UNVEILING THE UNILAG SAGA
SIR: President Goodluck Jonathan on May 29 announced the change of name of the University of Lagos after the acclaimed winner of the June 12 election, late Chief MKO Abiola. This action of the President resulted in protests and criticisms as students of the university trooped out in their thousands to register their grievance. As expected, Minister of Information, Labaran Maku came out to say there is no going back on the issue. This is utterly undemocratic.
It is therefore important that Nigerians know why the students are protesting. It is wrong for a segment of the public to say the students do not know or appreciate the contribution of Abiola to democracy in Nigeria. We are intellectuals who have read a great deal about Abiola. What about the alumni, post-graduate students, members of ASUU, UNILAG branch and staff of the University who were around during the June 12 saga? We all appreciate the heroism of Abiola and acknowledge that he deserves to be honoured but not in these circumstances.
The people have to know that the President is renaming UNILAG simply because of politics. He wants to garner cheap popularity from the people of the South-west. What this means is that the President is toying with the 50-years legacy of UNILAG not because he truly wants to honour Abiola but because of politics.
How can the President wake up one morning and decide to rename the University of Lagos, which was created by an Act of Parliament, without recourse to the National Assembly and the authorities of the university? Didn’t Abiola famously say that you cannot shave a man’s hair in his absence? The President did this on Democracy Day in a manner reminiscent of the military who unjustly crucified Abiola.
The University of Lagos has built and maintained its brand for the past 50 years. It has signed various memoranda with foreign universities and international organisations of repute. This change of name is sure to jostle them. It would also cost billions of naira of taxpayers’ money to effect the change of name on all letter headings, certificates, sign posts, documents, tags, websites and other symbols of identity and representation. This money can be used to improve the standard of education that we have clamoured for in our universities.
If the President truly wants to honour Abiola, why can’t he name the Abuja National Stadium after him since Abiola was considered as the Pillar of African Sport? After all, the National Assembly passed the motion for the stadium to be named after Abiola during Obasanjo’s era. Abiola’s heroism brought democracy to Nigeria and not the South-West alone. So why can’t he be honoured on a national scale? Places such as the Eagle Square, the National Hospital in Abuja where Abiola died, or one of the nine newly established universities that lack identities could be named after the late sage. In my view, the best way to honour Abiola is to declare him winner of the June 12 election, uncover the shady events surrounding his death in 1998, and name June 12 democracy day or MKO Abiola Day.
There is a saying which goes, if you want to rob a man of his manhood, simply take away his identity. UNILAG is more than a name, it is more than an identity; it is a society. Names of universities such as Oxford, Cambridge, University of London and University of California have not been changed not because their respective nations do not have heroes to name them after, but because these institutions are the pride of their nations. So also, the University of Lagos is a reference point in the scheme of things in Nigeria. We therefore call on the Nigerian people to support us in this quest of fighting dictatorship and undue politicking, and retaining the name that has served as a pride to Nigeria for the past 50 years.
SIR: President Goodluck Jonathan on May 29 announced the change of name of the University of Lagos after the acclaimed winner of the June 12 election, late Chief MKO Abiola. This action of the President resulted in protests and criticisms as students of the university trooped out in their thousands to register their grievance. As expected, Minister of Information, Labaran Maku came out to say there is no going back on the issue. This is utterly undemocratic.
It is therefore important that Nigerians know why the students are protesting. It is wrong for a segment of the public to say the students do not know or appreciate the contribution of Abiola to democracy in Nigeria. We are intellectuals who have read a great deal about Abiola. What about the alumni, post-graduate students, members of ASUU, UNILAG branch and staff of the University who were around during the June 12 saga? We all appreciate the heroism of Abiola and acknowledge that he deserves to be honoured but not in these circumstances.
The people have to know that the President is renaming UNILAG simply because of politics. He wants to garner cheap popularity from the people of the South-west. What this means is that the President is toying with the 50-years legacy of UNILAG not because he truly wants to honour Abiola but because of politics.
How can the President wake up one morning and decide to rename the University of Lagos, which was created by an Act of Parliament, without recourse to the National Assembly and the authorities of the university? Didn’t Abiola famously say that you cannot shave a man’s hair in his absence? The President did this on Democracy Day in a manner reminiscent of the military who unjustly crucified Abiola.
The University of Lagos has built and maintained its brand for the past 50 years. It has signed various memoranda with foreign universities and international organisations of repute. This change of name is sure to jostle them. It would also cost billions of naira of taxpayers’ money to effect the change of name on all letter headings, certificates, sign posts, documents, tags, websites and other symbols of identity and representation. This money can be used to improve the standard of education that we have clamoured for in our universities.
If the President truly wants to honour Abiola, why can’t he name the Abuja National Stadium after him since Abiola was considered as the Pillar of African Sport? After all, the National Assembly passed the motion for the stadium to be named after Abiola during Obasanjo’s era. Abiola’s heroism brought democracy to Nigeria and not the South-West alone. So why can’t he be honoured on a national scale? Places such as the Eagle Square, the National Hospital in Abuja where Abiola died, or one of the nine newly established universities that lack identities could be named after the late sage. In my view, the best way to honour Abiola is to declare him winner of the June 12 election, uncover the shady events surrounding his death in 1998, and name June 12 democracy day or MKO Abiola Day.
There is a saying which goes, if you want to rob a man of his manhood, simply take away his identity. UNILAG is more than a name, it is more than an identity; it is a society. Names of universities such as Oxford, Cambridge, University of London and University of California have not been changed not because their respective nations do not have heroes to name them after, but because these institutions are the pride of their nations. So also, the University of Lagos is a reference point in the scheme of things in Nigeria. We therefore call on the Nigerian people to support us in this quest of fighting dictatorship and undue politicking, and retaining the name that has served as a pride to Nigeria for the past 50 years.
Fayemi, who is an alumnus of UNILAG,
described Jonathan’s action “as an opportunistic recognition of the late
winner of June 12, 1993 presidential election.”
Ashafa said, “The timing of the
announcement is insensitive when the remains of the VC of the
institution have not been buried. I wonder why the Federal Government
had to do such a controversial thing in a university environment.”
Mohammed said in a statement that the pronouncement was a blunder borne out of ill advice to the President.
Like Agunbiade and Sani, Mohammed
alleged that the renaming of UNILAG after Abiola by a mere statement by
the President was done to secure votes in the South-West in 2015.
Olurode and Oyeweso said the President should have consulted widely before his decision.
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