Students at the University of Abuja have rejected the renaming of the institution after elderstatesman and former military ruler, Mr. Yakubu Gowon.
The students who staged a protest against the renaming on Thursday, called on President Bola Tinubu’s administration to immediately reverse the decision.
The protest took place at the main gate of the university’s permanent campus, where students held placards with slogans such as “The voice of men is the voice of God,” “We stand for UniAbuja. We are the center of unity,” and “Solve hunger problems, not renaming UniAbuja.”
Nkem Silas, representing the Students Union Government (SUG), stated that the renaming would have negative psychological impacts on the student body.
He urged President Tinubu to reconsider and maintain the university’s original name.
Silas also confirmed that the students’ union would submit an official letter to the Federal Ministry of Education via the university’s Vice Chancellor, officially rejecting the name change.
Also, Prof. Jeremiah Vambe, a university alumnus and professor in the Department of Public Administration, also expressed his concerns.
He acknowledged Gowon’s significance in Nigerian history but stressed that the change was not welcomed by the university community.
He noted that renaming the institution would have legal, economic, and psychological repercussions.
“The legal implication is that they will have to amend the law establishing the university, changing it from the University of Abuja to Yakubu Gowon University,” he explained.
