₦airaland Forum

We reject the renaming of UNIMAID. We will stand our ground and our voices must be heard

STOP RENAMING EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS AFTER POLITICIANS.

@Mynd44


#UnimaidForever

A grouping number of people have rejected the decision by Mr. president to rename the University of Maiduguri to Muhammadu Buhari University.

You can amplify this by adding your voice.

#UnimaidForever

#PreserveOurLegacy #UnimaidForever

While we appreciate President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the great support towards the family of our late ex President, the pronouncement of the renaming of University of Maiduguri to Muhammadu Buhari University is totally rejected by the alumni and students of UNIMAID. As a matter of fact, Senior Professors and other academic scholars from this prestigious University have not only expressed their shock at the announcement but also condemned the renaming that was done without proper consultation.

In 2002, Sen. Bola Tinubu received more than 100 protesting students of UNILAG at his residence. He received their petition and added his voice to the fact that renaming UNILAG after MKO was not the best way to immortalize him.

Today, majority of the UNIMAID stakeholders and community are appealing for a reversal of this hasty pronouncement. Federal University of Transport Daura is there, strategically located in the hometown of the late ex president. Renaming it after him will resonate better. Again, the Nigerian Army University Biu is also there. Given Late Buhari's background as a retired military general and former head of state, the Army university is best fitted to honour his legacy and achievements.

The stakeholders of University of Maiduguri says no to the renaming of a 50 year old University that has produced technocrats, diplomats, scholars, scientists and entrepreneurs of international repute and who pride themselves as alumni of UNIMAID.

What is good for UNILAG is also good for UNIMAID.

The international airport in Maiduguri is named after Muhammadu Buhari. Why the desperation to name another major infrastructure in the same city in favour of Muhammadu Buhari?

While we honour the memory, legacy, and contributions of late PMB, we do not agree that renaming UNIMAID after him is the best way to immortalise him.

While holding a FEC meeting in honour of late PMB is commendable, the pronouncement of the renaming of University of Maiduguri to Muhammadu Buhari University is totally rejected by the alumni and students of UNIMAID. As a matter of fact, Senior Professors and other academic scholars from this prestigious University have not only expressed their shock at the announcement but also condemned the renaming that was done without proper consultation.

In 2002, Sen. Bola Tinubu received more than 100 protesting students of UNILAG at his residence. He received their petition and added his voice to the fact that renaming UNILAG after MKO was not the best way to immortalize him.

Today, majority of the UNIMAID stakeholders and community are appealing for a reversal of this hasty pronouncement. Federal University of Transport Daura is there, strategically located in the hometown of the late ex president. Renaming it after him will resonate better. Again, the Nigerian Army University Biu is also there. Given Late Buhari's background as a retired military general and former head of state, the Army university is best fitted to honour his legacy and achievements.

The stakeholders of University of Maiduguri says no to the renaming of a 50 year old University that has produced technocrats, diplomats, scholars, scientists and entrepreneurs of international repute and who pride themselves as alumni of UNIMAID.

What is good for UNILAG is also good for UNIMAID.

The international airport in Maiduguri is named after Muhammadu Buhari. Why the desperation to name another major infrastructure in the same city in favour of Muhammadu Buhari?

While we honour the memory, legacy, and contributions of late PMB, we do not agree that renaming UNIMAID after him is the best way to immortalise him.

Critique of Renaming University of Maiduguri to “Muhammadu Buhari University”

By
Umar Ardo, Ph.D

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision to rename the University of Maiduguri as “Muhammadu Buhari University, Maiduguri” in honour of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari has raised fundamental questions regarding its logic, appropriateness and historical justice. While the gesture may appear symbolic on the surface, a critical examination exposes its lack of intellectual, cultural and moral grounding.

2. First and foremost, Muhammadu Buhari was a career military officer and a politician - not an academic, educationist or intellectual in any public sense. His legacy, whether praised or criticized, is rooted in his military career, his ascension to the presidency and his distinct governing style marked by authoritarian tendencies, economic conservatism and a controversial anti-corruption crusade. Renaming a university, a citadel of learning, knowledge, research and intellectualism, after someone whose relationship with academia is at best peripheral, if not outright tenuous, dilutes the institution’s identity and purpose.

