UNILAG shut, govt defends name change as protests persist

Even the closure yesterday of the rechristened University of Lagos(UNILAG) could neither douse nor stop the vehement protests by students and academic staff against the Federal Government’s action. Hundreds of aggrieved students for several hours resisted the attempt of the university’s authorities to shut down the school and force them out of their halls of residence.

The school’s authorities had yesterday issued a statement, ordering the closure of the institution for two weeks but the students vowed not to leave the Akoka campus. They alleged that the measure was hurriedly taken by the Senate of the school to enable them adopt the new name. But the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and the National Universities Commission yesterday declared the renaming of the Ivory Tower as a fait accompli. Although, there had been legal interpretation that since the results of the June 12, 1993 presidential election was not fully announced and the winner named, it was wrong for the late Abiola or his supporters to claim victory at the polls, but the government admitted yesterday the business mogul “clearly won the election.”

 The Council said Jonathan took the decision “in the best interest of the country,” adding that it was anchored on the premise that “any nation that does not honour those who clearly stand out and make sacrifice as role models for others to follow, cannot appeal to the best in its own tradition for citizens to follow.” Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, told journalists in Abuja after the FEC meeting that with the decision made in good faith, “today (yesterday), Abiola can turn in his grave and say that this nation for which I made a supreme sacrifice for political development has recognised my contributions.” Jonathan had on Tuesday as part of activities marking the 13th edition of the nation’s Democracy Day renamed UNILAG after Abiola. Maku said: “For those of us who have been part of this country for long and have been adults who lived through the history of Nigeria particularly in the last two decades, if there is any figure who symbolises sacrifice of self for this nation, that figure is Chief M.K.O Abiola. He clearly won the June12, 1993 presidential election and died in captivity because he stood for and defended the principle of democracy. And for anyone that is familiar with the development of our politics in the last two decades, there is no event in the political history of Nigeria that touches the hearts of quite a significant number of citizens like the June 12 presidential election.” Maku said within the last two decades, there had been widespread outcry that this democracy had not given Abiola and other heroes who passed on in controversial circumstances because of their stand for the democratic development of this country the recognition they deserved.

 He noted that these outcries had continued to come from citizens spread across the nation. “What the President did was to listen to the outpouring of appeals of persuasions by Nigerians that Abiola deserved to be immortalised. What he therefore did in his capacity as a Visitor to the University of Lagos was to name the University after Moshood Abiola of blessed memory.

The decision has been made in very good faith by the President. And we have seen the reactions by a section of the students of school. We have also seen the outpouring of encomiums by patriots and statesmen who really understand why the President honoured Abiola. It is our hope that reason will prevail and that the decision to honour one of our nation’s icons and heroes will be appreciated by all Nigerians including our youths and students who are the future leaders of the nation.” According to the minister, sometimes, government’s decisions get reactions from the populace, “we do not as an administration see this as a disapproval. We just see it as normal way in every democracy; that when you make major decisions, definitely sometimes you have public reaction. But we should not allow the protest to overshadow the national significance of what the President has done. I think President Jonathan has shown that he is a true statesman, that he truly appreciates Abiola’s contributions to the political development of Nigeria. The Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof. Julius Okojie yesterday asserted the government’s decision had come to stay.

He hinted that process of reflecting the change of the school’s after Abiola had started.Okojie endorsed the closure of the institution, saying the action was taken by the management to safeguard life and property on the campus as well as prevent hoodlums from capitalising on the protest to unleash terror on the university community.

 He said: “There is no drama going on there, what you are seeing is something that is not new in the country. The University of Ife was named after the late Obafemi Awolowo; we have Nnamdi Azikiwe University; University of Agriculture, Umudike was renamed Michael Okpara University of Agriculture; we have Ahmadu Bello University, and recently, the Madibbo University in Yola, was formerly Federal University of Technology. So, these things happen everyday.” The order to shut down UNILAG was given by the Senate as hundreds of the protesting students resisted appeals to them to withdraw from streets. When the news of the directive reached the students, who blocked the Third Mainland Bridge for several hours, they abandoned the ever-busy highway and stormed the main campus where they seized the ground floor of the Senate Building and barricaded the main gate to the school.

