University of Abuja chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), now Gowon University, has rejected the recent revocation of a large portion of the institution’s land by the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
Speaking with journalists after an emergency congress in Abuja yesterday, ASUU chairman, Dr. Sylvanus Ugoh, described the minister’s pronouncement as unlawful, calling for its immediate reversal and warning that such interference could jeopardise the university’s long-term development plans.
It would be recalled that the FCT minister had, on June 30, 2025, while commissioning an access road to the EFCC Institute located within the Giri District of the university premises, announced the retrieval of 7,000 hectares out of the 11,824 hectares originally allocated to the university.
He accused the institution of land grabbing and illegal fencing of large portions without proper approvals.
ASUU, however, maintained that the land allocated at the university’s inception in 1988 by the federal government was a critical asset for the institution’s current and future academic expansion.
The union argued that the landmass is necessary for the dual-mode university’s comprehensive development plan, which includes agricultural research farms, faculty buildings, student hostels, staff quarters, and prospective investment-driven projects backed by valid memoranda of understanding.
“The University of Abuja is the only university in the country with a national catchment area, representing all 36 states and the FCT,” Dr. Ugoh stated. “It was established to be a symbol of unity and scholarship. Any attempt to tamper with its land is an attack on a vital public good.”
He further emphasised that federal universities elsewhere, such as the University of Ilorin (15,000 hectares) and Obafemi Awolowo University (13,000 hectares), occupy even larger expanses. “The slow pace of development does not justify land revocation. Universities develop gradually, sometimes over centuries.”
ASUU urged Minister Wike to focus on infrastructural development within the broader FCT rather than interfering with legally allocated federal assets, especially those intended for academic growth and national development.
Beyond the land dispute, the union also raised alarms over what it described as ongoing violations of university laws concerning leadership appointments.
Dr. Ugoh recalled that on February 6, 2025, the federal government dissolved the Governing Council of the University and removed the substantive vice chancellor, subsequently appointing an acting VC from outside the university’s Senate.
ASUU insists this action was a direct breach of the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act of 1993 (as amended), particularly Section 4, Subsections 13 and 14, which stipulate that an Acting Vice Chancellor may not serve beyond six months.
And with the tenure of the current Acting Vice Chancellor set to expire on August 10, 2025, ASUU called on the Minister of Education and relevant authorities to ensure that due process is followed strictly in the appointment of a new university head.
“Any appointment made in violation of the Act will be resisted by the Union. The autonomy of Nigerian universities, as protected by law, must be upheld.”
ASUU therefore, demanded an immediate halt to the revocation process and called on the federal government, the University of Abuja Governing Council (once reconstituted), and all stakeholders to ensure that the university is allowed to function in line with its founding laws and development vision.
“ASUU University of Abuja is calling on the Federal Government and the Minister of Education to as the tenure of the current Acting Vice Chancellor ends on 10th August, 2025 to ensure that due process is followed in the appointment of another Acting Vice Chancellor.
“Any process in breach of the Universities Miscellaneous Provisions Act 1993 as amended will not be acceptable to the Union. Conclusion The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) University of Abuja Branch therefore demands that the Honourable Minister of the FCT put a stop on the unlawful revocation of the University of Abuja Land.”
The Union also draws the attention of the Federal Government, University of Abuja Governing Council and all relevant stakeholders to the expiration of the tenure of the current Acting Vice Chancellor on 10th August, 2025, stressing that the Act establishing the University be strictly followed to the letter in the appointment of a new acting VC.