3. ⁠Universities are ideally named after figures whose lives and legacies exemplify educational values, critical thinking, nation-building through scholarship or transformative contributions to education policy. In this regard, Buhari’s record does not resonate with such ideals. The naming of the university after him is thus a clear mismatch between legacy and institutional identity.

4. Instructively also, the University of Maiduguri is neither situated in Buhari’s home state of Katsina nor in his geopolitical zone of the North-West. It is in Borno State, a region with its own rich historical figures, political icons and educational pioneers who could be more appropriately celebrated in a naming gesture. Buhari did not attend, teach at or found the University of Maiduguri. Nor did he demonstrate any special affinity or leave an indelible mark on the institution during his presidency. In this light, the renaming appears arbitrary and lacking not only in cultural relevance to the host community, but also lacking of geographical and emotional relevance.

5. There is also the question of historical fairness. The University of Maiduguri, along with six other federal universities, was established by the late General Murtala Ramat Muhammed in 1975 as part of a visionary policy to expand access to tertiary education across the country. Yet, none of these institutions bear his name. General Murtala’s short but impactful leadership laid critical foundations for Nigeria’s modern administrative and educational systems. If any leader deserves to have a university named after him - especially one of the seven he established - it is Murtala Muhammed.

6. To overlook Murtala and instead honour Buhari, who did not initiate nor significantly reform Nigeria’s higher education sector, is to distort historical credit and deny rightful recognition. Not to have thus honoured him is a historical injustice to the late General Muhammed.

7. If the intention was genuinely to honour President Buhari for his service to the country, several other avenues would have been more appropriate and meaningful:
• A military academy or barracks, given his identity as a soldier and former Head of State;
• A rural development institute, if one were to associate him with the “change” rhetoric and agricultural initiatives of his administration; or
• A public structure in Katsina, his home state, thereby maintaining a geographical and emotional resonance.

8. Honouring public figures posthumously is not inherently objectionable. But it must be done with a sense of proportionality, cultural sensitivity, institutional relevance and historical justice. The naming of national monuments or educational institutions should not be driven by political patronage, sentimental populism or hasty gestures of appeasement. This act, like the previous ones of the Tinubu regime, is a dangerous policy of politicizing institutions of learning by tying their identities to transient political figures rather than enduring national ideals or educational pioneers. Universities must transcend ephemeral politics and serve as beacons of critical inquiry, not as memorials to partisan figures whose legacies remain contested in the public sphere.

9. For any rational mind, President Tinubu’s decision to rename the University of Maiduguri, Alma Mata, after Muhammadu Buhari is ill-advised and conceptually misplaced. It undermines both the institutional integrity of the university and the historical contributions of those more deserving of such recognition. Nigeria must adopt a principled and thoughtful approach in immortalizing its leaders, especially in ways that inspire future generations and reflect the true spirit of the institutions being renamed. Rather than rewrite history to suit contemporary political narratives, we must honour history by upholding truth, merit and relevance. This gesture, unfortunately, fails on all counts.


@Mynd44

LordIsaac:
I see renaming of academic institutions as unnecessary. A bill should be sponsored by one of our thieves to ban it!

My thoughts exactly. If I ever make my way to the National Assembly, it is definitely one of the bills I will wholeheartedly sponsor. Imagine a US President just waking up one day to rename Harvard University?!

The international airport in Maiduguri is already named Muhammadu Buhari International Airport, why name two major infrastructures in same city after one person? Please rethink this decision Mr. President


#UnimaidForever #PreserveOurLegacy



The information just reaching us is that even the VC and the University Management were all taken by surprise.

Who exactly did President Bola Ahmed Tinubu consult with before taking this decision?

We reject the renaming of one of the oldest Universities in Nigeria.

#Unimaid Forever #PreserveOurLegacy

As at 11.00pm this evening, over 1000 people have signed the petition appealing against the renaming of the University of Maiduguri to Muhammadu Buhari University.

We ask you to lend your voice as well. Thank you!

CoronaVirusPro:
His Excellency, President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) consulted with ALL stakeholders before reaching conclusion.

The idea about renaming an institution in his hometown does not holistically sell or achieve the aim and purpose. The motive is keeping his memory and legacy’s alive, outside his abode.

It should be an honor to student and staffs that His Excellency, President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) chose the school out of hundreds.

Staffs and student should appreciate the gesture bestowed on them. It’s a new dawn.

