When the Federal University of Kashere opened its doors in 2011 as one of Nigeria’s nine new federal universities, students both Muslim and Christian arrived with hopes of growing academically and spiritually in an environment designed to cater to the needs of all. However, for Christian students on the campus, that hope has long been shadowed by a persistent challenge: access to a stable and suitable worship space.
Fourteen years after its establishment, the university still has no designated chapel for Christian worship, leading to intermittent disruptions, relocations, overcrowding, security concerns and several online agitations.
Meanwhile, investigations by PUNCH show that the institution hosts no fewer than six mosques or designated prayer grounds distributed across strategic points on campus, raising questions about equity, planning, and the management of religious spaces in a federally-funded institution.
The matter resurfaced recently after the Multipurpose Sports Complex, which Christian students had been using due to the small capacity of their usual venue, was locked on claims of renovation. This incident triggered online outrage and drew renewed attention to a problem Christian students say has lingered for more than a decade.
Upon arrival at the institution’s campus investigation based on official accounts, students’ testimonies, administrative responses, online reactions, and findings across the campus.
When FUK was founded in 2011, the student community formed various religious associations, among them the Fellowship of Christian Students (FCS), whose leadership immediately began searching for a suitable place to worship. For several years, the fellowship relied on Lecture Theatre FCLT 1 for Sunday and weekday services.
However, as enrolment increased and Christian membership grew significantly, the hall originally designed for lectures, not worship became unsafe. Students say the space became “grossly inadequate,” with fears that an emergency could lead to injuries or stampede. This forced the fellowship to begin using the Multipurpose Sports Complex, a large, ventilated, open-style structure that could accommodate their numbers.
For a while, the arrangement worked smoothly. Then this year, in the middle of preparations for Sunday service, the Multipurpose Hall was locked without prior notice to the fellowship.
On the morning the hall was found locked, FCS leaders sought clarification from campus authorities. They were told the venue was undergoing renovation and would not be reopened until after a scheduled public lecture the following week. An operations officer reportedly informed them that the closure was on instructions from the Director of Works.
According to the President of the Fellowship, Damter Isaac, the abrupt change caused confusion among worshippers.
He said, “for those two days thinking that okay to be resolved maybe by Sunday we’ll have an a venue for our fellowship but then by Sunday we realised that Multipurpose was not still open. We went to get access to the key but they said that they were having renovations at Multipurpose and they could not open it until after the public lecture on Thursday the next week. That was when I met with Mr Imran, we just narrated it to him, we told him that this was the situation. And then I think that was when he reached out to the director of works. He spoke to him and then he immediately called and he assured us that it was just a temporary movement. He told us that we should call.”
Isaac further explained how the fellowship temporarily moved back to FCLT 1, “We should discuss with him he said any venue of our choice we should make it we chose fclt1 and then we’re giving access to multiple we packed our equipment and then we moved to fclt1 the agreement we will meet today and then we will show our setting here as a multiple that they had renovated so that we’ll be careful with when we are back there and that was to settle it before the post that we saw came.”
Though the issue appeared to be resolved administratively, the development reignited old conversations among students and alumni about the absence of a chapel.
As part of this investigation, multiple locations on campus were surveyed, confirming that the university hosts numerous prayer spaces for Muslim students and staff. These include a new mosque at the Chancellery (Vice Chancellor’s office), another at the former VC’s office, a mosque or designated area by Gate 3, a prayer location inside the library, another at the Postgraduate School, one close to the medical centre, the Central Mosque near the Union Bank branch on campus, and a worship area next to the boys’ hostel. There is also a prayer ground near the ICT centre.
By contrast, Christian students have none.
This uneven distribution lies at the heart of the agitation.
As photos of the locked Multipurpose Hall circulated online, several users on X (formerly Twitter) voiced their concerns. One user, @Zerubabel, wrote:
“Christian students in Federal University Kashere in Gombe state have been suffering since the inception of the school. There’s no single Chapel for Christian students and lecturers but there are dozens of mosques in the school.”
Another user, @Kunta_Kinte, added:
“Is true ooo one of the students shared this incase if people want to donate, but this shouldn’t be the norm for students to crowdfund for projects like this.CHAPEL PROJECT ACCOUNT DETAILS 0218987248, ACCOUNT NAME: FCS CHAPEL PROJECT, FUK BANK: UNION BANK.”
