BREAKING: University of Maiduguri Students and Alumni Reject Renaming After Late President Buhari By Staff Reporter | July 19, 2025

 The federal government’s decision to rename the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) as Muhammadu Buhari University, Maiduguri has been met with swift and robust rejection by the institution’s students, alumni

and academic stakeholders.

On Thursday, July 17, 2025, during a special session of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in Abuja, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced the renaming of UNIMAID in honour of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari  .

However, within hours, opposition mounted from across the academic and civic spectrum. Omoyele Sowore, activist and convener of the #RevolutionNow movement, publicly condemned the move, urging the alumni and student body to reject it outright  . The University of Maiduguri chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) described the decision as “politically motivated,” a “brazen affront” to the alma mater, and called for immediate reversal. ASUU underscored the lack of consultation with the university’s governing council and academic community  .

In addition, a broad coalition of alumni and students circulated an open letter decrying the renaming as a threat to UNIMAID’s historic identity. The letter emphasized the institution’s role as a “symbol of resilience, academic excellence, and regional pride,” particularly during the Boko Haram insurgency, and proposed alternative honours––such as naming new projects or institutions after Buhari instead of renaming an established university  .

Critics pointed to the proliferation of public buildings already named after Buhari—airport, mega-school, trauma centre, senate building—arguing that adding the entire university name constituted overkill and unnecessary politicization  .

While Buhari’s spokesperson Garba Shehu praised the decision as a “well‑deserved honour,” and even the Education Minister described it as a fitting tribute to the former president’s contributions to national development, stakeholders stridently disagreed with the process and rationale  .

As controversy intensifies, ASUU and the concerned alumni network are mobilizing formal resistance, with ASUU pledging “forceful and commanding” action unless the decision is rescinded  . Meanwhile, many Nigerians continue to call on the presidency to reconsider the decision in favour of preserving UNIMAID’s legacy.