By Daniel Abia, Port Harcourt

The Ogoni Beyond Oil and Politics group (BOP-Ogoni) has called on multinational oil companies operating in Ogoniland to partner with the newly established Federal University of Environment Technology (FUET) in training local youths for key roles in the oil and gas sector.

The call was made by the group’s convener, HRH Kadilo Kabari, during an advocacy visit to FUET’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Chinedu Mmon. Kabari said the initiative is particularly timely given ongoing discussions on resuming oil exploration in the region.

He emphasized that companies seeking to operate in Ogoniland should leverage the university to develop local human capacity in skills and courses directly relevant to their operations. “The Petroleum Industry Act makes it mandatory to build human capacity in areas where you intend to operate. This university offers an opportunity for such investment in our people. It should be grabbed and maximized,” Kabari said.

The monarch also highlighted the need for strategic enrollment of Ogoni youths into courses such as Geology, Engineering, Environmental Sciences, and Information Technology. He expressed concern that many youths continue to choose disciplines like Political Science, which do not directly align with opportunities in the oil sector or local environmental management.

“The primary purpose of the visit is to congratulate Professor Mmon and the university management for their record-breaking achievement of conducting a Founders’ Day and matriculating over a thousand students within a year of the bill being signed into law,” Kabari added.

Also speaking, Engr. Baridakara Gbarato, Lead Person of Moving Ogoni Forward, said his group is ready to collaborate with the university in building human capacity. “We aim to ensure our people understand the benefits of this university and to foster collaborations that develop better human resources—not just for Ogoni, but for Nigeria as a whole,” Gbarato said.

Responding, Vice Chancellor Professor Chinedu Mmon welcomed the support, stressing that Ogoni’s future lies in manpower development rather than reliance solely on oil and politics. “The university acts as a propulsive industry, attracting resources and people, boosting the local economy, and driving the development of social infrastructure,” he said.