Lagos — Some prominent lawyers on Tuesday expressed mixed reactions over the decision of the Federal Government to rename the University of Lagos (UNILAG) in honour of the late Chief MKO Abiola.
The lawyers gave their views in separate interviews in Lagos.
President Goodluck Jonathan had on Tuesday made the announcement during a nationwide broadcast to mark the 2012 Democracy Day.
He said the name change was in honour of the late Abiola's contribution to the nation's democracy.
A constitutional lawyer, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), said the president should be praised for his effort to immortalise Abiola, adding that he, however, made a wrong choice in choosing UNILAG.
Sagay said: "The president should be praised for his effort to immortalise Abiola. It was done out of good intention but he chose the wrong institution.
"UNILAG is too well established and has its own individual personality which will be difficult to overshadow".
He noted that the president could have named one of the nine federal universities being constructed by the government in honour of the late acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
"This would have been less contentious because they are yet to be given any names and have no identity of their own unlike UNILAG", Sagay added.
Mr Bamidele Aturu, a human rights activist, said the president had the power to change the name of the institutioņ stressing that nothing was actually wrong with the name change.
He said: "The renaming itself is not the problem it is was a populist gesture. This must not been seen as a way to garner the sympathy of the people of the South West.
"The Federal Government has the power to change the name of any of its institution but it must be done with approval of the university's council.
"If the UNILAG Council did not approve the name to be changed, then there will be a problem because it means that due process has not been followed".
Also speaking, Mr Wale Ogunade, President, Voters Awareness Initiative, a non-governmental organisation, said the proper way to honour Abiola would have been to recognise June 12 as a national holiday.
"MKO Abiola is not known to be an educationist. The best way to have honoured him is for the Federal Government to recognise June 12 as a national public holiday", he said.
Ogunade said lawyers in the country would challenge the change of the institution's name in a court of competent jurisdiction if it was not reversed by the government.
He said: "The University of Lagos was enacted by an act, so nobody can unilaterally change its name without an act by the National Assembly.
"I can assure you that this will be challenged in the court because it is an illegality".
NAN
Comments Post a comment
Since when this fish- brained fish doctor metamorphosed into an opportunistic bullshitician???
If the Jonathan people were serious about "DEMOCRACY", the University of Lagos is not where to go. That institution predates several other landmarks that are more suited for the President's gesture. The new Federal Capital symbolizes our so-called ‘unity’ and, therefore, must represent the confluence of our common democratic ideals as well. It was unilaterally named ABUJA by an autocratic megalomaniac who sought no one's consent to do so. So, what are we really talking about? Is it that Jonathan does not fall within the ranks of autocratic mullahs? Be that as it may, Jonathan should look elsewhere to blow that democracy trumpet, not at the UNILAG he perceives as soft target. To transform our so-called “Nigeria UNITY" to REAL UNITY, the Federal Capital deserves to be renamed ABIOLA CITY to awaken our democratic consciousness and stimulate our sense of that REAL UNITY. Jonathan must leave UNILAG alone. Even the Ikeja International Airport was both irrationally and wrongly named after some perfidious bully out of sheer puerile romanticism. Very few noticed, but it was based on the sound moral judgment to deny undue glamour to evildoers that yakubu gowon Street in Lagos was quickly reverted to the good old BROAD STREET. How could a man, with hands dripping in blood, have a popular landmark named after himself, while still (alive) not dead? The reversal of the name of the Airport at Ikeja to reflect decency and sanity is long overdue. Jonathan should be man enough to swallow his ill-advised pronouncement on UNILAG forthwith. What he should be doing is to revoke the ugly stigma on the Ikeja Airport, and then rename Abuja. ABIOLA Federal Capital is very deserving for a martyr of the Chief's status. The brutish oligarch 5th column murdered Chief Abiola for the democratic ideals he cherished and upheld. His murderers are still around, wearing ex-head of state and member of the council of state accolades. Some even have landmarks immorally named after themselves while still (alive) not dead. There is no reason for Nigerians not to back the idea of renaming Abuja to keep faith with the shared belief in in the concept of democracy. It is about time to address the reflex sentimental anomalies that only serve to overindulge criminals and murderers with some degree of seriousness.
Jonathan is a victim of his own shaddows. Tell the nation one significantlegacy Abiola left to take the honour of having UNILAG renamed after him . Come to so called develoed nations and take a good look at some citizens whose names are writtn in history of their landmark institutions, they made lot many contributions to nations research and medicine to fund critical develoements in Medical and esecially healthcare delivery. Abiola and ITT was dogged by serious allegation of unbided contract which culminated in the resignation of Communication Minister at his time . Some of the best global institutions in many countries are the handiwork of rivilegded individuals in those nations like Abiola . The Famous Shulich MBA school and Cancer Hosital at Canadas famous Sunnybrook Hositals are funded singularly by family as well as myriad of similar donations in other ublic institutions in those nations . These names ought to be our resonse to those who gave so much to the nation , not to some Iboris and men like them whose names were mired in sicial and ecnomic nightmare during their life time .Abiola created jobs for this nations unemloyed youths , he was given far too much by the natiion also , to whom so is given , so much is also eected. If Jonathan is looking for where to dim names of eole in his life instad the nations achievers , Mobolaji Bank Anthony , , Jakande an host of others who served this nation with imecable records are there to dislay the nakes on our ublic institutions so future youths will emulate them. MKO Abiolas name on UNILAG is a bad dream and OBJ, his one time mento knows much better.Even the mere thought of this will make you crinch where Jonathan brain wave is taking him to .