In a move that has sent shockwaves through the Federal Capital Territory, a fiery debate has erupted following the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike’s, seizure of thousands of hectares of land from the University of Abuja.
The decision, which has been met with both applause and outrage, saw the university’s land allocation drastically slashed from 11,000 to a mere 4,000 hectares.
The development has been the talk of the town, with a cross-section of Nigerians weighing in on the minister’s controversial directive. On social media, the gloves are off.
“Wike is the president, while Tinubu is the Vice president,” one user, James Sonik, quipped, suggesting the minister is running the show.
This sentiment was echoed by Utih Caleb Zahemen, who noted, “FCT minister wey get power pass Vice President. You’re doing well sir.” Willis Daniels added to the chorus, saying, “He is the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria… Una dey play with rivers man abi… them and land na 5&6,” using a local idiom to highlight the minister’s strong connection to land matters.
The minister’s actions have earned him a new moniker. Michael Hulo Wodi declared, “Na now wona go know say his second name na Land grabber.” Somadina Somadina added, “Land grabbers don’t know boundaries. They grab anywhere, any place and time without Limit.” Edungbola Adegbola took a jab at the minister’s famous dance moves, saying, “Land grabber, Igwere man and land na 5&6, even their dancing step na to measure land step by step.”
Others, however, have come to the minister’s defense, questioning the university’s need for such a vast expanse of land. “What would a university do with 11000 hectares of land…Probably each faculty will be allocated 2000 hectares…and 1000 hectares for students’ hostels,” Daniel Udoh mused.
Usman Ez Lawal provided a sense of scale, stating, “Uni Abuja land is extremely big, drive from Gwagwalada coming towards Lugbe, the university wall is endless, almost the size of 2 villages in the southeast.”
Julius Alakinde called the decision a “welcome development,” and Eseoghene Christopher Akhabue threw his weight behind Wike, saying, “I quite agree with wike on this and other states should take queues. What are they using such space for? Are they planning to build an airport on campus? Modern universities have gone beyond the wastage of land spaces.”
But the critics fired back with gusto, with Emeka Nwabunwanne suggesting a missed opportunity: “Do you know that if the university management had invested in the land for agricultural purposes, they would have been richer than all the Nigerian universities put together? Dey play!”
Felix Ayodele Oyeleye offered a different perspective, arguing that the decision lacked vision.
“Most educated folks in Nigeria obviously don’t know too well about what a university represents or how it is designed to operate,” he said, emphasizing that a university is a “vision that transcend the past through the present into the future.”
He continued, “A university does not have to instantly develop her apportioned land area… Just like no universe has her landmass exhausted at once, a university should ordinary not exhaust has allocated land in 100 years.”
He concluded, “Unfortunately, we are ruled by politicians who think only about the next election, but never about the next generation.”
The storm began after the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, accused the University of Abuja of appropriating large portions of land illegally.
Speaking at the commissioning of newly constructed access roads in the Giri District, the minister declared that the institution had “grabbed 11,000 hectares” and fenced off the area without proper documentation.
“You see them fencing everywhere, and before you know it, they would have gone to sell our land,” Wike said.
He subsequently directed the Director of Lands and other relevant FCTA agencies to allocate only 4,000 hectares to the university, with the remaining 7,000 hectares to be reallocated for planned development projects in the district.
