Union rejects claim that facility was leased temporarily, insists campus was fully transferred to the university
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUTMinna) branch, has accused the Niger State Government led by Umar Bago of attempting to unlawfully take over the university’s Bosso Campus.
In a statement titled “Unlawful and Desperate Attempt by the Niger State Government to Grab the Bosso Campus of the Federal University of Technology, Minna: A Need for Caution,” the union strongly rejected the state government’s claim that the campus was only leased to the university as a temporary take-off site.
According to ASUU, the assertion is “factually incorrect and historically misleading.” The union explained that the property originally housed St. Malachy College, a Roman Catholic missionary school, before it was transferred to the Niger State Government and subsequently allocated to Federal University of Technology, Minna in 1983.
The statement recalled that during negotiations preceding the allocation, the university’s pioneer Vice-Chancellor, Jonathan O. Ndagi, had sought outright ownership of the campus. He reportedly requested that adequate compensation be paid to enable the state government to establish another school elsewhere without incurring additional costs.
ASUU noted that an offer of ₦2.8 million was accepted, and an agreement was reached at a joint meeting involving officials from the Niger State Ministries of Education and Works, the National Universities Commission (NUC), and the university management.
Describing the state government’s current move as an attempted forceful takeover, the union warned that such action would undermine academic freedom and infringe on the constitutional rights of staff and students.
“We consider the attempted forceful takeover of our campus by the Niger State Government a direct affront to academic freedom and an encroachment on the fundamental rights of our staff and students to assemble, work, teach, learn, and conduct research in a secure and peaceful environment,” the statement read.
ASUU further stressed that the Bosso Campus is integral to the university’s operations and cannot be treated as a disposable asset for political purposes.
“To the university community, the Bosso Campus of FUTMinna is not an expendable parcel of land to be appropriated for political expediency and egocentric satisfaction,” the union stated.
To reinforce its position, ASUU cited a 2014 communication from the National Universities Commission (Ref: NUC/ES/138/Vol.60/185), dated August 13, 2014. The correspondence reiterated that federal universities established on facilities provided by state governments do so with the understanding that such assets and landed property would not revert to the states — a policy the commission affirmed remains unchanged.
The union called for caution and urged all stakeholders to respect existing agreements and uphold the principles guiding the establishment of federal universities in Nigeria.
