The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the renaming of the University of Abuja (UniAbuja) to Yakubu Gowon University, in honour of Nigeria’s former head of state, General Yakubu Gowon (retd), who recently celebrated his 90th birthday.
The announcement was made by Mohammed Idris, the Minister of Information, during a press briefing after the council’s 14th meeting under President Bola Tinubu’s administration. The meeting also marked the last for the year 2024.
According to Idris, the proposal to rename the university will be sent to the National Assembly for formal ratification to ensure the change is legally recognised.
Yakubu Gowon, Nigeria’s head of state from 1966 to 1975, became the country’s youngest leader at the age of 31, following a counter-coup during a period of political turmoil. He is best remembered for steering Nigeria through the civil war (1967–1970), which was triggered by the southeastern region’s attempted secession.
Gowon adopted the slogan “to keep Nigeria one is a task that must be done”, preserving the nation’s territorial integrity. After the war, he launched the “no victor, no vanquished” policy and a reconstruction initiative aimed at fostering unity and healing national divisions.
During his tenure, Nigeria experienced rapid economic growth, fueled by an oil boom, which he leveraged for infrastructure development and the expansion of education. Gowon’s leadership was also instrumental in enhancing Nigeria’s international standing.
Overthrown in a bloodless coup in 1975, Gowon later spent years in exile, pursued academic studies, and became a vocal advocate for peace and national unity.
Established in 1988, the University of Abuja was designed as a dual-mode institution, offering both conventional and distance learning programmes to accommodate a diverse student body.
