Recent renaming of public institutions and some landmark infrastructure after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other politicians has continued to elicit criticisms. While Tinubu’s supporters call it recognition of exemplary leadership quality, critics say it amounts to self-glorification. They cautioned that such arbitrary actions may erode the founding principles and objectives behind such facilities, BRIDGET CHIEDU ONOCHIE and TERHEMBA DAKA report.

The renaming of the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) after the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration, recently reawakened controversies that trailed the gale of renaming of public institutions and national landmarks after politicians, especially those who made no personal contributions to the founding or development of the facilities named after them.

After the former UNIMAID and the University of Abuja, now Yakubu Gowon University, were renamed, not less than seven other public institutions and facilities have been renamed in honour of Tinubu alone since he assumed office two years ago.
 
To date, many are still at a loss regarding what Tinubu contributed to the development or sustenance of the seven public infrastructure and institutions so far named after him.

They include Abubakar Imam International Airport, renamed Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Airport, Minna; Bola Ahmed Tinubu Way, Abuja (a newly completed Abuja Southern Parkway; Bola Tinubu Building, National Assembly Library, Abuja; and Bola Ahmed Tinubu Technology Innovation Complex (BATTIC) also in Abuja. 

Others are Bola Ahmed Tinubu Polytechnic, Gwarinpa, Abuja; Bola Ahmed Tinubu Barracks, Asokoro and the renaming of the International Conference Centre (ICC) as Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja.

Perhaps the most controversial was the Nigerian Army’s new barracks in Asokoro named after Tinubu in January 2025, a development many frowned at and described as a blatant affront to the sacrifices of soldiers who died defending the country.
   
While there is no law forbidding the naming of public institutions after serving officials, many jurisdictions impose ethical or policy restrictions against such moves.

In New York State, for instance, there is a 2025 bill proposing a ban on public officials from naming institutions after themselves during their tenure. 

In the U.S. federal system, landmarks, including mountains and federal buildings, are typically named by non-partisan bodies after a person has died or left public service.
 
In Pakistan, too, the Supreme Court questioned the legitimacy of naming buildings after former or current office holders, urging reform.

Unfortunately, such decisions reside in political appointees in Nigeria, thereby making accountability difficult and public consultation non-existent.

Most times, resistance and civil unrest greet such moves, as was witnessed in Ibadan, Oyo State Capital, when the popular Ibadan Polytechnic was renamed after mathematician and former governor of the state, Omololu Olunloyo.

Although he was the first Ibadan indigene to serve as the governor of old Oyo State, students nevertheless felt deeply concerned about the potential consequences of such a decision on the heritage, history and image of their beloved school.

“The Polytechnic, Ibadan, has a rich legacy spanning over 50 years, and its name is synonymous with excellence in education. Renaming it will erase its identity and legacy, affecting not only the current students and staff, but also the alumni and the entire community,” the student union authority said.

The national leader of the Free Nigeria Movement, Dr Moses Paul, did not see the renaming of public facilities after the sitting president as a legacy. To him, it was “premature canonisation” as Tinubu cannot be the arbiter of his own historical worth.

For those who might be wondering what is in a name, Paul explained that names are historical symbols that should not be ignored. 

“The Asokoro Barracks, for instance, should have borne the names of soldiers who died fighting Boko Haram insurgents and not a politician. Barracks are the last places that should be politicised. So, the renaming is deeply inappropriate and unjustified, and sends a wrong signal in a country that is starved of real heroes but swollen with hardship. The renaming spree disrespects Nigeria’s fallen heroes and reflects a broader erosion of civic values,” Paul added.

Although politicians have a long history of renaming institutions after their masters for political intrigues, critics said it was high time Nigerians interrogated, not only the motives and contributions of such individuals to have merited the honour, but also how the new name will impact the ideologies and legacies of the institutions. 

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, flayed critics for condemning his renaming of ICC after his political master. His reaction dripped with the lingering impunity of Nigerian politicians when they wanted to have their way at all costs.  

