SAM Daily Times

'Renaming Of 

The University Of Lagos'

By Abel Abel Inis

University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Education Correspondent, SAM

Following the President's statement of the renaming of the University of Lagos to Moshood Abiola University, in his 2012 Democracy day (29th may) speech, reactions have continued to trail the decision.

Several alumni of the university have condemned the action of the president, stating that though the president had a good intention in immortalising the Late Chief M.K.O Abiola, the execution was very poor. Adding that there were other ways of immortalising the late former president, like erecting a national monument in his honour, naming a university of agriculture after him or better still naming the National stadium after him. 

The students and staff of the university were so outraged that they embarked on protests both within and outside the school's premises. The school has since been under lock and key. Though the president said he held wide consultation before arriving at the decision, there was little indication that stakeholder like The Senate, House of Representatives and the Vice-Chancellor of the university were taken along.

The question asked by some Nigerians however is


'What is the implication of the president's decision on the academic standard of the school?'

There seems no possibility of both parties coming to an agreement as the President says 'there's no going back on the decision'.

The late M.K.O Abiola was a renown entrepreneur, a sports lover and the first democratically elected president of Nigeria, in 1993. He was later removed from office by the Military government, incarcerated and later died under controversial circumstances. Since then political activist and indeed Nigerians have been clamoring for the late former president to be honoured.