The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) branch, has strongly opposed President Bola Tinubu’s proposal to rename the institution after the late former President Muhammadu Buhari.
In a statement issued Saturday, ASUU UNIMAID Chairperson Dr Abubakar Mshelia Saidu denounced the decision as “politically motivated”, calling it a “brazen affront” to the university’s past, history, and academic integrity.
The renaming, announced at a special Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on July 17 in Buhari’s honour, has sparked significant outrage both inside and outside the university.
The union is now mobilising Congress, veterans, and an expanded executive council to oppose the move.
“This action is not merely shocking; it desecrates the sanctity of our alma mater,” the union said, especially as the university prepares to mark its 50th anniversary under the widely respected ‘UNIMAID’ identity.
ASUU has warned that the decision amounted to abandoning the institution’s hard-won prestige for political patronage.
The message also stated that public outrage is growing, and ASUU’s response will be “unequivocal, forceful, and commanding.”
Calling for collective resistance, the union emphasised that it will respond intellectually and factually, encouraging members and the public to share their thoughts ahead of upcoming deliberations.
“We must articulate our adamant opposition and demand the immediate reversal of this ill-conceived and deeply offensive decision,” the union declared.
UNIMAID, established in 1975, is a premier federal university in Nigeria, praised for sustaining academic performance despite continuous instability in the North-East.
