Students at the University of Abuja have rejected the renaming of the institution after Yakubu Gowon and called on the federal government to immediately reverse the decision.
The students made the call at the main gate of the permanent site of the university on Thursday, carrying placards with inscriptions such as “The voice of men is the voice of God” “We stand for UniAbuja. We are the center of unity.” We are UniAbuja.” “Solve hunger problems not renaming UniAbuja.” ‘’It was rejected in Lagos, we are rejecting the same in Abuja,” among others.
Speaking on behalf of the Students Union Government (SUG), Comrade Nkem Silas, said there was the need for the federal government to reverse the decision because it does not go well with the entire students of the university.
He said renaming the university after Yakubu Gowon would have some psychological effects on the students and appealed to the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to allow the status quo to remain.
He said the students’ union will write a formal letter rejecting the change of name to the Federal Ministry of Education through the Vice Chancellor of the institution.
Also speaking, Prof Jeremiah Vambe of the Department of Public Administration, an alumnus of the university, who also joined the students, expressed displeasure of the university’s community to the change.
He said though Yakubu Gowon is a big name in Nigeria, students and staff were not pleased with the sudden news of the change of the institution’s name, saying changing of the name will have economic, legal and psychological effects on the institution.
“Now, if you ask me, what are the legal implications? The legal implication is that they will have to amend the law establishing the university by changing the name University of Abuja to Yakubu Gowon University,” he said.
On his part, the President of Abuja Indigenous Students Association (AISA), UniAbuja chapter, Comrade Adamu Abdulbasit, said the change of the institution’s name would undermine the foundational history of the university and the natives of Abuja as well as its identity.
“It is on this note that we the Abuja indigenous students are calling on the federal government to, instead of renaming UniAbuja after Gowon, complete the abandoned University of Science & Technology in Abaji, and rename it after Ladi Kwali University, Abuja.
