Rev. Fr. Moses Orshio Adasu University, Makurdi

The idea of establishing a university for Benue State was first conceived in the late 1970s by the State’s first civilian Governor, the late Aper A. Aku, and was translated into a feasible project during the administration of Governor Fidelis A. Makkah. It was brought to reality by the second civilian Governor, His Excellency the late Rev. Fr. Moses O. Adasu, who on 8 August 1991 inaugurated a 13-member Steering Committee charged with planning for the University and securing Federal Government approval for the State to run its own institution.

That approval was granted on Monday, 15 February 1993, formalising a process begun through the Benue State University Edict No. 1 of 1991 — the culmination of decades of effort by successive administrations to correct a longstanding educational imbalance since the creation of Benue State in 1976. The University had by then already commenced academic activities, with an inaugural orientation held in the 1992/93 session and commissioned by the Visitor to the University, Governor Rev. Fr. Moses O. Adasu.

Academic activities commenced with four foundation faculties — Arts, Education, Science and Social Sciences. Law and Management Sciences followed in 1993/94, and Environmental Sciences was added in 2014/15. The institution has since grown into a comprehensive University with fourteen faculties and colleges.

In 2025 the University was renamed Rev. Fr. Moses Orshio Adasu University, Makurdi, in honour of the cleric, statesman and former Governor whose vision shaped higher education in Benue State. It remains widely known by its founding initials, BSU.