FUPRE VC Seeks Amendment Of Act Establishing Institution

The Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE), Effurun in Uvwie Local Government of Delta State, Prof. Akpofure Rim-Rukeh, has sought the amendment of an Act establishing the university, to place it under the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

Nation reports that he appealed to the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) to release the grant of N500 million, as directed by the Federal Government, during the establishment of the varsity.

Speaking at a news conference marking his first year in office, Prof. Rim-Rukeh said that while the passage and signing of the bill into law in 2017 was greeted with jubilation, Section 1 subsection 4, which places the institution under the supervision of the Ministry of Education, is “inhibiting the growth and development” of FUPRE.

He stressed that the amendment would place FUPRE, as a specialised university, on track to “fulfil its mandate to train manpower for the oil and gas industry”.

“This (Section 1 subsection 4) surely has limited and will continue to limit the institution if not amended through the National Assembly.

“Record and reports have shown that FUPRE has achieved feats within the last five years, courtesy of self-help and the management’s determination to succeed. This shows that they can do better if given the right tools, an enabling environment and legal backing.

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“I want to reiterate that there is great and urgent need for an Act to establish FUPRE to cater for top quality human resources in order to enhance the local content in the oil and gas and energy industry of the country,” he added.

The VC said that despite the setback of the COVID-19 pandemic, the #EndSARS protests and eight months strike, several “achievements”, including production of a document titled ‘Blueprint for the Accelerated Development of the University’ and introduction of new academic programmes were accomplished.