A SQUARE PEG IN A SQUARE HOLE: PROF. PRINCE CHINEDU MMON TAKES THE HELM AT THE FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF ENVIRONMENT AND TECHNOLOGY, OGONI
By Anthony EKPO BASSEY
In a move that speaks volumes of wisdom and foresight, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Prof. Prince Chinedu Mmom as the pioneer Vice Chancellor of the newly established Federal University of Environment and Technology, Koroma/Saakpenwa, Ogoni, Rivers State. It is, without a doubt, a classic case of putting a square peg in a square hole, where intellect meets opportunity, and purpose meets destiny.
Like a river that knows its course, Prof. Prince Chinedu Mmom of the Department of Geography and Environmental Management of the University of Portharcourt, has long flowed with an unyielding commitment to the advancement of knowledge and the upliftment of his people. A seasoned academic with a golden touch, he is a man whose scholarly odyssey has been punctuated with brilliance, integrity, and unmatched depth. In the vast vineyard of academia, Prof. Mmom stands as a towering iroko, rooted in knowledge, branched in innovation, and bearing fruits that have nourished generations.
An erudite scholar with decades of teaching, ground-breaking research, and knowledge production to his name, he has left indelible footprints in the sands of academia. His scholarly contributions in the field of geography, which remain rich, robust, and relevant, have not only shaped the contours of environmental studies and education but also lit the path for countless students and scholars across Nigeria and beyond. To say the least, he is an intellectual goldmine whose pen has birthed journals, policies, and paradigms; a lighthouse in the stormy sea of ignorance, guiding the ship of knowledge to safer shores.
Also, a masterful administrator and statesman, beyond the classroom and laboratory, Prof. Mmom has proven his mettle in the corridors of public service. As the former Commissioner for Education in Rivers State, he turned vision into reality and policy into palpable change. Under his watch, education in Rivers State experienced a renaissance. Schools were revitalized, teachers were empowered, and standards were raised. He was not only a steward of the sector but a reformer with a mission and ensured that education was not a privilege for the few but a right for all. Like gold refined in fire, his time in public office only polished his already gleaming reputation for transparency, innovation, and visionary leadership.
A devoted son of Ogoni and champion of environmental justice, Prof. Mmom’s appointment carries a deeper symbolism for the Ogoni people. He is not only a scholar of the land but a custodian of its dreams. For years, he has lent his voice, pen, and intellect to the Ogoni restoration project, championing environmental justice and sustainable development with the zeal of a prophet and the wisdom of a sage. His tireless work for the rehabilitation of the once-polluted lands of Ogoni has not gone unnoticed. Indeed, in him, the Ogoni cause has found both a voice and a vanguard.
Undoubtedly, with his appointment, the Federal University of Environment and Technology, Koroma/Saakpenwa, Ogoni, Rivers State, is poised to become a citadel of excellence and a bastion of environmental scholarship in Africa. Like the eagle that soars above the storm, Prof. Mmom is expected to chart a course that will transform the university into a world-class institution which will become innovative, inclusive, and impactful.
As the first Vice Chancellor, he stands as a pathfinder and shall light the way for those who will come after him, and will lay a solid foundation for generations yet unborn. Indeed, with Prof. Mmom at the helm, the university’s future is not only bright, it is brilliant.