In a circular that went round the campus and halls of residence at 10.00 a.m. yesterday, the Senate said: “In view of the recent developments on our campuses, the Senate of the university has directed that all academic activities be suspended forthwith for two weeks. “Accordingly, all students are to vacate the halls of residence, latest by 11.00 a.m. today (Wednesday), May 30, 2012. The university security has been mandated to ensure compliance. “Meanwhile, the burial arrangements for the vice-chancellor will go on as planned.” The students, however, said it was a clever attempt to start the change of name processes on the main campus, in an atmosphere that is free of protest. The protesters also resisted attempts by the Acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Rahman Ade-Bello, to address them at noon yesterday before the Senate went into an emergency meeting. Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), UNILAG chapter, Dr. Karo Ogbinaka, described the suspension of academic activities as “unacceptable” to the teachers. Ogbinaka, who addressed the protesting students, said the “agents” must be resisted.

 “The agents of deceits and of opportunism who made the announcement that the university must also be closed down for two weeks must be rejected. It is unacceptable. They are afraid of their jobs, but we are committed to this struggle. “When the people of Ghana wanted to honour Kwame Nkrumah, they built a new university and named it Kwame Nkrumah University; they did not change the name of Legon or the name of Cape Coast or of Winneba. “This is the first university built by the Federal Government of Nigeria. It was established by the Act of Parliament of 1962 and it said the name shall be University of Lagos,” Ogbinaka said, amidst applause from the students.

through yesterday, the students mounted road-blocks on all the major roads leading into the university, chanting anti-Jonathan songs. Majority of the vehicles and motorcycles entering the campus carried green leaves in apparent solidarity with the students. On the campus, the lecture halls were deserted as both students and lecturers were not available but the non-academic staff reported for work. Talks and protests about the renaming of the school overshadowed the ongoing burial ceremony of the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Tokunbo Sofoluwe. Movement in and out of the institution was almost paralysed as only the second gate was free for thoroughfare.

The President of the Faculty of Business Administration Students, Mr. Oyesanya Olawale, said that the students were not happy with the decision of the President because UNILAG had become a household name. He said that immortalising Abiola was good but Jonathan ought to name one of the new nine universities after him. As it is traditional of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), their leaders are divided on Jonathan’s action. The PDP in a statement issued by its Publicity Secretary, Taofeek Gani, accused the ACN of sponsoring the students’ protest. The party insisted that there was nothing fundamentally wrong in the action.

“This is because we know that Abiola is well loved, especially in the South-West. He gave his best to students through donations and sports sponsorship on campuses.” The National Publicity Secretary of ACN, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, however, dismissed the allegation. He said it was an unfounded statement coming from the party. Mohammed said:

“What is CAN’s problem with PDP’s policies? Our party does not hide under anybody to make its policies and it is not in our character to use anybody to fight our war. It is obvious from what happened that the PDP has offended every strata of the society including students.” He added that it was the gross incompetence of PDP that led to the students’ protest and warned the PDP against using its unpopular decision to undermine any of the ACN’s governors in the South-West “else the PDP will meet its waterloo.” A member of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), Chief Ebenezer Babatope, who declined comments on the matter, said “since the alumni association of the university is deliberating on the matter of which I am a member, it will be wrong of me to start passing comment now.”

 The Director of Social Communications, Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, Rev. Msgr. Gabriel Osu, has accused Jonathan of not consulting with UNILAG’s stakeholders before renaming the school. Osu in a statement, lauded the gesture but argued that it would have been better appreciated if the views of the relevant stakeholders, especially the university authorities and the students were sought before the action was taken. “The controversy generated by the recent renaming of UNILAG after Abiola by President Jonathan would have been averted if there was due consultation.

 There is no doubting the fact that Abiola deserves such an honour and even more, but one would have expected the President to consult duly with the relevant stakeholders of UNILAG before renaming the University after Abiola,” he said. Meanwhile, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Umar Manko, has urged the protesting students to refrain from violence and all forms of illegal acts. The police boss told The Guardian yesterday that he directed officers and men in the command to avoid the use of maximum force against the students. “I warned my men to avoid the use of maximum force.

In fact, I had to climb a motorcycle to the Third Mainland Bridge where the students blocked the road to ensure that my men were not provoked to anger. When I got there, I warned them to remove the magazines from their rifles and put them in their pocket.” Manko, who led a team of police officers, including the Deputy Commissioner of Police, ‘B’ Department (Operations), Mr. Tunde Sobulo, to the scene, appealed to the students to return to their campuses and remain calm.

 Meanwhile, Kaduna State Governor Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa has described Jonathan’s immortalisation of Abiola as a “wonderful democracy gift to Nigerians.” He said the timing couldn’t have been better than now, adding that 13 years after the nation’s democratic journey, the renaming of the great institution after Abiola matched the status of the late democrat. In a statement by his external media consultant, Mr. Ado Emmanuel, the governor decried the politicisation of the President’s gesture.

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