Human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju has accused Yusuf Datti Baba Ahmed, founder of Abuja’s Baze University, of hypocrisy after sending his son to study in the United Kingdom. A photograph of Baba Ahmed with his son at Queen Mary University, London, sparked the criticism. Adeyanju, himself a first-class law graduate of Baze in 2022, argued that the decision undermines Baba Ahmed’s calls for a “new Nigeria.”
“They do not believe in Nigeria, but they have their audience. He has one of the most expensive and good private universities in the country, yet he still took his son to the UK,” Adeyanju said. Baze University charges between ₦2.7m and ₦4.5m per session, depending on the course, making it one of Nigeria’s priciest private institutions. Its alumni include former Rivers governor Rotimi Amaechi, ex-aviation minister Osita Chidoka and former senator Dino Melaye.
Baba Ahmed, a former vice‑presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has not publicly responded to the criticism. The row has reignited debate over Nigeria’s elite’s preference for foreign education despite running, or backing, costly private schools at home.
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