By Abdulahmeed Abdulrozaq Bilal | Fact Frontier.
Click here to read more about the reporter.
Senator Abdulaziz Musa Yar’Adua, the younger brother of the late General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, has publicly commended President Bola Tinubu for renaming a key petroleum institute in Kaduna State in honour of the deceased democracy icon.
In a statement released on Friday, Senator Yar’Adua expressed profound gratitude over the president’s decision, which was announced on June 12, 2026 — Nigeria’s Democracy Day. The president directed that the Institute of Petroleum Studies in Kaduna be immediately renamed the “General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua University of Geological Sciences and Engineering Technology.”
The move is intended to immortalise General Yar’Adua, who served as Chief of Staff of the Supreme Headquarters during the military regime of General Olusegun Obasanjo (1976–1979) and later became a leading pro-democracy activist. He was detained by the Abacha regime for his opposition to military rule and died in prison in 1997.
“This is more than a renaming. It is a national reclamation of history,” Senator Yar’Adua said. “My brother gave his life for the democracy we enjoy today. To see an institution of petroleum and geosciences — sectors so vital to Nigeria’s future — bear his name is a fitting tribute. President Tinubu has shown rare statesmanship.”
The president’s announcement came during a Democracy Day broadcast, where he praised the late general’s role in shaping modern Nigerian politics and his unwavering commitment to civilian rule. While the original charter of the institute focused on petroleum technology, the upgraded university status will now expand into geological sciences and engineering, aligning with the government’s push for deeper local content in the extractive industries.
Senator Yar’Adua, a politician from Katsina State, noted that the honour would inspire generations of Nigerian engineers and geoscientists. “Young people walking into that university will ask, ‘Who was Shehu Yar’Adua?’ And they will learn about sacrifice, integrity, and belief in Nigeria,” he added.
The senator also clarified that he was not speaking on behalf of the family of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua (no direct relation to General Shehu Yar’Adua apart from shared heritage), but as a direct sibling of the honouree.
Reactions have been largely positive, with civil society groups lauding the president for choosing a non-partisan figure. However, some critics questioned the sudden elevation of an institute to a full-fledged university without a legislative framework. The presidency has assured that all necessary legal processes will follow.
The newly named university is expected to begin academic operations under its new status by January 2027, pending approval from the National Universities Commission (NUC). Until then, the Kaduna campus will continue its current diploma and certificate programmes.
Senator Yar’Adua concluded his remarks by urging other Nigerians to emulate the president’s gesture of honouring heroes of democracy while they can still be remembered by living relatives. “History is not only written in books; it is written on the walls of our institutions. Today, President Tinubu has written a good chapter.”
