures in God condition as can be seen from the assessment.

He said RSU wanted to use the structures maximally, but quickly clarified that given the request from the Federal Government and the approval given, the new university can now commence learning activities.

He stated: “We are doing this because at the end of the day, what this university is going to do for us here is three major things: It will bring development; it will increase the status of educational level of Ogoni people, more especially on this issue of environmental impact.

“We know we have a lot of problems around this axis of the region on issues of environment and all related issues, but this university is going to serve as a study group. And thirdly, it is an honour that in our own time, this noble initiative was established,” he added.