The Academic Staff Union of Universities at the University of Abuja has demanded the reversal of an alleged land allocation. The union says FCT Minister Nyesom Wike allocated university land to friends and cronies. It has warned that industrial harmony is at risk if the allocation is not reversed. The chairperson, Prof. Sylvanus Ugoh, spoke at a news conference in Abuja on Tuesday. The conference was titled “Ministerial Encroachment into University of Abuja Land: Some Points to Ponder.”
The University of Abuja was established in January 1988. It received an initial land allocation of 11,824 hectares. The land was meant for long-term academic and infrastructural development. It was also for research institutes, innovation centres and green areas. In June 2025, Wike announced the retrieval of 7,000 hectares from the university’s 11,000 hectares. He accused the university of land grabbing and fencing land without approval. In August 2026, Justice F.E. Mesiri of the Maitama High Court granted an interlocutory injunction restraining the minister from entering or encroaching on the land. The union says Wike went ahead in September to allocate the land.
Ugoh said the act is a breach of the rule of law. He said there is overwhelming documentary evidence showing the land belongs to the university. He said the university authority could not have decided where to situate the institution. The land is federal property, not FCT property.
He compared UniAbuja’s allocation with other universities. The University of Ilorin occupies 15,000 hectares. Obafemi Awolowo University occupies 13,000 hectares. The Federal University of Technology, Minna occupies 10,650 hectares. The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta occupies 10,000 hectares. He said UniAbuja’s 11,824 hectares is not excessive for a dual-mode university.
He said the union would resist any attempt to take the land. It called on President Bola Tinubu to call the minister to order. The news conference followed an emergency congress held on 3 November.
Winners: ASUU, which asserted its claim. The university, if the land is restored. The court, whose injunction was invoked. Losers: Wike, whose action is challenged. Allottees, if the allocation is reversed. The university, which faces disruption. The government, which faces another institutional dispute. The judiciary, whose order was allegedly ignored.
Bottom Line: A court ordered the minister to stay off the land. He allegedly allocated it anyway. ASUU has threatened industrial harmony. The president must intervene. The law must be respected. If it is not, universities cannot plan for the future.