The President of the Alumni Association of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Shola Solomon, has alleged that the Governor of Niger State, Mohammed Umaru Bago, threatened to revoke the Certificates of Occupancy, C of O, of the university’s two campuses amid an ongoing dispute over land ownership.
Mr Solomon also claimed that the governor threatened to disconnect the electricity supply to the university’s main campus located in Gidan Kwano.
According to him, the governor made the remarks during a meeting between officials of the Niger State Government and a delegation from FUT Minna held at the office of Tahir Mamman in Abuja on Thursday.
The meeting followed a dispute between the state government and the university over the ownership of the institution’s Bosso Campus.
Governor Bago had earlier directed the university to vacate the Bosso Campus to enable the state government convert the facility into a teaching hospital for the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University Teaching Hospital.
Speaking in an interview with TVC News earlier in the week, Bago claimed that the property belonged to the Niger State Government and was leased to the university for 30 years, after which it was expected to revert to the state.
However, the university has disputed the claim, insisting that the property was purchased outright in 1983 at the cost of ₦2.8 million.
The disagreement prompted a mediation meeting involving representatives of the state government and the university leadership.
Giving an update on the outcome of the meeting, Mr Solomon, who was part of the university delegation, said the session began at about 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 5, 2026, at the minister’s conference room in Abuja.
He explained that the Vice-Chancellor led the FUT Minna delegation, which included principal officers of the institution, representatives of staff unions and members of the Alumni Association.
According to Mr Solomon, the Vice-Chancellor was invited to speak first and requested permission to play a nine-minute video showing activities currently taking place at the Bosso Campus.
“The video was recorded the same morning and effectively nullified the governor’s claim that the Bosso campus had been lying fallow for 15 years,” he said.
Mr Solomon added that the Vice-Chancellor also presented payment vouchers and receipts showing that the university paid ₦2.8 million in two instalments for the outright purchase of the former Government Teachers College, Minna, which served as the take-off site for FUT Minna in 1983.
He further claimed that the Niger State Government was unable to present any document to support the alleged 40-year lease agreement earlier cited by Governor Bago in public statements.
According to him, tensions rose during the meeting when the governor was invited to respond.
“He threatened fire and brimstone, saying that the C of O presented by the university had expired and that he would revoke it, including that of the Gidan Kwano campus,” Mr Solomon said.
“He also said that if he wished, he could cut the power line supplying electricity to the university.”
The controversy over the Bosso Campus has continued to generate concern among alumni, staff and students of the university as stakeholders call for a peaceful resolution of the dispute.
