
The signing of a bill establishing the Federal University of Environmental Technology, Ogoni, in Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu was well received by the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) yesterday.
Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, said it was a way of addressing historical injustices and fostering inclusive development.
“I am pleased to inform Nigerians that Mr. President @officialABAT has assented to the bill establishing Federal University of Environmental Technology, Ogoni, in Rivers State.
“It’s important to highlight that the Renewed Hope administration of President Bola Tinubu is all about righting the wrongs of the past and putting in place institutions to guard against future segregated developments,” he stated in a post on X.
MOSOP’s Publicity Secretary, Saviour Oscar Imeabe, said it was a good beginning but appealed to the President to look into other pressing requests of the Ogoni people.
He said: “We are appealing to Mr President to exonerate the Ogonis that lost their lives while agitating for the struggle.
“Mr. President should also pay attention to our agitation for the creation of Bori State and the implementation of the Ogoni Bill of Rights.
“The Ogoni clean-up exercise was supposed to last for 30 years before talking about oil resumption so the question is why calling for oil resumption when the clean-up exercise is still ongoing?”
Ogoni-born rights defender, Akpobari Celestine, described the President’s gesture as a good take-off point, adding, however, that it would not address their pains or unlock the closed oil wells.
He said: “It doesn’t address our pains. This does not mean that the oil wells are now open.
“We still have the issue of exoneration of Ken Saro-Wiwa and others and the release of Ken Saro-Wiwa Memorial Bus seized by the Customs since 2015.
“Despite a valid court judgement obtained on 20th April 2025, the item has not been released.
-Thenation