MARCEL MBAMALUPresident Bola Tinubu’s renaming of the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) after Muhammadu Buhari might seem, to the government, as though it reflects the will of the people. After all, governance is for the people. However, such an act raises fundamental questions about logic, merit and justice.
While such decisions should reflect collective respect, this move echoes an “eze onye agwanam” a local adage reflecting a mindset of a respected leader who refuses advice, an imposed homage lacking broad consensus. It risks turning academic institutions into political tokens rather than independent intellectual spaces. In a country where historical memory is contested, renaming must be anchored in principle. Otherwise, it erodes both institutional credibility and the ideals of fair national remembrance.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThere were many factors the government could have considered before taking this decision. Among them is the actual role played by the former president in the educational sector.
Mr Buhari, who led Nigeria from 2015 to 2023 after its initial military administration, died last week in London. He was neither an academic nor an educationist. Although his presidency achieved some progress, such as infrastructure development, it was equally marked by prolonged disruptions and underfunding in the education sector.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) embarked on industrial actions lasting over 600 days during his administration. While the government may downplay the effects of such protracted strikes, they left academic calendars in disarray, frustrating both students, lecturers and parents. That is why, among other persons, Stanley Alaubi, a senior lecturer at the University of Port Harcourt, described those years as “futile efforts” to address the systemic failures afflicting the sector.
Financial hardship for university staff also persisted, with unpaid salaries and arrears originating from Mr Buhari’s tenure. The introduction of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), intended to curb corruption, sparked backlash for eroding university autonomy and introducing bureaucratic bottlenecks. Despite announcements of new institutions and promised reforms, much remains either incomplete or unrealised.
To date, the current administration under Mr Tinubu has not resolved many of these inherited issues. The backlog of unpaid staff salaries remains largely uncleared. Many of the institutions announced during the previous administration have yet to be properly established. Academic unions continue to decry the deterioration of infrastructure and learning conditions. Chronic underfunding persists. Nigeria’s education budget remains below
UNESCO’s recommended 15 to 20 percent of total national expenditure, reaching only about 7.9 per cent in 2024. Public confidence in the sector is steadily declining.
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The Independent State of Universities Turned Political
Another important issue the government could have considered is that Universities are meant to be bastions of intellectual freedom and rigorous inquiry. UNIMAID is a key institution in the North-East, enduring severe underfunding and security threats and academic activities were routinely halted by strikes like every other Nigerian educational institution, and limited funding left facilities in disrepair.
What moral authority, then, justifies affixing Mr Buhari’s name to an institution that struggled to survive under his leadership? This act seems less a tribute to academic excellence and more a politicised gesture, disconnected from the lived experience of the university community.
It is for this reason that the renaming of UNIMAID has provoked widespread backlash. Alumni, students, lecturers and residents of Borno State have expressed strong opposition. Many argue that the university’s name reflects more than 40 years of heritage, resilience and academic distinction.
The ASUU chapter at UNIMAID, led by Dr Abubakar Mshelia Saidu, condemned the decision as politically motivated and a brazen affront to the university’s legacy and academic integrity.
ASUU decried the complete absence of consultation with stakeholders, including staff and students, before the announcement. This top-down decision-making, they argued, mirrors practices of Nigeria’s military era. The union described the act as a sacrifice of the university’s hard-earned reputation for political patronage. They further said that several institutions in Borno State are already named after Mr Buhari, making this move redundant and divisive.
Student Union Government president Yahaya Maigari confirmed that a significant majority of students reject the name change, especially with the university approaching its 50th anniversary under the UNIMAID identity. Many have pointed to the historical and emotional attachment to the original name.
Critics have suggested alternative honours more in line with Mr Buhari’s profile, such as naming the Federal University of Transportation in Daura or the Nigerian Army University in Biu after him. These would reflect his military background. The absence of consensus and disregard for the university community further undermines UNIMAID’s identity at a time when higher education in Nigeria is plagued by crises in funding, autonomy and quality.
Support for this decision by the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Olatunji Alausa, has reinforced the view that the move is politically driven rather than rooted in academic merit or historical logic. His endorsement, despite public outcry, suggests an imposition rather than a collegiate process. Critics question whether this move was politically calculated to appeal to Mr Buhari’s northern base, where Mr Tinubu may seek support.
Does it show that the ministry cannot advise the president even if the government is making the wrong decision? After all, criticism and advice are part of leadership.
Lack of Consideration for Citizens: The renaming also reveals a fundamental lack of consideration for those most affected, students and alumni who have carried the UNIMAID name on their certificates for decades. They will now be facing potential challenges regarding recognition and institutional identity.
The decision reflects a government seemingly more preoccupied with symbolic gestures than with the lived needs of citizens. Ironically, a government whose elite often send their children abroad appears more concerned with renaming a struggling institution than with transforming it into a world-class university that could meaningfully honour Mr Buhari’s name. Rather than repackaging failing structures, a more fitting tribute would be to build and properly fund new institutions.
Injustice in Nigeria’s Educational System
The renaming represents a deeper injustice to generations of staff, students and community members who built UNIMAID into what it is today. Their efforts go unacknowledged while a single political figure is elevated above them all. This selective honouring feeds a broader sense of exclusion and injustice.
Also, Mr Buhari hails from Katsina State in the North-West, while UNIMAID is based in Borno State in the North-East. He has no known personal or professional ties to the university. He neither founded it, attended it, nor made any lasting contribution to its development. This geographical disconnect raises further doubts about the rationale behind the renaming. Why not honour Borno’s educators and leaders?
UNIMAID was one of seven federal universities founded in 1975 under General Murtala Muhammed’s leadership as part of a national expansion of access to higher education. Despite this visionary contribution, none of those universities bears his name. To now rename UNIMAID after Mr Buhari, a controversial successor with a vastly different educational legacy, amounts to historical revisionism. It diminishes Mr Muhammed’s legacy and distorts the institution’s founding ideals.
Why the Government Must Listen
This episode highlights the persistent tension in Nigerian governance between symbolism, justice and meaningful development. Decisions of this magnitude require open consultation, transparency and public reasoning, not unilateral decrees that deepen distrust in national institutions.
The renaming of UNIMAID after Mr. Buhari is conceptually flawed and morally undeserved. This decision fits into a worrying pattern of politicising education and national institutions. Public universities must remain independent centres of learning and critical thinking, not tools for political gratification or legacy projection. When loyalty and symbolism are prioritised over merit and public interest, academic integrity and national unity suffer.
Given the widespread rejection of this decision, the government must now show that it values democratic ideals. By listening to the people, it can reaffirm the country’s commitment to inclusive governance. Reversing the renaming or initiating meaningful consultation would be a positive step in restoring trust.
Ultimately, it is through addressing the real needs of citizens, better schools, fair wages and inclusive policies that the government will earn respect and legitimacy. Not through symbolic gestures that erase collective memory and sideline public will.
And for the UNIMAID community and ASUU, it must recognise that the issue goes beyond attracting media attention. The union should pursue concrete action, including formally petitioning the current administration with clear, well-reasoned arguments on why the renaming decision is unjustified. While it can only offer advice to the president, the manner of engagement is equally important.
All parties must remember that the public is watching, and history will record the choices made.
Dr Mbamalu, a Jefferson Fellow, member of the Nigerian Guild of Editors and Media Consultant is the publisher of Prime Business Africa
