BY TAIBAT UMMI YAKUBU

A fresh confrontation is brewing between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration over the ownership and control of University of Abuja land, with lecturers warning that the dispute could threaten industrial peace at the institution.

The university's ASUU chapter says it may no longer guarantee a peaceful academic environment if FCT Minister Nyesom Wike fails to reverse recent land allocations allegedly made to private companies and individuals.

The union's position signals an escalation of the controversy, which has continued despite legal interventions and repeated disagreements over the university's original land allocation.

Addressing journalists at the university on Tuesday, the chapter's chairman, Professor Sylvanus Ugoh, accused the minister of taking actions that undermine the institution's interests and disregard existing court directives.

ASUU specifically questioned the allocation of portions of the disputed property to companies and individuals on September 26, insisting that the move was made despite a Maitama High Court order directing parties involved in the matter to maintain the status quo.

The lecturers also accused Wike of acting contrary to an FCT High Court judgment restraining him from entering or encroaching on the university's land.

Describing the situation as unacceptable, the union called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene before the disagreement develops into a wider confrontation capable of disrupting activities on the campus.

ASUU said it would pursue every available legal option to defend the institution's property, maintaining that the disputed land should not be transferred to private interests while the legal issues surrounding it remain unresolved.

The controversy began attracting wider attention in June 2025 when Wike announced plans to reduce the university's landholding from 11,000 hectares to 4,000 hectares.

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Speaking during the commissioning of an access road to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Academy in the Giri district of Abuja, the minister argued that the university had been allocated an excessive expanse of land without adequate documentation.

He subsequently directed officials of the FCT Administration, including the Director of Lands, to facilitate the reallocation of the remaining portions for development projects in the district.

But the university challenged that position, insisting that its landholding was backed by valid allocation documents. Its Pro-Chancellor, Olanrewaju Tejuoso, maintained that the institution had legitimate papers establishing its claim to the property.

Tejuoso also questioned the wisdom of reducing the university's land to 4,000 hectares, arguing that much of the remaining portion consisted of rocky hills and was therefore unsuitable for several development purposes.

Wike, however, defended the proposed reduction, saying the decision was based on an arrangement inherited from a previous administration. He also questioned why the university needed such an extensive land area when Abuja was facing increasing population pressure, congestion and demands for more space for urban development.

The latest warning from ASUU suggests that the disagreement has moved beyond an argument over land size and documentation to a potentially serious confrontation involving the university's management, lecturers and the FCT authorities.

For now, the union's demand is clear: the disputed allocations must be reversed, while the Federal Government is being urged to intervene to prevent the crisis from affecting academic activities.