Daniel Otera
The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Olatunji Alausa, has described the Federal Government’s decision to rename the University of Maiduguri after the late President Muhammadu Buhari as a “deeply symbolic act” that not only immortalises a former leader but also underscores the central role of education in Nigeria’s development trajectory.
Speaking in a statement issued by the Federal Ministry of Education on Friday, Dr Alausa expressed profound gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for choosing the education sector as the medium to honour the late President Buhari.
“President Tinubu’s decision reflects not only deep empathy and respect but also a firm belief in education as the bedrock of national development,” the Minister stated.
According to Dr Alausa, the announcement was made during a special expanded session of the Federal Executive Council, convened by the President to pay tribute to the life and legacy of Muhammadu Buhari. The session, which drew top national dignitaries including Senate President Godswill Akpabio, House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, state governors, and service chiefs, opened with an emotional reflection by the President on Buhari’s contributions to national security, institutional reform, and the fight against corruption.
“We are proud that education has been chosen as the channel through which the legacy of President Buhari will be enshrined. It is a testament to the foundational role education plays in our collective national growth,” Dr Alausa said.
The renamed institution will now be officially known as Muhammadu Buhari University of Maiduguri. The Ministry said the decision also reflects the former President’s unwavering commitment to education and human capital development throughout his tenure.
Dr Alausa noted that the renaming of the university symbolises more than a tribute it reflects years of policies that focused on human development, particularly through education and economic empowerment.
Between 2015 and 2022, Nigeria’s tertiary education enrolment rose by over 26 per cent, based on figures from the National Bureau of Statistics and education sector reports. Although totals vary slightly across datasets, records show enrolment increased from approximately 1.96 million in 2015 to 2.47 million by 2022, covering public universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
During the same period, several major reforms were introduced that influenced education financing and access. These include:
The Anchor Borrowers’ Programme, launched in 2015, supported over 4.5 million smallholder farmers with loans and training, many of them students or graduates of agriculture-related institutions. According to Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) reports, over ₦1.09 trillion was disbursed by 2023 under the initiative.
The Treasury Single Account (TSA) was extended to federal universities in 2017, helping curb fund diversion and strengthen accountability in education financing. The Ministry of Finance described this as crucial to tightening control over internally generated revenue and federal allocations across the tertiary sector.
The N-Power Programme, introduced in 2016 under the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP), provided employment and training opportunities for over 500,000 young Nigerians by 2020. Many beneficiaries were deployed as teaching assistants in under-resourced public schools across the country.
“President Buhari may not have been loud about achievements in education, but the impact of policies like N-Power and TSA reflect a clear drive for reform,” Dr Alausa stated.
UNICEF data also show a marginal decline in the out-of-school children population during the Buhari years from 13.2 million in 2015 to around 10.5 million by 2022 largely due to targeted interventions in North-East and other conflict-affected regions.
However, the gains were short-lived. By 2022, UNICEF Nigeria reported that the number of out-of-school children had surged to 18.5 million, with girls accounting for about 60 per cent of the total.
“The number of out-of-school children in Nigeria has increased to 18.5 million. Sixty per cent of these children are girls. One in every five out-of-school children in the world is in Nigeria,” said UNICEF’s Education Manager, Saadhna Panday-Soobrayan, during a press briefing in Abuja.
Despite these setbacks, the Education Minister affirmed that the renaming of the university is not only to honour a leader, but also to remind the nation of the work still needed to sustain and expand the reforms initiated under Buhari.
“The Buhari administration may not have shouted about its education achievements, but the numbers speak. He prioritised foundational literacy, teacher retraining, and social intervention programmes that kept children in school,” said Dr Alausa.
The Ministry further stated that renaming the University of Maiduguri is also a charge for continuity. Located in a region that has faced over a decade of insurgency, the institution was chosen as a symbol of resilience and educational hope.
“We are not just renaming a university. We are sending a message that education will always prevail, even in the face of terror and despair. That is the legacy Buhari stood for,” the Minister said.
The Ministry pledged to ensure that Muhammadu Buhari University of Maiduguri receives the resources, infrastructure, and academic support required to fulfil its new identity as a national monument of knowledge and resilience.
During the Federal Executive Council session, Yusuf Buhari, son of the late President, expressed the family’s appreciation. He described his father as a man of “quiet service” who believed that:
“A nation without educated citizens cannot thrive, nor be truly independent.”
Dr Alausa concluded: “This is more than a name change. It is a national call to re-energise our education system and honour our heroes by doing better for our children, for our future.”