REJOINDER: NAMING WITHOUT THOUGHT A DISSERVICE TO NATIONAL LEGACY AND INSTITUTIONAL INTEGRITY

 REJOINDER: NAMING WITHOUT THOUGHT  A DISSERVICE TO NATIONAL LEGACY AND INSTITUTIONAL INTEGRITY


By Tijjani Sarki

Good Governance Advocate & Public Policy Analyst

July 18, 2025


In these times of great national uncertainty and civic restlessness, one would expect our leaders to act with foresight, empathy, and integrity. Yet, the recent wave of renaming public institutions particularly universities paints a worrying picture of political tone-deafness and historical erasure. I join my voice firmly and unapologetically with that of Dr. Umar Ardo, who rightly criticized the decision to rename the University of Maiduguri as "Muhammadu Buhari University."


Let’s be brutally honest, this is not about honour it is about political image-laundering. It is about rewriting narratives for personal glorification, with no regard for logic, legacy, or national sentiment.


Naming a public institution especially a university is not and should never be a casual political gesture. It is a national act, one that should be guided by history, contribution, symbolism, and collective relevance. The practice we now see, however, reeks of partisanship, impulsivity, and a gross misunderstanding of institutional purpose.


Take Kano State as a case study before the late President Buhari passed, there were already at least five major public institutions and infrastructures bearing his name.on top of countless federal tributes,One is left asking, how much is too much?


It must be said with clarity, true honour is not conferred by the volume of monuments, but by the weight of legacy, Leaders are remembered for what they built, reformed, or defended not for how many buildings or campuses bear their names.


If honour was genuinely the goal, why not initiate a fresh national project in his name? An agricultural institute to reflect his focus on rural development? A national defence or military policy center aligned with his background? Something new, purposeful, and appropriate?


But to rename a university a sacred space for academic pursuit, intellectual inquiry, and generational transformation is both tone-deaf and regressive. The University of Maiduguri has its own proud history, forged in the crucible of regional resilience and academic excellence. President Buhari did not found it, fund it, reform it, or leave a transformative imprint on it. The decision to rename it in his memory is neither logical nor justified it is simply political.


We’ve walked this path before and each time, it leaves confusion, division, and institutional damage in its wake. Consider the case of Northwest University in Kano,Established with a unifying vision to reflect and promote regional identity among the Northwest states, it was abruptly renamed Yusuf Maitama Sule University. The decision sparked widespread backlash and, eventually, a reversal. The consequences were far-reaching students and alumni faced certificate authentication issues, the university’s identity became muddled, and its academic reputation suffered a serious blow.


More recently, the University of Abuja was renamed after former Head of State General Yakubu Gowon even though numerous public institutions and properties, including military barracks already bear his name without controversy. Why, then, should a federal university an academic institution meant to transcend politics be drawn into the same symbolic rebranding with no obvious educational or national benefit?


Worryingly, even the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has remained silent, failing to speak out against the trend of politicized renaming that disrupts academic continuity and historical integrity.


Is that the future we want for the University of Maiduguri?


We are calling not just for a reversal of this specific decision, but for a complete moratorium on this reckless naming frenzy, let there be a standard, let there be consultation, let there be logic,let there be merit.



For the sake of unity, dignity, and future generations, this must stop. We owe our institutions better. We owe our country better.

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