There is disquiet over the reported allocation of some hectares of land belonging to the University of Abuja to private developers and individuals by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), civil society groups and education stakeholders raising concerns over the institution’s future and the rule of law.

The controversy has also revived questions over the FCTA’s earlier decision to reclaim 7,000 hectares of land originally allocated to the university, following Minister Nyesom Wike’s argument that the institution had taken possession of a vast expanse without proper documentation.

The latest dispute followed allegations by the University of Abuja chapter of ASUU that the FCTA allocated portions of the institution’s land to private companies and individuals on September 26, 2026, despite a subsisting court order restraining the minister from encroaching on the property.

The union has warned that industrial harmony at the university could no longer be guaranteed if the allocations were not reversed.

At a media briefing in Abuja, the ASUU branch chairman, Prof Sylvanus Ugoh, said Justice F.E. Messiri of the Maitama High Court had, on August 18, 2026, granted an interlocutory injunction restraining the FCT minister from entering or encroaching on the university’s land.

Ugoh alleged that the FCTA disregarded the order by proceeding with the allocations barely weeks after it was granted.

He described the action as a breach of the rule of law, arguing that the university’s land was a Federal Government asset held in trust for Nigerians and should not be treated as the property of the FCT Administration.

According to him, the University of Abuja was established in 1988 with an initial allocation of 11,824 hectares in the Giri District to accommodate its long-term academic, research and infrastructural needs.

He said the land was deliberately set aside to provide room for future expansion, including research centres, institutes, agricultural projects, student accommodation and other facilities required by a growing university.

The ASUU chairman argued that the fact that some portions of the land remained undeveloped did not make them surplus to the university’s needs, adding that universities required adequate space to fulfil their academic and developmental mandates.

He cited the University of Ilorin, Obafemi Awolowo University, Federal University of Technology, Minna, and the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, as examples of institutions with extensive land areas.

The union said it would resist any attempt to take over the university’s property through lawful means and urged President Bola Tinubu to intervene by calling the FCT minister to order.

Wike’s earlier 7,000-hectare recovery comment

The current dispute dates back to June 30, 2025, when Wike announced that the FCTA had reclaimed 7,000 hectares out of the 11,000 hectares he said the university had taken over without proper documentation.

Speaking at the commissioning of access roads to the Giri District, the minister accused the university of fencing off large portions of land without the necessary approvals, warning that the administration would not allow what he described as land grabbing.

“The University on their own grabbed 11,000 hectares. I said that will not happen. No document, nothing. You see them fencing everywhere, and before you know it, they would have gone to sell our land,” Wike said.

He disclosed that he had directed the relevant FCTA agencies to carve out 4,000 hectares for the university, while the remaining 7,000 hectares would be recovered for reallocation.

The minister linked the decision to plans to open up the Giri District through road infrastructure and attract investment, including the development of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Academy.

Reacting to the latest development, the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) expressed concern over the reported allocation, saying the objections raised by ASUU and other education stakeholders raised fundamental questions about transparency, due process and the protection of public assets.

Its Executive Director, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, said the FCTA’s statutory powers over land administration did not give it unrestricted authority to undermine public institutions.

“He called for the immediate suspension of further allocations and development activities on the disputed land pending an independent review.

It further said any allocation found to have violated the law or the university’s legitimate land rights should be reversed, while credible evidence of corruption or misconduct should be referred to the relevant investigative authorities.

Also reacting, a senior lecturer in the Department of History, Sokoto State University, Dr Godwin Odeh, expressed concerns warning that interfering with land already allocated to a university would reduce the institution’s land and undermine its future expansion.

He said the University of Abuja, by virtue of its location in the nation’s capital, should be developed into a leading institution capable of attracting scholars and students from across the world.

Odeh particularly cited the needs of the Faculty of Agriculture, saying it required adequate land for a demonstration farm where students could undertake practical training.

Wike dismisses ASUU’s strike threat over allocation

However, Wike has dismissed ASUU’s threat to embark on strike over the disputed land, questioning the union’s involvement in matters relating to land administration in the FCT.

Speaking during his monthly media interaction on Thursday, the minister insisted that land administration fell within the statutory responsibilities of the FCTA and that ASUU had no authority to determine land ownership or allocation.

“What is the business of ASUU on our land? How is ASUU the owner of land? Is ASUU the owner of the union in Nigeria now? Is it the union’s right?” he asked.

Wike also questioned the justification for allowing the university to retain thousands of hectares of land “without adequate development”, arguing that the government had a responsibility to ensure proper land use and compliance with the FCT master plan.

He said he did not initiate the revocation process but was continuing an administrative procedure begun by his predecessor.

The minister further said the matter was already before the courts and that the FCTA was prepared to defend its position, urging the union to allow the judiciary to determine the dispute rather than resort to strike threats.

He said he was not intimidated by what he described as blackmail and insisted that the administration would not abandon its land recovery and allocation responsibilities.

The dispute has therefore placed the university’s long-term development needs, the FCTA’s land administration powers and the authority of the courts at the centre of a growing disagreement between the administration and the university community. (Daily Trust)