University of Abuja Alumni Scandal: When Stakeholdership Becomes Stakeholdership for Sale

The Bible reminds us in Proverbs: “A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.” Children who excel become ornaments of glory to their families and institutions. But children who bring shame, as King Solomon thundered, are like rottenness to the bones. Alumni are supposed to be a source of pride to their alma mater. Yet, what we have witnessed from a faction of the University of Abuja alumni is nothing short of a disgrace.

During the course of our investigation, our newsroom obtained a leaked footage — damning, raw, unfiltered — exposing a so-called “stakeholder” of NANS, an alumnus who parades himself as a top figure. In this footage, the voice of betrayal is heard lobbying the SUG President. His words, dripping with bribery, were plain: “Mr. President, the 200,000 that have been given to the union, collect that one and shut up. Take the parcel of land also, and let them continue building.”

What a shame! What a fall from grace! This is the very rot Patrice Lumumba warned against when he said: “The tragedy of Africa is that those who have power in their hands are not prepared to struggle for the interests of the people.”

Let us be clear: this disgraceful alumnus was not merely talking about money. He was shielding the encroachment of university land by a self-acclaimed barrister — one Bucknor, otherwise known as Babatunde Akintade. Our investigation cross-checked the Nigerian Bar Association roll. His name was not found. Not as “Mr.,” not as “Barrister,” not even as a shadow. Yet he parades around, encroaching on university land, building structures, and now — bribing his way into silence.

Three million naira has reportedly exchanged hands between this imposter and certain alumni. And now, in desperation, he woos the SUG president, attempting to buy him out with ₦200,000 and a plot of stolen land. What conscience is this? If the land was truly allocated to you, why the need to beg student leaders to accept hush money?

This is not the unionism Ladipo Solanke envisioned in 1925 when he pioneered student unionism as a resistance to oppression. That legacy was built on courage, integrity, and collective struggle — not brown envelopes and hush plots.

To the disgraceful alumni who behave like thugs of Gwagwalada, parading themselves as “stakeholders” — let it be said: stakeholdership is not for sale. You do not build a name by gallivanting with low CGPAs and handshakes with impostors. To hell with that brand of stakeholdership.

I commend the SUG President for refusing to bow to this shameful bribery. Though reports suggest some SUG members are tempted, history will remember who stood tall when the integrity of the University of Abuja was on trial.

Now, let the law take its course. The Nigerian Bar Association must investigate this so-called Barrister Bucknor immediately. The FCT Police Command must act on this leaked footage. And the alumni body of the University of Abuja must purge itself of these disgruntled elements who trade their alma mater’s dignity for cheap naira notes.

As Lumumba once said: “The day the people will rise, even the most powerful throne will shake.” That day is coming. And it will begin with truth, courage, and the refusal to sell our future for thirty pieces of silver.