On the 13th
year commemoration of the return of Nigeria back to democratic rule, precisely
on the 29th May, 2012, Nigerians woke up to the jolting announcement
by their Commander-in-Chief that the University of Lagos (UNILAG) has been
renamed the Moshood Abiola University, Lagos (MAULAG). The manner of
presidential (or is it monarchical?)
fiat with which the christening was done brought back to mind, alas with bitter
nostalgia, the days of the uniformed men and goggled faces when orders were
given and decrees were carried out with utmost alacrity without due recourse to
existing laws nor to the prevailing mood and circumstances. It was a phase in
our history, where unpredictability was the order of the day and we basked in
the fear of the unknown.
All that seemed to
change with the advent of the 4th Republic on the 29th of
May, 1999. We rejoiced merely in the fact that our ‘head of state’ from then on
would no more subject us to the harrowing and traumatic experiences of
‘pleasant’ surprises, albeit the guiding arms of the rule ensured that all our
policies, decisions and proceedings are done in a responsible, respectable and
responsive manner. The presence of our 3 arms of government was meant to
function as a check and balance system that would not allow any arm of the
government to arbitrarily overrule the law and take decisions it considers best
in whoever’s interest and in the prevailing circumstances.
Alas, all that seemed
to reverse with the manner President Jonathan renamed the University of Lagos
which coincidentally would be celebrating the Golden Jubilee of her existence
this year. The University of Lagos, I am told is Nigeria’s first Federal
University, considering that others before her were established by Regional
Governments.
Immediately the
announcement was made, the Akokites, as the UNILAG students are famously known,
sprung out in protests against the name change of which the protests have led
to the institution being shut down for a 2 week forced leave. Many notable
Nigerians have commended the President for the noble gesture of honouring President Moshood Abiola, owing more to
the refusal of the greatest beneficiary of the ultimate price that MKO paid,
President Obasanjo, to accord him the honour in the 8 years he headed the
State. This commendation has however, attracted not a few knocks here and there,
especially for the choice of UNILAG as the sacrificial lamb.
While for most students
of MAULAG, their reason for protests is not farfetched as they are finding it
unusually hard being called Moshoodites,
MAULAGites, MAUites
or worse still, their females, formerly known as UNILAG babes now having to be called Moshood babes. However, I want to look beyond the above sentiments and focus on real issues pertaining to the renaming saga.
Foremostly, President
Jonathan erred in changing the name of an institution without due recourse to
the extant laws establishing that institution. Some have argued that the
President as visitor to the University could do and undo in the discharge of
his duties but anyone with an understanding of law would agree that there is no
place for absolute powers in a democratic setting. The laws establishing the
university only permit the Visitor to the university to discharge his duties provided
they do not go in contravention of the Act establishing the University. The
proper way would have been for the President to send an amendment to the Act to
the National Assembly stating his intention to change the name of the
university, before effecting the change or better still, the announcement
should have been in the fashion of an intention and not the decree it was.
That’s if the President was duly interested in giving honour to whom honour is
due.
Alas, even though it had
been the desire of a vast majority of Nigerians to have the winner (not presumed!) of the freest and
fairest election in the nation’s history honoured and recognised, one calls to
question the sincerity in motive of Mr. President in doing this and at this
time. Part of the antipathy expressed by Nigerians at the move is directed at
the fact that the President could have chosen a more centrally placed monument
or institution, preferably located in the Federal Capital Territory and that
reflects the ideals and principles for which MKO lived and was committed to.
How about the National Assembly or the International Conference Centre? And
even if a university is what appealed more to our president, how about building
a world class university in Abiola’s home town and naming it after him or
better still, converting one of the newly established federal universities,
preferably one domiciled outside the South West? This would have gone a long
way in showcasing the sincerity of Mr President and in reinforcing the long
held belief in the nationalistic persona that President Abiola was said to
represent.
Much more than that, I
do feel that the brouhaha is not just about the name itself but the legacy
which the UNILAG brand represents.
To buttress this, I would employ the example of the most imitable name change
in the history of universities the world over: from the University of Ife to the Obafemi Awolowo University. Admirable it
seemed at the time the name change was effected in 1987, considering the
excellent and venerable roles that the Patriarch, Chief Obafemi Awolowo played in the creation and nurturing of the
University of Ife. I was recently intimated about the manner in which Baba
approached Professor Ige Grillo, then of the College of Medicine, Ibadan to
come over to the University of Ife to pioneer a fresh Faculty of Health
Sciences. Such was the love he had for his baby that one would have anticipated
a ‘chaos-less chaos’ when the University of Ife was re-christened the Obafemi
Awolowo University. Not a few people at that time felt it was going to lead to
a change in the entire legacy and outlook for which the then Great Ife represented. Truth is they
have been vindicated today as evidenced by the disconnect that the pre-OAU
graduates currently show towards the institution. For most of them, it is a ‘tale
of 2 schools’ – the University of Ife and the Obafemi Awolowo
University. Well, same thing is about to happen to the University of Lagos and
any other school that the President is about to re-baptize. I bet the President
did not expect the outburst of scorn and venom that greeted his announcement in
less than 24 hours.
On a lighter note,
trust Nigerian youths, we now have variants of the MAULAG saga – LAUI
(Lamidi Adedibu University, Ibadan) for the University of Ibadan, PEJU
(Patience Ebele Jonathan University) for the University of Port Harcourt, IOU
(Ikemba Ojukwu University) for the University of Nigeria, Nssuka, et al.
Conclusively, I would
want to append to this piece, a comment I placed on the Facebook wall of Amanda Anuforo, when she attempted to
downgrade the Akokites protest over an ordinary change of name –
“In my own opinion, the
whole protest is not just about the change of name but the loss of an identity
and prestige. It might be needful to say that the loss of virtue that the
former University of Ife has experienced was actually partly occasioned by the
change of name to its present status. Is changing the name and identity of the
University of Lagos the best 50th anniversary gift that the
president could give them? How about renaming one of the freshly created
universities, probably the Federal University, Oye Ekiti in MKO’s honour? In
reality, this whole renaming saga smirks of a dangerous political move that the
Government is making. I’m learning to look below the surface for answers.”
Finally, permit me to
end with the words of the man who reeks of eruditeness, Professor Wole Soyinka –
“Next is my confession
to considerable shock that President Goodluck Jonathan did not even think it
fit to consult or inform the administrators of the university, including the
Council and Senate, of his intention to rename their university for any reason
however laudable. This arbitrariness, this act of disrespect, was a barely
tolerated aberration of military governance. It is totally deplorable in what is
supposed to be a civilian order…
Let me end by
stressing that my position remains the same as it was when the University of
Ife was renamed Obafemi Awolowo University. I deplored it at the time, deplore
it till today, have never come to terms with it, and still hope that some day
in the not too distant future, that crime against the culture of institutional
autonomy will be rectified. Let us not compound the aberrations of the past
with provocations in an era that should propel us towards a belated new Age of
Enlightenment."
Very well said Muyiwa, they should have consulted the University administrators as Soyinka said before just announcing the change like in the days of military where decrees are made and orders given without any consultation. The choice of UNILAG instead of the newly formed Universities is also a food for thought.
ReplyDeleteI guess we can conclude; that is the main crux of the whole saga. Democracy is here and we must not continue to use the military fiat of yester-years
DeleteNice one!
ReplyDeleteThanks P. Sam...
Delete