FUT Minna alumni allege moves by Niger govt to takeover N7trn campus

By Omeiza Ajayi, ABUJA

The Alumni Association of the Federal University of Technology FUT, Minna, has called for the urgent intervention of President Bola Tinubu to stop what it describes as an “illegal and criminal” attempt by the Niger State Government to seize the university’s Bosso campus.

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National President of the Alumni Association, Professor Shola Gabriel Solomon and the National Secretary, Dr Samuel Medayese, who jointly addressed the press on Tuesday in Abuja, dismissed the state’s claims of a lease agreement as a “deliberate and mischievous mischaracterization” of history.

They argued that the Federal Government paid full compensation for the property in 1982, making it a permanent federal asset.

The association was reacting to a directive from the Governor Mohammed Umar Bago-led administration, which reportedly ordered the university to vacate the campus by December 1, 2025, or face “unpleasant consequences.” The state government claims the university’s occupation of the site was based on a 40-year lease agreement that has now expired.

“We are challenging the Niger State Governor to produce the document that suggests there was a 40-year lease agreement,” the association stated, adding: “The sum of N2,800,000.00 was paid to the Niger State Government as full and adequate compensation for the property. This transaction was a completed commercial and legal act—not a temporary loan or a lease.”

The alumni said that the assets currently on the Bosso campus, which include specialized research centres, staff quarters and laboratories, are valued at over N7 trillion.

They accused state officials of “criminal trespass” after government agents allegedly invaded the campus last Thursday to “verbally partition” the land.

“The government is threatening our Vice-Chancellor over an asset that does not belong to it. This is an existential threat to the university. Over N7 trillion in structures would be affected. We are not even saying the university is up for sale; it is a thriving academic city built with federal funds over four decades,” the former students stated.

The association further alleged that the state government has already annexed 9.2 hectares of land at the university’s permanent site in Gidan Kwano, but noted that their immediate focus is defending the Bosso campus, which currently houses over 1,500 students and multiple academic departments.

In a move to escalate the matter, the alumni confirmed they have petitioned the Federal Government through the Minister of Education.

They urged President Tinubu, as the Visitor to the University, to call Governor Bago to order to prevent a situation that could trigger reaction from the over 40,000 students of the university.

The Alumni added that the university is open to institutional collaboration, staying that; “The Governor is under pressure because we learned the medical students in the State University in Lapai have no space. We are not against institutional collaboration, but if the Governor wants help, let him do it the right way instead of resorting to political brinkmanship and lawlessness.”

Vowing to defend the institution’s assets, the association declared its readiness to pursue the matter to the Supreme Court.

They warned that if a state government is allowed to unilaterally evict a federal institution, no federal asset in the country would be safe.

“The law is on our side, history is on our side, and justice will prevail. The Governor will have to contend with the Alumni Association and over 40,000 students of the university,” the association added.