The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Abuja branch, has accused Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, of allocating disputed university land to private individuals and companies despite a subsisting court injunction restraining him from encroaching on the institution’s property.
The allegation has raised fresh questions about the authority of the FCT administration over land originally allocated to the university and the apparent inability of federal authorities to protect the institution from the ongoing dispute.
ASUU Chairman, Prof. Sylvanus Ugoh, said the minister proceeded with the allocations on September 26, despite an interlocutory injunction issued on August 18 by Justice F.E. Mesiri of the Maitama High Court, restraining him from entering or encroaching on the university’s land.
At a press conference in November, the union described the alleged action as a direct challenge to the rule of law and warned that it could no longer guarantee industrial harmony if the disputed land was not restored.
The controversy dates back to June 2025, when Wike announced that the university’s land holding had been reduced from about 11,000 hectares to 4,000 hectares, accusing the institution of grabbing land without proper documentation. He subsequently directed the FCT Department of Lands to carve out the reduced portion for the university and reallocate the remaining land for other development projects.
However, ASUU maintains that the university was originally allocated 11,824 hectares by the Federal Government when it was established in 1988, insisting that the land was not acquired illegally. The institution says the allocation was intended to accommodate its long-term academic, residential, agricultural and research needs.
The university’s Pro-Chancellor, Senator Olanrewaju Tejuoso, had also argued that much of the 4,000 hectares left to the institution was mountainous terrain, leaving only about 2,000 hectares practically available for development.
The union’s latest allegation that companies and individuals have been allocated portions of the disputed land has intensified concerns over the future of the university’s expansion and the possible conversion of land reserved for educational purposes to commercial and private developments.
Beyond the land dispute, the controversy has exposed a growing institutional conflict over who has the authority to protect the university, with calls mounting for President Bola Tinubu, the Visitor to the institution, and the Federal Ministry of Education to intervene.
The dispute has also raised concerns about the preservation of Abuja’s original master plan, particularly the place of the university as a major educational institution in the Federal Capital Territory.
ASUU is demanding the reversal of the alleged allocations and restoration of the university’s land, warning that failure to address the matter could trigger industrial action and further disrupt academic activities.
