Re-Christening Of Unilag And The Yoruba Experience By Ayo Turton

With the announcement
yesterday of rechristening of
University of Lagos as
Moshood Abiola University it
is yet another slap in the face
of the Yoruba people and it
has become imperative to
mention some of these follies
against the Yoruba Nation.
Is it now the turn of
President Goodluck Jonathan
to continue the folly and the
vexatious naming of
institutions in Nigeria against
Yoruba interest? University of
Lagos is 50 years old; it has
become a brand recognized
for its name across the
world. The students are not
in the street because they
hate Chief Abiola, the
students are in the street
because of the un-
thoughtfulness of the action.
Many of these students were
born well after the 1993
elections had been concluded
and annulled, as much they
appreciate the impact of that
history, they have come to
be identified more with the
name UNILAG, it is bound to
evoke some emotions. We
appreciate what Abiola did
for education in Nigeria,
besides awarding several
scholarships to students
across the country, there was
a time he bankrolled all the
higher institutions in Nigeria
from Colleges of Education to
Universities. But people have
greater sentimental
attachment to the name of
their alma-mater than the
memory of an individual.
They carry the name as an
identity. Chief Abiola could
be recognized in other areas
where he tremendously
contributed to Nigeria like in
sports, what about naming
the Abuja Stadium after him?
What about naming the
Central Bank of Nigeria
building after him? What
about naming one of those
federal buildings in Abuja
after him? Okay what about
University of Abuja?
Naming the University of
Lagos after him was another
attempt to sectionalize his
position in the history of
Nigeria, like they did to a
man who was second in
command and the most
senior civilian in the Federal
Executive Council of Nigeria
in its most turbulent times
but saw the country through
with his ingenuity. For their
memory upgrade, MKO
Abiola was the man who won
the most detribalized votes
across Nigeria and died
fighting for Nigeria people’s
mandate. Why not look
outside Yorubaland for a
structure, why UNILAG?
Only recently our Minister of
Finance and the Central Bank
Governor cried out that our
economy is in jeopardy, did
Mr. President consider the
financial implications of
changing the name of a
University in the light of our
present economic reality? Or
he is just running a day by
day government depending
on what side of the bed he
wakes up from? Naming an
institution like CBN or Abuja
Stadium would be more
financially prudent since CBN
or Abuja stadium equipment
and stationeries will still carry
the name of the institutions
unlike a University,
everything carrying the old
name has to be changed. Or
should we consider this
another opportunity to create
a “come and chop” avenue
for the boys?
The shenanigans of
institution naming in Nigeria
did not start with President
Jonathan, there is a
background to it. At the
death of Chief Obafemi
Awolowo in 1987, the only
institution that then military
President Babangida
considered worthwhile to
name after him was that
great tertiary institution
known then as the University
of Ife an institution that was
a brainchild of Chief Obafemi
Awolowo and his ruling
Action Group at the Western
Region at the time. The
University was conceived and
launched in response to
leaving the then Western
Region out of the regions
where federal universities
would be sited as
recommended by Ashby
Commission.
The Commission was set up
by the colonial government to
review education in Nigeria.
It recommended one
University each for the
Protectorate of Lagos,
Northern Region and the
Eastern Region while the
Western Region the most
educational vibrant region in
the country was left out of
the equation. The Western
Region had turned out
several high school graduates
due to its free education
program and the only
available University, the
University of Ibadan was not
only incapable of absorbing
all the qualified graduates, it
also did not have relevant
courses like Pharmacy, Law,
Engineering etc. This was
how University of Ife was
born, the University tagged
‘Africa Most Beautiful
Campus’ was later hijacked
by the federal government of
Nigeria.
We the students of the then
University of Ife took to the
street to protest the
effrontery not only because
we believed that naming a
University conceived and
inaugurated by Awolowo 25
years earlier is patronizing
and sectionalized the
achievement of the deceased
foremost Nigerian nationalist,
but because we also believed
that the University of Ife has
become a brand
internationally recognized for
its name and should be
preserved as it were. We
believe then that if any
institution was to be named
after him by the federal
government; it should be an
institution outside his
Western Region and definitely
not an institution taken over
from the West by coercion in
the first place. What about
other federal institutions that
originally belong to federal
government of Nigeria? If
Awolowo had wanted it, the
University would have been
named after him from
inception afterall the
recommended University of
Northern Region was
immediately changed to
Ahmadu Bello University the
name of his contemporary
from the North.
