Alumni, students reject renaming of school after Buhari
The University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities has promised to make its decision on the renaming of the institution after the late President Muhammadu Buhari, by President Bola Tinubu, known soon.
In a chat yesterday with newsmen, the chapter chairman, Dr. Abubakar MShelia, said their position will be disclosed to the public after the next congress meeting.
He said: “Our members will be meeting, and we shall make our position known to the public.
“We will make our position very clear by the time the congress meets. The excos have met, and the veterans have met.
“We have collectively decided that soon, we will make our position public and convey the message to whom it may concern.”
He, however, declined to comment on what the public should expect.
On his part, the President of the Student Union Government of the university, Yahaya Maigari, said a significant percentage of the students are against the renaming.
The renaming of UNIMAID has sparked widespread resistance, especially from the university’s alumni, current students, and residents of Maiduguri, who argue that the school’s name is symbolic and deeply rooted in history, resilience, and regional identity.
Projecting their argument, they recommended that Tinubu rename either the Federal University of Transportation, Daura or the Army University, Biu, after the late leader due to his ancestral links and background as a former military officer.
This was contained in a public petition soliciting support from the public to sign up in support of the protest by the alumni and student groups.
The petition reads: “Preserve the identity of the University of Maiduguri – A respectful appeal against renaming the University of Maiduguri to Muhammadu Buhari University.
“His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“We, the alumni, students, and concerned citizens, write this heartfelt appeal to Your Excellency regarding the recent decision to rename the University of Maiduguri to Muhammadu Buhari University.
“With the deepest respect to the memory and legacy of the late President Muhammadu Buhari — a man whose contributions to Nigeria remain indelible — we believe that renaming the University of Maiduguri does not align with the sentiments of its core stakeholders and the enduring identity the institution has built over the decades.”
A Professor of Comparative Politics at the University of Ilorin, Kwara State, Gbade Ojo, has backed the renaming.
President Tinubu had announced during the special expanded Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in honour of the late former president. The renaming of the university, now to be known as Muhammadu Buhari University, Maiduguri, has generated nationwide discussions.
Ojo, who was Chief of Staff to the late former Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State, said there was nothing wrong with immortalising the former president by naming a university after him. The professor stated this in a chat with The Guardian in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
