Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in Zaria has firmly denied a recent social media claim suggesting that the university was involved in developing nuclear weapons for Nigeria.
The university’s Director of Public Affairs, Malam Auwalu Umar addressed the issue in a statement on Saturday, labeling the viral video as misleading and created with the intention to misinform the public about Nigeria’s peaceful nuclear energy initiatives.
The video falsely alleged that Nigerian scientists secretly enriched weapons-grade uranium in the 1980s and that ABU researchers acquired equipment from the infamous AQ Khan network in Pakistan. Umar called these claims unfounded and baseless.
He explained that most scientists from ABU’s Centre for Energy Research and Training (CERT) were still in training abroad during the 1980s, meaning they could not have been involved in any uranium enrichment activities. Additionally, he stressed that ABU had no links to the AQ Khan network and had never received equipment intended for creating nuclear devices.
By 1987, the only nuclear facility at ABU was a 14 MeV Neutron Generator that started operations in 1988. Nigeria’s first nuclear reactor, known as NIRR-1, was established much later in 1996 as part of a program with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and was commissioned in 2004.
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Umar reiterated that Nigeria’s nuclear activities are conducted transparently and focus solely on peaceful purposes, in accordance with the country’s commitments under international treaties that forbid the development of nuclear weapons.
He also emphasized that the Centre for Energy Research and Training, founded in 1976, collaborates with the IAEA and international partners, including those from the U.S., Russia, and China, without engaging in any secret weapons programs.
Finally, he highlighted that ABU has always been dedicated to the peaceful use of nuclear science and technology to support national development, noting that the university’s founder, Sir Ahmadu Bello, had expressed interest in peaceful atomic research as early as 1960. The university remains committed to promoting scientific advancement for the benefit of humanity and adhering to Nigeria’s international obligations regarding nuclear energy.
