The federal executive council has approved the renaming of the University of Abuja (UniAbuja) to Yakubu Gowon University.
The minister of information, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this on Monday while addressing journalists at the end of the National Executive Council Meeting at the State House, Abuja.
The minister said the renaming of UniAbuja is to honour Gowon who recently celebrated his 90th birthday.
The minister emphasised that the proposal to rename the university will be forwarded to the national assembly for formal approval, ensuring that the change is officially recognised.
In 1966, Gowon became Nigeria’s youngest military head of state at the age of 31 and rule the country for nine years until he was overthrown in a military coup in 1975.
Gowon led Nigeria during the 1967 – 1970 Nigerian Civil War, a conflict sparked by the secession of the southeastern region.
Under his leadership, Nigeria adopted the slogan “to keep Nigeria one is a task that must be done”, preserving the country’s territorial integrity.
Post-war, Gowon initiated the “no victor, no vanquished” policy and a reconstruction project aimed at healing national divisions.
Gowon’s tenure was also marked by significant economic growth fueled by an oil boom, which he leveraged to embark on large-scale infrastructure projects and the expansion of education.
In 1975, Gowon was overthrown in a bloodless coup while attending an Organization of African Unity (OAU) summit in Uganda.
After his ouster, he spent years in exile, pursued academic studies, and later became an advocate for peace and unity in Nigeria.
