Nigeria’s president pays tribute to his late predecessor by naming the University of Maiduguri after him during a Federal Executive Council memorial session
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has renamed the University of Maiduguri as Muhammadu Buhari University, paying tribute to the late former president who passed away earlier this week at the age of 82.
The announcement was made on Thursday during a special session of tributes by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in Abuja, held in memory of Buhari, who served as Nigeria’s military leader in the 1980s and later as a democratically elected president between 2015 and 2023.
In a brief statement shared on X (formerly Twitter), presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga confirmed the decision:
“President Tinubu renames University of Maiduguri as Muhammadu Buhari University. President Tinubu announced the honour at the session of tributes of the Federal Executive Council to his late predecessor,” Onanuga wrote.
Founded in January 1975, the University of Maiduguri is among Nigeria’s second-generation public universities, established as part of the Third National Development Plan (1975–1980) under the then military government. The institution currently boasts 37 faculties and centres, over 100 departments, and a student population exceeding 83,000.
The renaming comes amid a week of national mourning declared by the federal government following Buhari’s death in a London hospital after a prolonged illness. His passing on Sunday, July 13, marked the end of a public career spanning decades.
On Monday, July 14, the government declared a public holiday for Tuesday, July 15, to honour Buhari’s memory. Flags were ordered flown at half-mast across Nigeria and its diplomatic missions worldwide. Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who conveyed the holiday declaration, described it as a day of national reflection on Buhari’s contributions to the country.
The former president was laid to rest on Tuesday in his hometown of Daura, Katsina State, following Islamic funeral rites led by clerics and attended by family, friends, and dignitaries.
As tributes continue to pour in from across Nigeria and beyond, the renaming of the University of Maiduguri stands as a lasting symbol of Buhari’s impact on national life, reflecting both his service to education and his enduring place in Nigeria’s history.
