Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, was barred from entering the University of Abuja (UNIABUJA) campus on Tuesday, preventing him from attending an interactive session organised by the Students’ Union Government (SUG).
The incident, which Sowore described as exposing “the death of our university system,” has ignited a fresh debate about the dwindling independence of student bodies and the state of intellectual freedom in Nigerian tertiary institutions.
Sowore arrived directly from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport to honour an invitation from the UNIABUJA SUG, led by Comrade Yusuf Tobi Jamiu.
However, Sowore’s advance team quickly noticed discrepancies, including an empty reserved hall and the apparent unavailability of the SUG President. Moments later, the team was informed that the university authorities had cancelled the program.
Despite the initial setback, Sowore proceeded to the campus gate after the SUG President reportedly insisted the event would still hold.
There, he was met by campus security personnel who firmly stated that management had declared his visit “unacceptable” and that the SUG lacked permission to host him.
“I alighted from the vehicle and sat on a dilapidated chair by the gate, refusing to leave immediately, a silent protest,” Sowore narrated in a statement about his experience.
While staging his impromptu protest at the gate, Sowore observed an unrelated incident that, for him, summarised the systemic issues. A female student was initially denied entry for “improper dressing.”
Sowore intervened, questioning the security officials about the university’s role in supplying student attire, leading to the student eventually being granted access.
Following this, Comrade Jamiu arrived, reportedly “visibly helpless,” to apologise for the cancellation.
Sowore questioned the SUG President’s position, stating, “I couldn’t help but wonder whether he had been elected to lead or to kneel, to represent the students or to appease the school authorities.”
In his concluding remarks, Sowore painted a grim picture of the situation, stating that what he witnessed was “not an institution of learning, but a graveyard of courage and ideas.”
He argued that Nigerian universities are declining, not due to a lack of funding, but for “lack of integrity, independence, and freedom.”
Sowore ended his commentary with a stark declaration: “Nigerian universities are dead. What remains is the struggle to resurrect them.”
The University of Abuja management has yet to release an official statement regarding the barring of Sowore or the cancellation of the student event.
