Wike rejects UniAbuja ASUU strike threat over disputed land

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has pushed back against the University of Abuja chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over its warning that it may embark on industrial action following the reallocation of parts of the institution’s land.

The minister maintained that ASUU had no legal mandate to decide who owns or receives land in the FCT, arguing that land administration falls under the authority of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).

Wike made his position known during his monthly media briefing on Thursday, where he challenged the union’s involvement in the matter and rejected claims that the government was unlawfully taking over the university’s property.

He questioned why the academic union should have a say in decisions concerning land ownership and allocation, insisting that ASUU was not the authority responsible for managing land in the territory.

The minister also raised concerns about the university’s possession of a large expanse of land that, in his view, had not been sufficiently developed. He argued that the government had a duty to ensure that land was put to productive use and that development complied with the FCT master plan.

According to Wike, the decision to reassign some portions of the university’s land was part of the administration’s wider effort to enforce urban planning rules and encourage orderly development across the territory.

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He further said the FCTA was ready to defend its position in court should the union decide to pursue legal action over the allocations. Wike also criticised the use of strike threats to compel the government to reverse its decisions, describing such pressure as blackmail and insisting that the administration would not give in.

The minister’s comments followed a warning from ASUU’s University of Abuja branch chairman, Dr Sylvanus Ugoh, who recently raised concerns about the land allocations and threatened possible industrial action.

Ugoh had said the union could no longer assure the university community of continued industrial peace if Wike failed to reverse the decision to allocate portions of the institution’s land to private developers and government agencies.

He explained that the university was granted 11,824 hectares in the Guri District of the FCT, an area he described as critical to the institution’s future growth. According to him, the land is needed to accommodate expansion plans, agricultural research activities and the development of essential infrastructure.

The union has maintained that the university’s land should remain protected from encroachment, warning that transferring portions of it to other interests could undermine the institution’s long-term development plans.

However, Wike insisted that the FCTA would continue to exercise its statutory powers over land matters in the capital, including decisions on land recovery and reallocation.