By Professor Ukertor Gabriel Moti
The developments surrounding the proposed renaming of the University of Abuja to Yakubu Gowon University illustrate a classic tension within public administration between executive initiative and statutory authority.
This tension has generated a situation of institutional ambiguity with implications for governance, legality, and policy coherence.
From a legal-institutional standpoint, federal universities in Nigeria derive their existence, powers, and identity from enabling legislation enacted by the National Assembly of Nigeria.
The name of such an institution is not merely symbolic but constitutes a core element of its legal personality. Consequently, any alteration to that name requires a formal amendment of the establishing Act, followed by presidential assent.
In the absence of this process, an executive pronouncement—regardless of its political weight—does not possess the force of law.
The announcement by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu therefore occupies a pre-legislative policy space: it signals intent but does not consummate institutional change.
The persistence of the original statutory framework (Act) implies that, in strict legal terms, the institution remains the University of Abuja.
This disjuncture between announcement and legal codification has predictably produced inconsistencies in official usage, as evidenced during the 29th/30th Convocation ceremonies, where multiple formulations of the university’s identity were deployed interchangeably.
While others referred to the University as University of Abuja now “Yakubu Gowon University”, others called it “Yakubu Gowon University” formerly, University of Abuja.
Meanwhile, in their speeches, they consistently referred to the University as University of Abuja.
Such inconsistency is not merely semantic; it raises substantive concerns regarding administrative clarity and regulatory compliance.
Universities operate within complex national and international systems of accreditation, certification, and recognition. Ambiguity in institutional nomenclature can undermine the validity of official documents, complicate international partnerships, and introduce uncertainty into archival and legal records.
From a policy perspective, this represents a failure of implementation sequencing, where communication has outpaced formal institutional adjustment.
The situation is further complicated by issues of policy consistency and precedent. The earlier resistance by key political actors—including Bola Ahmed Tinubu—to the attempted renaming of the University of Lagos during the University of Lagos renaming controversy in 2012 established an implicit normative standard emphasizing due process, stakeholder consultation, and legislative propriety.
The current approach appears to diverge from that precedent, thereby raising questions about institutional coherence and the selective application of governance norms.
For policy resolution, a clear and procedurally grounded pathway is required if the University of Abuja is to avoid this name confusion. First, the executive should transmit a formal amendment bill to the National Assembly proposing the name change.
Second, the legislature should undertake deliberation and stakeholder consultation, ensuring that the perspectives of the university community and broader public are incorporated.
Third, upon passage and presidential assent, the change should be officially gazetted, thereby conferring legal validity. Only at this stage should administrative instruments—such as certificates, convocation materials, and official communications—reflect the new name.
Currently, the only Act that gives life to the instruments of the University is that Act establishing University of Abuja and NOT Yakubu Gowon University. There is no Act enabling Yakubu Gowon University.
Pending the completion of the above outlined process, the appropriate policy position is to retain the legally recognized designation, with any reference to the proposed renaming clearly framed as prospective rather than operative.
This approach preserves legal certainty while accommodating policy intent.
The present confusion reflects a broader challenge in governance: the need to align political signaling with institutional procedure.
Effective public administration requires that reforms affecting statutory bodies adhere strictly to established legal frameworks.
Until such alignment is achieved, the University of Abuja remains, in law and policy, what its enabling Act defines it to be: University of Abuja.