“Some people said we shouldn’t name the ICC after the President. If Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport wasn’t built by Azikiwe and Moshood Abiola Stadium wasn’t built by Abiola, then what is wrong with renaming the ICC after a president who is delivering visible results? He asked.

But the National Secretary, Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), Chief Peter Ameh, described as shameful, a situation where politicians rename institutions after themselves or their political masters while still in office.

“It is a display of blatant disregard for accountability and humility. It smacks of hypocrisy and irresponsibility. It erodes public trust and tarnishes the legacy of institutions meant to serve the collective good”, he argued. 

Ameh added that public institutions are not personal trophies but enduring symbols of shared history and societal values, and that renaming them for transient political figures risks severing their connection to the broader cultural and historical narratives they represent. 

“The practice of renaming public institutions not only diminishes the institution’s credibility, but also sets a dangerous precedent, signalling that power can be wielded to rewrite heritage for self-aggrandisement. The implications are profound as they foster a culture of sycophancy, weaken institutional autonomy and alienate citizens, who see their shared legacy co-opted for personal gains”, he said.

The ICC, for instance, was built in 1991 under General Ibrahim Babangida and has since become a major landmark in the FCT. 

Situated adjacent to the Radio House, the structure has, over the years, attracted high-level gatherings, including conferences, summits and exhibitions. While the renaming may not affect its functions, some people have questioned the rationale behind renaming it after President Tinubu, whom they felt has not, in any way, made personal contributions to its development. 

As a household name, some Abuja residents insisted they were more comfortable with the old name and vowed never to address the structure by its new name, as though their decisions mattered.

But the National Coordinator of the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), Emmanuel Onwubiko, has also condemned the trend, describing it as self-serving malfeasance. 

He alleged that the renaming spree might be a smokescreen for unchecked expenditures. For him, facilities built with public funds should not be taken for personal inheritance.
 
A constitutional lawyer, Dr Festus Ogwuche, noted that even though renaming institutions after personalities is an old tradition, it is only befitting of people who were sources of inspiration to those institutions and have distinguished themselves by the quantum of their contributions to their development. 

“It has stood the test of time to show public appreciation to individuals who have made endeavours in the educational field, fellowships, scholarly foundations and scholarships.

“Individuals like Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Rockefeller have institutions named after them, going by the massive impact they have made on humanity. It is a welcome thing, and we always look forward to it. 

“But I see some bit of abuse of this privilege within the Nigerian circle, particularly by those in political circles and people who think they are entitled to have their names etched as names of institutions. It is laughable because such names are not supposed to be given arbitrarily”, Ogwuche stated.

He added: “We have universities like Harvard, John Austin and Princeton named after individuals who have contributed greatly to the development of the human mind, but here, I see politicians, whose impact on humanity has been almost inconsequential, having institutions named after them. Virtually every airport in this country is named after one individual or another.

“There must be a very strong foundational reason for naming institutions after people so that those institutions are not degraded. There are names you give to certain citadels, and they will have an impact on them negatively. Even in naming private universities, it is not at the individual’s discretion to determine what name to give it.”

Ogwuche also faulted the National Universities Commission (NUC) and other regulating agencies for allowing reckless etching of names on institutions.

“A lot of them use those universities from the rifts of corruption. It degrades not just the foundation of those institutions, but also their quality and their features,” Ogwuche warned.
For other citizens, the debate is less about legality and more about morality, timing, and national values.

“This is not honour; it is mere branding,” said Ezra Nwafor, an Abuja-based activist of a number of outfits named after Tinubu. “It’s all politics. If you don’t praise the king, you lose your throne,” he quipped. 

For Tayo, a taxi driver in the Abuja metropolis, the renaming has become so controversial that many believe that future administrations may reverse the decisions, seeing them as politically motivated rather than rooted in public sentiment.

In all these, a strong case has been established – that legacy must be earned, not manufactured. A building named today could be a monument to service or a reminder of misplaced priorities.