Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, has dismissed a viral social media video claiming the institution was developing a nuclear weapon for Nigeria.
The university’s Director of Public Affairs, Malam Auwalu Umar, in a statement on Saturday, said the AI-generated video was false and aimed at misleading the public about Nigeria’s peaceful nuclear programme.
He explained that the claims that ABU scientists enriched uranium or obtained nuclear equipment from Pakistan’s AQ Khan network were baseless.
According to him, ABU’s Centre for Energy Research and Training (CERT), established in 1976, has always focused on peaceful uses of nuclear energy in partnership with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and other global partners.
Umar noted that Nigeria’s first nuclear reactor was built in 1996 and commissioned in 2004 under the IAEA programme, not in the 1980s as claimed.
He reaffirmed that the university remains committed to using science and technology for national development and upholding Nigeria’s obligations on the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
—NAN
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