University Of Abuja

The University of Abuja is a federal university in Abuja, Nigeria, established in January 1988 as a dual-mode university mandated to run both conventional and distance-learning programmes, the first Nigerian university with such a mandate at inception. Academic work began in 1990 at a temporary “mini-campus” in Gwagwalada; the university was later allocated over 11,800 hectares along Abuja-Airport Road for its permanent site. On 16 December 2024, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu renamed the university “Yakubu Gowon University” in honour of former Head of State Yakubu Gowon on his 90th birthday. It comprises 9 faculties plus a College of Health Sciences, with a student population of roughly 55,000.

The university is known as “the University for National Unity” and is the only federal university located in the Federal Capital Territory. In 2025, two University of Abuja academics were named among the world’s top 2% of scientists.

Notable alumni include Kanayo O. Kanayo, Nigerian actor, lawyer, and 2006 Africa Movie Academy Award winner, and Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, media personality and host of Big Brother Naija.