Mixed reactions on Tuesday trailed President Goodluck? Jonathan’s re-naming of the University of Lagos to MKO Abiola University.
While some respondents supported the idea, others saw it as unnecessary.
The president had in his broadcast to the nation to mark Democracy Day and one year of his administration named the university after the late Abiola, the presumed winner of the annulled June 1993 presidential poll.
The National Vice-President, Academic Staff Union of Universities, (ASUU), Dr Nasir Fagge, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the renaming of the university was a welcome development to democracy.
“It is a welcome development to the country’s democracy. The government has the right to rename any institution or national monument,’’ he said.
He, however, said funding of the universities should be addressed, describing funding as the most important challenges facing them.
Fagge added:“What is important to us is that the government should fund our universities to attain international standard.
“It is in recognition of the democracy which the late Abiola struggled for, but making the universities work is more important.
“The change of name is sudden and was done without due consultations.
But Prof. Ralph Akinfeleye, Head of the Department of Mass Communication in the university, criticised the renaming of the institution.
Describing it as a misplaced priority, the don noted that the announcement came at a time when the university was still mourning the death of its Vice Chancellor, Prof. Adetokunbo Sofoluwe.
“The renaming came at a wrong time and it was not done in accordance with the law establishing the institution.
“It not a wrong thing to honour the late Abiola, who sacrificed so much during his life time for democracy, but the process and choice of institution, is wrong.
“ Abiola was not a sectional leader. If any honour should be given to him, it should be done in the Federal Capital Territory,” Akinfeleye also told NAN.
He suggested that the national stadium or the University of Abuja should be named after the late politician.
Another UNILAG lecturer, Dr Jide Oluwajuyitan, said the late Abiola was bigger than the university and should be accorded a better national honour.
Oluwajuyitan, a lecturer in the Department of Political Science, noted that most of the current students might not know Abiola and the significance of naming the school after him.
“ Abiola is bigger than UNILAG and he deserves more honour in Abuja and not in the South-West where he hailed from’’.
In his comment, human rights lawyer, Mr Bamidele Aturu, said:“It is a welcome development, but it is not enough.
“What is more important is for Nigerians to reap the dividends of the democracy that Abiola died for.
The Founder of the Odu’a People’s Congress (OPC), Dr Frederick Faseun, said the renaming had “downgraded the university’’.
“Abiola was my very good friend, but I still do not support the naming of the University of Lagos after him based on local sentiment.
“Obviously, Abiola merits any democratic concept that could be named after him, but his aspirations had nothing to do with a university of the status of UNILAG,’’ he said.
Prof. Pat Utomi, the 2011 Presidential Candidate of the Social Democratic Mega Party (SDMP), also told NAN that it was a good thing to name a monument after Abiola, but more consultations should have been held to determine what was most suitable.
“The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, should have been named after him’’.
Also speaking, Mr Rasaq Oladosu, the Director of Strategy, Coalition of Odu’a Self-Determination Groups (COSEG), said any monument outside the South-West would have been ideal for Abiola.
“A monument in Abuja would have been suitable as there are many schools and monuments already named after him in the South-West.
“Abiola was a national hero and not a South-West hero,’’ he said. (NAN)