Recently, President Jonathan
just woke up and decides to
name the Liberty Stadium
Ibadan after Chief Obafemi
Awolowo. Then you start to
wonder what is in that 1
billion Naira designer foods
they eat at Aso Rock. The
same Liberty Stadium the
first Olympic-size Stadium in
sub-Sahara Africa was
another idea conceived and
executed by the Great Awo.
Naming those institutions
that belonged to the Western
Region; institutions that were
initiatives of Chief Obafemi
Awolowo led Action Group
after him several years after
is disingenuous. If Chief
Awolowo was like the present
crop of Nigerian leaders who
name everything from
bridges to danfo buses after
themselves, all the
institutions would have borne
Awo’s name at creation. We
do not need big brother
Nigeria to do that for him.
Liberty Stadium has its
inherent meaning, we all
know what liberty stands for,
it needs no introduction, and
the first skyscraper built with
Cocoa money was named
Cocoa House for that reason.
The name of University of Ife
followed other
contemporaries like
University of Ibadan,
University of Lagos, the
University of Nigeria, Nsukka,
and later University of Benin.
So what should we expect
after Unilag? Naming
University of Ibadan Rashidi
Yekini University? Even Dr.
Nnamdi Azikiwe vehemently
opposed changing the name
of University of Nigeria
Nsukka school to his name
when the idea was proposed
by the then Minister of
Education Alhaji Jubril Aminu.
Those are the people that
appreciate branding and the
sanctity of originality.
I always shake my head in
disgust each time I visit Abuja
and I see that awkward little
street named after Chief
Obafemi Awolowo, one of the
greatest nationalist of his
time, the man that brought
many firsts to Nigeria, the
man that managed the
finances of that country
through three and a half
years of bitter Civil War
without borrowing a penny
and the man that has been
referred to as the best
President Nigeria never had.
Whereas we know how many
more conspicuous and better
streets are named after far,
far less responsible
Nigerians. We know what
street is named after Dr.
Nnamdi Azikiwe in Lagos, we
know what street is named
after K. O Mbadiwe, and we
know the prominence of
Ahmadu Bello Way, all who
were his contemporaries in
Lagos. Why is the story
different in Abuja, making a
statement against Yoruba
leadership?
We know the number one
gateway in Nigeria is named
after a coup-plotter named
Murtala Mohammed and we
know that Abuja Airport is
named after Nnamdi Azikiwe,
they would not even give
Chief Awolowo the honor of
naming a befitting street
after him in the federal
capital, we are taking notes.
Before the creation of Abuja
a city that has become the
pride of Nigeria, a Panel was
set up to determine the best
place to situate a new capital
city for Nigeria, that
committee was chaired by
Hon. Justice Akinola Aguda, a
Yoruba man. His committee
took a totally detribalized
decision by recommending
old Suleja present day Abuja
a central place in the country
for citing of the proposed
new capital territory. In
honor of Justice Akinola
Aguda, it was decided that
the residence of the
President should be named
after him.
Therefore the original plans
of the Federal Capital
Territory (FCT) has the
present day Akinola Aguda
House as the home of the
President, but when Major
Gideon Orkar coup of April
22, 1990 scared General
Babangida out of Lagos, he
hurriedly built an illegal
fortress under a rock called
Aso Rock where he ran for
safety. Aso Rock the name of
an insignificant rock has since
been the new name for the
residence of the President.
For all intents and purposes,
the founders of Abuja wanted
the residence of the
President named Akinola
Aguda House in honor of the
man that headed the panel
that discovered Abuja.
Therefore, the new structure
housing the President should
have been rechristened
Akinola Aguda House. But
probably because he is not
from a tribe that is born to
rule, they refused to accord
him the deserved honor. The
building bearing his name
was first relegated from
being the official home of the
President to the official home
of the Vice-President and
now it has been relegated to
AKINOLA AGUDA HOUSE and
HALLS a guest house where
they keep their retinue of
girlfriends and concubines!
What a shame! Babangida
was disgraced out of his rock
of refuge and two Presidents
have died under that rock
already. Who knows what
spirits feel threatened by
human occupation under
that rock, God dey!
Besides the shenanigan
involved in the re-naming of
UNILAG, it is an illegal act.
The University of Lagos was
established by an Act of
Parliament, it would take an
amendment by the
competent institution to
change the name. The
purported change of name is
therefore illegal, null, void
and of no effect whatsoever!
By the way, when will Mr.
President reinstate Justice
Salami as advised by the
National Judicial Council and
other eminent jurists, some
of the best the world has to
offer? When will this
President who ran for
Presidency with a campaign
slogan of restoring the rule of
law start to respect the rule
of law?
Ayo Turton is the National
Legal Counsel to the Egbe
Omo Yoruba USA & Canada.

#CONSENSUS 2015