From Runway To Campus: All Public Facilities In Borno Named After Buhari Revealed

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu officially renamed the University of Maiduguri in honour of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari during a Special Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held at the State House last Thursday.

This marks another major public institution in Borno State bearing Buhari’s name, despite the former president being a native of Daura, Katsina State.

Below are five notable public structures in Maiduguri now named after Muhammadu Buhari:

1. General Muhammadu Buhari International Airport, Maiduguri
Previously known as Maiduguri Airport, the facility was renamed in 2023 by the Tinubu administration along with 14 other airports across the country. The announcement was made via a Federal Ministry of Aviation memo dated June 1, 2023, which cited the honouring of distinguished Nigerians. The directive, signed by FAAN’s Director of Airport Operations, Mrs. Joke Olatunji, included Maiduguri’s airport among those renamed.

2. Muhammadu Buhari Trauma Centre, Maiduguri
This 150-bed trauma centre, located within the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), was virtually commissioned in 2020 by then-President Buhari during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

3. Muhammadu Buhari Academy, Maiduguri
Commissioned in 2019, the academy was built to educate children orphaned by Boko Haram’s insurgency. The 60-classroom boarding school, located along Baga Road bypass, was initiated by former Borno Governor (now Vice President) Kashim Shettima and completed under Governor Babagana Zulum.

4. Senate Building, University of Maiduguri
Funded by TETFund and commissioned on July 16, 2018, the Senate Building of the University of Maiduguri is named in Buhari’s honour. The building, which stands prominently at the institution’s entrance, symbolizes administrative leadership.

5. Muhammadu Buhari University, Maiduguri
Established in 1975 as part of Nigeria’s second-generation universities under the Third National Development Plan, the University of Maiduguri has now been renamed Muhammadu Buhari University. The announcement was made by President Tinubu during the FEC meeting on July 17 as a tribute to Buhari’s national service and contributions, particularly in the Northeast region.