“The University of Abuja is not a private estate. Its land was allocated by law, for the benefit of all Nigerians. If he could allegedly allocate thousands of hectares to personal interest, he has no moral or legal standing to reduce the land of Nigeria’s only federal university in the nation’s capital”.
BY AYUBA MOHAMMED BELLO
In a nation already stretched by regional distrust and uneven power dynamics, what FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike seeks to do with the University of Abuja’s land is not just administrative—it is symbolic, brazen, and deeply provocative. His unilateral move to reduce the university’s legally allocated land from 11,824 hectares to a mere 4,000 hectares is an affront, not only to law and reason, but to the psyche of the Nation and to the soul of Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory.
Let us be clear: University of Abuja, like the city itself, is not a state-owned university—it is a federal institution, conceived as the intellectual heartbeat of the Federal Capital. It was allocated 11,824 hectares of land to build a world-class university community that reflects Nigeria’s ambitions at the center. Today, under Wike’s ministerial fiat, that dream is being strangled.
If Abuja Were Rivers, Would Wike Have Tried This?
Let us reverse the scenario. Suppose Rivers State was Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory, and a university in Port Harcourt had been legally allocated nearly 12,000 hectares of land for national development—would anyone from the North dare wake up and slash it to one-third? Would a Northern Minister dare to allocate over 2,000 hectares to his own son—as Wike is widely alleged to have done—and still go after the land of a federal university in Port Harcourt, citing encroachment?
We all know the answer: the South—especially the South-South—would rise as one to resist it. Public protests. Editorial outcry. Legal firestorms. But today, because the university sits in Abuja—a city nestled in the North—Wike feels entitled to casually “reallocate” thousands of hectares as if he were redistributing family farmland.
What is Wrong with a Federal University Having Space?
What is so scandalous about University of Abuja holding onto the land it was duly allocated? If we are truly a nation of equity and fairness, then let us compare:
*Obafemi Awolowo University: over 13,000 hectares.
*University of Ilorin: approximately 15,000 hectares*
*Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB): about 10,000 hectares*
*University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN):* vast land holdings stretching across multiple campuses
No one is talking about reducing those lands. In fact, most Southern universities are actively expanding, getting more land, more funding, and more attention.
So, Why Target University of Abuja?
Is it because it lies in the North? Is it because we are perceived to be docile? Or is it simply the arrogance of unchecked ministerial power?
Let it be known: The University of Abuja is not just a school —it is a symbol of national presence, a unifying ground for all tribes, and a cornerstone of FCT’s identity. To reduce it is to reduce what Abuja represents.
This is not just about land. It is about federal character, justice, equity, and the legacy we hand down to generations of Nigerians from all corners of the country.
A Call to the North: Do Not Sleep on This!
We must not be silent while our intellectual, cultural, and national monuments are being eroded. If others can guard their own regional assets with fire and fury, why should we treat ours with lethargy?
We call on traditional rulers in the FCT and Northern Nigeria, Civil society organizations and student unions, National Assembly members from the North and from all just quarters, Alumni and stakeholders of the University of Abuja, The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), let us rise in peaceful resistance, demand transparency, and ensure that this daylight encroachment is legally and morally reversed.
Final Word
Minister Wike must understand: Abuja is not Rivers. The University of Abuja is not a private estate. Its land was allocated by law, for the benefit of all Nigerians. If he could allegedly allocate thousands of hectares to personal interest, he has no moral or legal standing to reduce the land of Nigeria’s only federal university in the nation’s capital.
This is not just about land—it is about legacy, identity, and fairness.
To shrink the land is to shrink the vision. We must not allow it. Not now. Not ever.
