ABUJA, Nigeria – The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Abuja branch, has warned that industrial harmony at the institution could collapse unless FCT Minister Nyesom Wike reverses the alleged allocation of university land to private individuals and companies.
The union has also appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the dispute, accusing the minister of disregarding a court order restraining him from encroaching on the university’s land. The ASUU branch chairperson, Professor Sylvanus Ugoh, made the demands on Tuesday at a news conference in Abuja titled, “Ministerial Encroachment into University of Abuja Land: Some Points to Ponder.”
Ugoh said the union could no longer guarantee industrial peace if the disputed land allocation was not reversed, warning that the development could worsen tensions within the university community. He alleged that Wike proceeded with the allocation of portions of the university’s land to companies and individuals despite an interlocutory injunction issued on August 18 by Justice F.E. Mesiri of the Maitama High Court.
According to him, the court order restrained the minister from entering or encroaching on the university’s land. Ugoh claimed that the minister subsequently allocated portions of the disputed property on September 26, despite the subsisting court order.
He described the alleged action as a breach of the rule of law and called for immediate intervention by the Federal Government. The ASUU chairman also disputed Wike’s earlier position on the university’s land ownership, recalling that the minister announced on June 30, 2025, during the inauguration of an access road to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Institute in Giri, that 7,000 hectares had been retrieved from the 11,000 hectares allocated to the university.
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