By Princess Don, Uyo
Nigeria is witnessing one of the most troubling acts of institutional defiance in recent years, and it is happening in Oron. The University of Maritime Studies, Oron (UMSO), a federal university legitimately established by an Act of Parliament in 2022 and duly gazetted in 2023, remains deliberately blocked from taking off. In its place, an institution that has been legally scrapped continues to operate as though the law does not exist.
During a press conference in Oron, yesterday, the President General of Oron Union, Sir Esang Nsa Bassey (KJW), delivered a damning indictment of what he called “a coordinated and unlawful attempt to undermine the sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.” His words were not emotional rhetoric; they were grounded in legal fact.
The Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron ceased to exist the moment the UMSO Act was signed by the President and gazetted in May 2023. Yet today, MAN is admitting students, running ND and HND programmes, issuing certificates, and even parading an Acting Rector, all in defiance of the law. The legal term for this is simple: illegality.
According to him, “Worse still, there are attempts by vested interests to quietly repeal the UMSO Act through backdoor motions and political sabotage.
“The involvement of officials within the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, elements in NIMASA, and individuals benefiting from the old Academy structure paints a dangerous picture. It suggests not merely negligence, but a deliberate conspiracy to frustrate a federal law.”
Sir Bassey described it as “a provocation capable of causing unrest” and he is right. A nation cannot preach rule of law and yet accommodate selective obedience to its statutes.
“Since the Act was passed, ten other federal universities established across Nigeria have commenced full operations. Only Oron is left behind. Only Oro Nation is told implicitly, that its rights are optional. Only one law, among many, is treated as disposable.
“If UMSO continues to be ignored despite being a gazetted law, what message does that send to the Nigerian public?
That legality is subject to personal preference?
That some regions matter more than others?
That political interests supersede constitutional order? This is not merely an administrative failure. It is a national embarrassment.”
The Oron Union’s message to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was clear:
“Appoint a Vice Chancellor, principal officers, and a governing council immediately. End the vacuum that is enabling illegality.” He added
To the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, the Union delivered a pointed reminder: This law passed under the authority of the National Assembly must not be allowed to be ridiculed or reversed.
When the law is ignored in one community, it sets a precedent that threatens every community.
When illegality is permitted in Oron, it weakens the foundations of justice across Nigeria.
This is why the Oron Union warned that their patience should not be mistaken for weakness. They are not asking for favour. They are demanding compliance with the law of the land.
The Federal Government must restore legality, respect the UMSO Act, and end this prolonged injustice.
Anything less undermines the rule of law, fuels distrust, and entrenches a legacy of marginalisation.
