By Olokuta Rofiat
Legal and academic experts say the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, cannot lawfully reclaim land allocated to the University of Abuja without due process.
Wike recently proposed reducing the university’s 11,800-hectare allocation to 4,000 hectares, citing encroachment and underutilization.
But university authorities maintain the land was properly allocated by the federal government in 1988 and remains protected by law.
Legal experts argue the minister lacks the power to unilaterally revoke land given to a federal institution without the consent of the university’s Governing Council and approval from the Federal Executive Council.
“The land is for public educational use and cannot be taken over through ministerial order,” one lawyer said.
The University Autonomy Act (2003) and existing court rulings affirm that land granted to federal universities cannot be repossessed without following federal procedures.
As of press time, the FCT Administration had not clarified if such steps had been taken.
