Students of the University of Abuja (UNIABUJA) have voiced strong opposition to the recent decision by President Bola Tinubu’s administration to rename their institution after former Nigerian Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (retd.).
The renaming was announced on Monday during a Federal Executive Council meeting held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, confirmed the development, stating that the institution would now be called Yakubu Gowon University, Abuja, in recognition of the former leader’s contributions to national stability.
UNIABUJA, located in Nigeria’s capital, is a public university widely recognized as a symbol of unity.
However, the decision to change its name has sparked significant backlash among students.
On Thursday, students organized a protest at the main gate of the university’s permanent site. Holding placards with messages such as “Solve hunger problems, not renaming UNIABUJA,” “We are the center of unity,” and “We stand for UNIABUJA,” they expressed their dissatisfaction with what they termed an unconstitutional action.
The Students Union Government (SUG), led by Comrade Nkem Silas, has also joined the call for the decision to be reversed. Silas stated that the name change could have psychological impacts on the student body and insisted that the federal government reconsider its stance.
The SUG plans to formally convey its rejection of the renaming in a letter to the Federal Ministry of Education through the university’s Vice-Chancellor.
The students remain resolute in their demand for the restoration of the institution’s original name, which they say reflects its identity as a unifying symbol for the country.