All the pro-Buhari and pro-Asiwaju supporters on our alumni group have unanimously rejected the renaming. This is not political please.

Preserve the identity of the University of Maiduguri – A respectful appeal against renaming University of Maiduguri to Muhammadu Buhari University

His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR
President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces,
Federal Republic of Nigeria

We, the alumni, students, and concerned citizens, write this heartfelt appeal to Your Excellency regarding the recent decision to rename the University of Maiduguri to Muhammadu Buhari University.

With the deepest respect to the memory and legacy of the late President Muhammadu Buhari — a man whose contributions to Nigeria remain indelible — we believe that renaming the University of Maiduguri does not align with the sentiments of its core stakeholders and the enduring identity the institution has built over the decades.

The University of Maiduguri is more than just a name. It is a powerful symbol of resilience, academic excellence, and cultural heritage — especially in the face of insecurity that once threatened the North-East region. The name “University of Maiduguri” resonates deeply with the people it serves and reflects the institution’s strategic importance in national development, peacebuilding, and intellectual advancement in Northern Nigeria.

For over 40 years, this great institution has produced leaders, scholars, diplomats, scientists, and patriots who proudly identify as UNIMAID alumni. Its name is a source of pride not just in Nigeria but across Africa and the global academic community.

Our Appeal:
We respectfully request Your Excellency to reconsider and reverse the renaming of the University of Maiduguri. While we hold the memory of President Muhammadu Buhari in high regard, we believe his name can be immortalized through alternative national monuments, research institutes, or legacy projects that will not alter the historic identity of a university so beloved by its community.

In this regard, we respectfully propose that the Federal University of Transportation, Daura — a relatively new and highly symbolic institution located in former President Buhari’s hometown — could be considered for renaming. This would serve as a more fitting tribute, rooted in personal legacy, regional pride, and national relevance. Also, considering his background as a retired military general, the Nigerian Army University Biu, stands out as another fitting institution that could be renamed in honour of the Late Former President Muhammadu Buhari. It reflects both his military heritage and his contributions to national leadership.

Preserving this name is not a political position; it is a plea for continuity, emotional attachment, and the integrity of a brand that has stood the test of time and conflict. Let us honor both the legacy of former President Buhari and the soul of UNIMAID — without erasing the identity of either.

We trust in your wisdom, fairness, and commitment to national unity and stakeholder engagement.

Thank you, Your Excellency.

Please be reminded.

Ikaeniyan0:
I'm waiting till LG elections will be centralize before I contest to become a LG chairman in my LGA

Please, can you throw more light on what you mean by centralised? Thank you

san4P:
Good move!..

Preferred Name:.. RENAISSANCE

Age

State of Origin:.. Imo

Educational Qualification:.. B.Sc

Political office you intend to contest for:.. President

Your current occupation or background:.. Entrepreneur

Previous or ongoing contributions to society:.. Both public and private sectors

Why you want to run for office:.. To restore and raise Nigeria to best glory

Political affiliation: Not yet decided

Your areas of interest... All segments of Nigeria

Awesome. You are welcome here Renaissance. I admire your commitment towards making Nigeria a better place.

Ddeliverer007:
So you are still supporting APC despite all we’ve been through as a people? Nawa o

I wanted to call the attention of the MODs but I guess such engagements are necessary once in a while, so people who truly want to learn can learn.

I can begin to talk about how 90% of the lawmakers who were voted for under the platform of LP have all decamped to APC or how neither PDP, APGA nor LP federal lawmakers rejected the expensive SUVs allocated to them. Is LP's Senator Ireti not indicted for constituency project racketeering? However, this will be me derailing the thread and deviating from its focus.

There are a lot of youngsters like you who are genuinely ignorant and are limited to what they have heard on the street or in beer palours. Even though, I acknowledge that there are also adults on this forum who have better understanding but are hell bent on pushing false narratives for personal gains.

Serious political aspirants know that you settle for a political party based on stability, ideology, local recognition and acceptance. I will run under whatever party I deem fit after proper consultation with my constituents, not by the opinion of a random jambite on Nairaland. I'm sure if I ask you "under what platform should I run", you will say LP or ADC. While they are all recognised and duly registered parties by INEC, do they align with what my people want?

That said, this thread will no longer tolerate any more trolling. APC, LP, PDP, APGA, ADC, ZLP, AAC aspirants are all welcome here. Thank you.

