In 2014, then President Goodluck Jonathan immortalised MKO Abiola by naming University of Lagos after Abiola, though rebuffed by students.
Yesterday, President Buhari declared June 12 as democracy day and posthumously awarded Abiola GCFR, award reserved for presidents.
What is your take on this two honours?
In 2014, then President Goodluck Jonathan immortalised MKO Abiola by naming University of Lagos after Abiola, though rebuffed by students.
Yesterday, President Buhari declared June 12 as democracy day and posthumously awarded Abiola GCFR, award reserved for presidents.
What is your take on this two honours?
My Take:
University of Lagos aka UNILAG has evolved to be a strong brand in Nigeria’s education community. Similar way Harvard University, Yale University, Oxford University, Cambridge University etc are brands in their respective countries and globally. Changing the name of such brand is never ideal, and doing that without due consultation with stakeholders (School management, student union, alumni, staffs etc) was a fatal error.
Jonathan got it wrong there…
On June 12 Democracy Day, it has been the aspiration among the Yorubas since return to democracy and Lagos state under Tinubu, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo States since 1999 have been declaring holidays on June 12 (I don’t know if still in practice). I think this declaration meet the aspiration of Yoruba nation unlike the Unilag renaming. Buhari simply cashed on the aspiration!
The truth is that if Buhari had really wanted to honor Abiola he’d have done that prior to May 29 of 2016, 2017 and 2018.
