Omo-Agege suffers accusation over postgraduate school

After successfully seeing through the bill for an act to establish a federal polytechnic in Orogun, hometown of Nigeria’s Deputy Senate President (DSP), Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has suffered accusation for allegedly supporting another legislation that is seeking to mandate situating the permanent site of the postgraduate school of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources Effurun (FUPRE) in his hometown.

It was gathered that a bill purportedly sponsored by Rt. Hon. Efe Afe of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who represents Okpe, Sapele and Uvwie Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, is seeking to amend the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun (FUPRE) Act, 2017.

When the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun (FUPRE) Act, 2017 is finally amended, the permanent site of the postgraduate campus of FUPRE would be moved to Otoro-Orogun instead of Orerokpe, according to Clause 3 of the bill seeking to amend the FUPRE act of 2017.

Senator Omo-Agege was accused of somehow using the power of his high office to attract the postgraduate campus of the FUPRE to Otoro-Orogun in addition to the Federal Polytechnic Orogun by throwing his weight behind the legislation.


However, in a statement signed by Prince Henry Efe Duku, Special Adviser to the DSP on Legislative and Plenary Matters, Senator Omo-Agege denied the accusation, saying it is totally false and mischievous, and that it is a futile attempt to set him up against his people.

“That is totally false and mischievous. It is a futile attempt to set our people against themselves. It smacks of very foul politicking,” the statement read.

The full statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to the text of a Bill purportedly sponsored by Rt. Hon. Efe Afe of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) who represents Okpe, Sapele and Uvwie Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. The copy of the supposed Bill now circulating on social media seeks to amend the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun (FUPRE) Act, 2017.

“We wish to and hereby respond to the supposed Bill as follows: That the Deputy President of the Senate and Obarisi of Urhoboland, HE Senator Ovie Omo-Agege is not the author/sponsor of the said Bill and has no inputs whatsoever.

“That the DSP’s Office seriously frowns at and totally rejects Clause 3 of the said Bill mandating the citing of the *“permanent site of the post graduate (sic) campus” of FUPRE in “Otoro-Orogun”,* instead of OREROKPE, which the DSP believes should host the post-graduate campus of the institution for being within the strategic circumference of the Main Campus.

“That the DSP’s Office considers it as either a serious error of omission or commission by the drafter(s)/alleged sponsor of the Bill which must be urgently corrected or it is just an extreme mischief by people who are desperately struggling to taint the DSP’s good name at all cost.

“That the DSP is preoccupied with a key element of his legislative agenda of bringing the Federal Polytechnic Orogun to Delta State for the benefit of all Deltans and Nigerians. His Excellency is not interested in anything that distracts from that noble pursuit or capable of igniting premeditated discord amongst our good people. The Obarisi of Urhoboland does not believe that Orogun alone should host both the Federal Polytechnic and the proposed post-graduate campus of FUPRE and would not support anything to the contrary in the Senate.

“In the circumstances, we ask our people to discountenance the fake news and rumour that the DSP is somehow using the power of his high office to attract the post-graduate campus of FUPRE to “Otoro-Orogun” in addition to the Federal Polytechnic Orogun. That is totally false and mischievous. It is a futile attempt to set our people against themselves. It smacks of very foul politicking. We humbly advise our people not to fall for it at all. Thank you and God bless”.