A fresh controversy has erupted over the ownership and usage of the 11,000 hectares of land allocated to the University of Abuja, with key figures in the institution defending the university’s right to retain and develop the land. The disagreement pits the University of Abuja’s leadership against the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, who has accused the university of land grabbing and underutilization.
The Pro-Chancellor of the University of Abuja, Senator Olanrewaju Tejuoso, in a televised interview tagged The Pride, clarified that the land in question is not private property but a Federal Government asset, allocated in 1988 during the administration of former President Ibrahim Babangida. According to Tejuoso, the 11,000 hectares were granted to the university to enable phased development over time, aligning with Babangida’s vision of making UniAbuja a flagship institution in Nigeria.
Senator Tejuoso emphasized that university development is a continuous process and cannot be completed in a few years, especially given the scale of land granted. “Even state governments don’t complete all development projects in one tenure. If that were the case, the current FCT Minister wouldn’t still be embarking on new projects,” he said.
Addressing the issue of underdevelopment, the Pro-Chancellor admitted that leadership transitions have affected the pace of infrastructural growth at UniAbuja. However, he defended the institution against accusations of negligence, pointing out that the university is a federal project, not a private enterprise, and development is tied to national budgeting and policy direction.
In his remarks, Tejuoso cautioned against framing the issue as a blame game between arms of government. “We are all part of the same Federal Government. It is not helpful to accuse one another when development is a shared responsibility,” he stated.
The matter gained traction when FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, at the inauguration of an access road to the Giri district of Abuja on June 30, 2025, accused the University of Abuja of fencing off large portions of land without documented approvals. Wike alleged that the institution was hoarding land it could not develop and hinted at the possibility of the university selling parts of the land to private interests.
Wike further directed the Director of Lands and relevant FCT agencies to carve out 4,000 hectares from the original 11,000 hectares and return that portion to the university, while the remaining land would be repurposed for other developmental projects by the FCT Administration.
In response, the Acting Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abuja, Professor La Patricia Manko, addressed the media on July 17, 2025, defending the university’s ownership of the land. She insisted that the land allocation was legitimate and documented, and the university has concrete plans to utilize the land for academic and developmental purposes.
Professor Manko acknowledged that financial constraints have slowed the university’s development projects, but clarified that the land was earmarked for critical infrastructure, including research centres, agricultural projects, tourism development, staff quarters, and student hostels. She added that the university is actively engaging with investors through memoranda of understanding (MoUs) to support phased development of the land.
The Acting Vice-Chancellor also pointed out that the university’s current staff quarters are temporarily located on plots granted by the military, and plans are underway to relocate these quarters to the permanent site once infrastructure on the 11,000 hectares is in place.
Manko highlighted that part of the university’s vision is to create a world-class campus environment, not only for academic purposes but also to generate revenue through agricultural and tourism ventures. According to her, this aligns with global best practices where universities operate income-generating assets to reduce dependency on government funding.
Stakeholders in the education sector have expressed mixed reactions to the dispute. Some academics believe the FCT Minister’s intervention could pressure the university to accelerate its developmental agenda. Others, however, view the Minister’s actions as an encroachment on autonomous academic space and a threat to the long-term vision for the University of Abuja.
Civil society groups have called for transparency in the handling of the land allocation. They urged the Federal Government to mediate between the FCT Administration and the university leadership, to avoid unnecessary conflict that could derail educational development in the FCT.
Students and staff of the university have also voiced concerns about the implications of the land dispute on future expansion plans. They fear that losing portions of the land could limit future infrastructural growth and hinder the university’s ability to accommodate the rising student population.
The Federal Ministry of Education is yet to issue a formal statement on the matter, but sources indicate that consultations are ongoing to resolve the impasse between the university and the FCT authorities.
As the debate continues, education experts are warning that the controversy reflects a broader issue in Nigeria’s public university system the clash between long-term institutional planning and short-term political interests. How the UniAbuja land dispute is resolved may set a precedent for other federal institutions facing similar land and development challenges across the country.
