THE Federal Government has renamed the University of Abuja after former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, a retired general.
The announcement was made on Monday, December 16, by the minister of information and national orientation, Mohammed Idris, while State House correspondents after the council’s meeting at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.
Established in January 1988 under Decree No. 110 of 1992 (as amended), the University of Abuja, widely known as UniAbuja, functions as a dual-mode institution, providing both conventional and distance learning programmes.
Currently, the university comprises nine faculties, the College of Health Sciences, a School of Remedial Studies, a Centre for Distance Learning, an Institute of Education, and a School of Postgraduate Studies, among others.
Gowon, who served as Nigeria’s Head of State from 1966 to 1975, is widely remembered for introducing the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in 1973, a programme aimed at fostering national integration after the nearly three-year civil war he led.
Meanwhile, the information minister also disclosed that President Bola Tinubu has approved free transportation nationwide ahead of the Christmas celebration.
According to him, the Federal Government will commence nationwide free train services from December 20 to January 5, 2025.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M