The renaming of the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) to Muhammadu Buhari University has sparked controversies in Borno State.
President Bola Tinubu announced the renaming on Thursday during a special session of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) held to pay tribute to the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, who passed away on July 13 in a UK hospital and was buried in Daura, Katsina State, on July 15.
Reacting to the renaming on Friday in Maiduguri, a prominent elder in the state, Alhaji Ahmed Ashemi, vehemently rejected the renaming of the University after the late former president.
According to him, so many infrastructures in the state had already been named after the late president, such as the Muhammadu Buhari International Airport Maiduguri, the Muhammadu Buhari Trauma Centre at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), the Muhammadu Buhari Senate Building in the University of Maiduguri, which he said were enough in honouring the deceased president in the state.
“The renaming or naming of these infrastructures to one person is enough. No matter what his supporters would think, there are other institutions that could be named after the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, but not the historical University of Maiduguri,” he said.
Also, a concerned alumnus of the University of Maiduguri, Ogunbado Rasak, opposed the renaming of the University of Maiduguri after Buhari, suggesting that all the energy expended on the discussion of the issue would have been better channeled towards how to retain the university’s identity and reputation fostered by decades of painstaking efforts of past and present academics, administrators and students.
He said to even suggest the idea of renaming the varsity is very much unwise of the administration, adding that he believed that concerted stand against the proposal would lead to its reversal.
“If the present administration feels the late president should be honoured with a university named after him, let it establish a new university accordingly, rather than the destruction of an existing reputation built over a long period and at colossal labour, even if the labour was by those who didn’t count in their estimation.
“We owe it a duty to impress it on the government that those people are indispensable part of our heroes past, whose memories should not be impugned by any alteration to the legacy they bequeathed to us.
“If the past military administrations of Nigeria started the practice, the so-called civil or democratic administrations of today constituted by claimants to better ideas of governance should behave wiser and justify our preference and support for them, not to continue on the practices they earlier consistently condemned when they were ‘sidelined’ (as they claimed) in policy formulations.”
Similarly, another alumnus of the university, Mr Gbenga Akingbule, said given the fact that Buhari’s name is already in many places in Maiduguri, it would have been wise for them to leave the University of Maiduguri.
“Lest we forget, former President Goodluck Jonathan had renamed the University of Lagos (UNILAG) after MKO Abiola, a highly revered figure in Nigeria and beyond. He’s also a super crowd puller. However, the renaming was reversed following widespread public outcry.
“This episode highlights the essence of democracy, which allows citizens to freely express their opinions on matters that affect them. Ultimately, the weight of public opinion – both for and against – will likely shape the outcome of this renaming. With due respect to all and as a stakeholder in UNIMIID, on UNIMAID I stand,” Akingbule said.
In the same vein, the alumni, students and concerned citizens of Borno State as well as members of the university community have described the president’s action as ill-conceived, cautioning that changing the Institution’s name would undermine a well-established identity built over than 40 years.
“UNIMAID is more than a name; it is a brand and a beacon of hope in the Northeast,” they said, adding that there would be significant loss to its “emotional and historical value.”
In a petition endorsed by thousands of signatories, including current students and distinguished alumni, they argued that the proposed renaming does not reflect the views of the university’s core stakeholders and broader Nigerian public.
While expressing respect for the late president, the petitioners proposed alternative ways to honour him, including renaming the Federal University of Transportation in Daura, Buhari’s hometown, or the Nigerian Army University in Biu, which, according to them, aligns with his military and national leadership background.
Supporters of the university’s current name expressed optimism that President Tinubu would demonstrate fairness and sensitivity by revisiting the decision in a manner that both preserves UNIMAID’s legacy and honours Buhari appropriately.
When contacted for the reaction of the management of the university on the renaming of the institution, the public relations officer, Mr Abubakar Biyel, said he was awaiting communication from the top management of the institution over the issue.