SmartPolician:
I want to make enough money before getting into politics here so I won't join a group like this. However, I want to appeal to any of you who ever makes it there that you shouldn't fail your country.

Nigeria has already become a disgrace to the black race and you have the opportunity to make things right. Good luck and meet you at the top 💪💪💪

Thank you deeply for your words of encouragement.

You're absolutely right! Nigeria desperately needs a new breed of leaders who won't betray the people's trust. The damage is deep, but it's not beyond repair. We appreciate your hope in us, and we’ll carry that responsibility with all seriousness.

That said, while money is important, it shouldn't be the only reason we delay stepping up. If all well-meaning individuals wait to “make it big” before participating, the system will continue to be dominated by those whose wealth often works against the people's interest.

What you need most is passion, credibility, and a genuine commitment to service. Once people see that you are serious, selfless, and trustworthy, There are ways to raise campaign funds; through grassroots donations, community support, and strategic partnerships. People will rally behind someone they believe in.

So yes, pursue your goals, build your capacity but don’t count yourself out. Nigeria needs you now more than ever.

See you at the top, not just financially, but as someone who chose not to stand aside when leadership called.

I'll open the floor.

Full Name (Optional) or Preferred Name: Opeyemi

Age: 35

State of Origin & Local Government Area: Oyo State & Ibadan South West

Educational Qualification: MSc (PhD in view)

Political office you intend to contest for: Member, Oyo State House of Assembly

Your current occupation or background: Public Servant, Business Consultant and Investor

Previous or ongoing contributions to society: I currently have an NGO through which I carry out humanitarian services including medical outreach, food bank, skill acquisition for youths and business empowerment. Under the umbrella of my NGO and through other volunteering platforms, I teach people about civic responsibilities, how to engage with their representatives at all levels, and how to hold public office holders accountable.

Why you want to run for office: To serve, reform, ensure effective representation, and create opportunities for my constituents.

Political affiliation (party you intend to run under and why): Not decided but I have political affliations with the APC

Your areas of interest: Education, Women & Youth Empowerment, ICT development, Healthcare, Waste Management and Environmental Protection, Mental Health Reform for drug addicts, gamble addicts, prisoners & commercial sex workers, people-centered legislative bills.

Greetings, fellow Nigerians!

As 2027 approaches, it is important that we begin to build a new generation of visionary leaders—young, passionate, people-centered individuals who are ready to challenge the status quo and offer meaningful change.

This thread is strictly for political aspirants aged 40 and below who are serious about running for political office in 2027 or beyond, whether at the local, state, or federal level. This is a space where we can network, strategize, exchange ideas, and collaborate to shape a better Nigeria.

Before you contribute, kindly introduce yourself with the following:

Full Name (Optional) or Preferred Name

Age

State of Origin & Local Government Area

Educational Qualification

Political office you intend to contest for

Your current occupation or background

Previous or ongoing contributions to society

Why you want to run for office

Political affiliation (party you intend to run under and why)

Your areas of interest (e.g. Education, healthcare, youth empowerment, agriculture, etc.)


Focus of this thread

Sharing practical ideas to improve governance

Developing people-centered legislative agendas and policies

Nation-building efforts at the grassroots and national levels

Civic engagement strategies and public enlightenment

Discussing how to raise campaign funds creatively and ethically

Building a network of young, like-minded political actors

Encouraging mentorship, collaborations, and strategic alliances

Understanding INEC processes, political timelines, and electoral regulations

Learning from past political campaigns and electoral experiences

Exploring political ideologies and the role they play in national development

Discussions on political party selection – understanding their structure, values, strengths, and weaknesses

Reflecting on why each aspirant is aligning with a particular party

Highlighting the challenge of the absence of independent candidacy in our constitution and possible reforms in the future

Ground Rules

No vulgar language

No insults, bullying, or personal attacks

No tribal or religious bigotry

Respect each other’s opinions—even when you disagree.

Trolls and time-wasters will be ignored or reported.

Note to the Moderators

We kindly appeal to the moderators of the Politics Section to help preserve order, sanity, and relevance on this thread at all times. Please keep it free from spam, insults, and off-topic distractions. This platform could be the starting point of a political movement for young, competent Nigerians who mean business.


@Mynd44, fergie001, your help in amplifying this thread will be greatly appreciated.