The crowdfunding account, confirmed by FCS members, underscores the desperation among Christian students, many of whom say they are tired of waiting for the university to provide a permanent solution.
Amid the growing online conversation, a peaceful protest reportedly organised by an individual student made rounds on social media with the caption: “NO CHAPEL, NO STABLE SPACE, CHRISTIAN STUDENTS DESERVE BETTER.”
The Fellowship’s Executive Council quickly released a statement dissociating itself from the action.
The statement, signed by the Public Relations Officer, Iliya Ezekiel, read, “The attention of the Fellowship has been drawn to a recent peaceful protest and the circulating ca ption: ‘NO CHAPEL, NO STABLE SPACE, CHRISTIAN STUDENTS DESERVE BETTER.’ While the concerns raised are valid, the member involved did not follow the proper due process, and the Fellowship Executive Council was not informed or consulted before the action was taken.”
The fellowship urged that protest-related posts be taken down:
“We therefore dissociate the Fellowship from this protest and kindly request that all related posts, u ploads, and shares across every social media platform be taken down immediately.”
The leadership assured members of its commitment to addressing the issue through dialogue:
“The Fellowship remains committed to addressing these concerns through the appropriate channel s, and we assure all members that due process will be followed to ensure necessary actions are taken. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.”
In response to allegations of discriminatory treatment, FUK’s Public Relations Officer, Janet Ezekiel, dismissed the claims. She maintained that the administration of Vice Chancellor Prof. Umaru Pate had fulfilled its responsibility regarding the provision of land for a chapel.
Her words, “The responsibility of the management is to provide land and they have done it. Now, it’s up to the different religious groups to develop it. And it’s not like the FCS is not doing anything on its own. Like I told you, the VC is the one who gave us this land officially and even expanded it. Because the problem we had initially was the land given was smaller.”
Ezekiel added, “I think twice. Twice, for building. We have a committee now, for the Christian staff fellowship, we have a committee now, building committee. So it’s not like we’re not doing anything now.”
When contacted, the Dean of Students Affairs, Professor Shuaibu Umaru, dismissed claims of marginalisation, saying:
“saying it’s not true. Is the university meant for Muslims alone?”
He added, “Multipurpose hall is for everybody.”
A clergy of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Samuel Elebiyo, who previously served in Kashere, said the experiences of Christian students reflect a broader pattern across northern institutions.
He stated, “The community needs help, they have not enjoyed the goodwill that our brothers in the Muslim community have enjoyed. I used to be a pastor in Kashere before I was transferred building chapel has been difficult for the students upon enquiry i heard there is a land close to the gate, main road but was revoked and taken inside close to a mountain, very far and no assistance on how to build the chapel.”
Elebiyo added that this pattern is not unique to FUK “In the north Christian community needs to be helped and the Christian leaders, who are staff, have not done well they fold their arms as if nothing is their business unlike their colleagues and they leave the students to suffer.”
Though the university says it has allocated land and expanded it, Christian students argue that the problem goes beyond documents. For them, the real issue is access, fairness, and visibility. For 14 years, the absence of a chapel has placed them in a revolving cycle of temporary arrangements—lecture theatres, sports halls, borrowed spaces—none of which provide the stability expected in a federal university.
Meanwhile, the visible presence of multiple mosques across campus, many built with staff and community support, fuels perceptions of inequality.
The situation has been made worse by communication gaps, sudden venue lockouts, and lack of clarity about timelines for the development of the chapel project.
The controversy over Christian worship spaces at the Federal University of Kashere is not simply a matter of religion, according to lecturers who pleaded anonymity; it is a test of administrative fairness, campus inclusiveness, and institutional planning. While the university insists it has fulfilled its obligations by allocating land, Christian students feel their lived experience tells a different story—one of years of waiting, makeshift arrangements, and repeated disruptions.
Until a permanent chapel is constructed, the issue is likely to resurface, especially in moments when students feel their access to worship is threatened. For now, the fellowship continues meeting in temporary venues, clinging to assurances that one day, the promised structure will rise.
