This was presented by Adeyemi Adefulu MFR, Ex-SUG President and adopted by the house
The University of Lagos Alumni Association at its Extra-Ordinary
General Meeting held at the University of Lagos today 3rd January, 2012,
met to consider the issue of the purported change of name of the
University of Lagos to M.K.O. Abiola University, by President Goodluck
Ebele Jonathan on the occasion of the Democracy Day to celebrate the
13th anniversary of uninterrupted democratic dispensation in Nigeria on
Tuesday 29th May, 2012.
The meeting resolved as follows:
1. That it fully associates with the need to give a befitting
national honour for the martyr of Nigerian democracy, the late Chief
M.K.O. Abiola,whose historic role and supreme sacrifice played a major
role in the restoration of democratic order in Nigeria .
2. That by the surreptitious and arbitrary method the Federal
Government adopted, the purported re-naming of the University of Lagos
was a dishonour to the memory of a man who died in pursuit of democracy.
3. That by its refusal to consult widely the
Government,unfortunately, lost the opportunity of knowing which would
have been the best method of honouring the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola and
unwittingly turned a popular wish into an unfortunatem controversy.
4.The unilateral change of the name of the University of Lagos to MKO
Abiola University is unacceptable to our Association for several
reasons, inter alia,
a) The announcement is illegal because it is against the letter and
spirit of the University of Lagos Act which specifically provides that
the name of the university shall be University of Lagos. The Unilag
Alumni Association therefore submits that it is only by a proper
amendment of the University of Lagos Act that an act of the National
Assembly can be amended and not by an arbitrary Presidential act or
pronouncement;
b) The announcement was made without consultation with the stakeholders
of the University- the Senate, Council, Alumni or the National Assembly
etc and was effected arbitrarily and in utter disregard of processes and
procedures which are most essential for validation and decision making
in a democracy. We submit that secrecy and surprise are the usual tools
of military dictatorship and not in a democracy;
c)The hurried, announcement was made in utter disregard of the fact that
the university was in deep mourning and in the middle of the funeral
rites of its valued Vice Chancellor, the late Professor Adetokunbo
Sofoluwe, and was utterly insensitive and showed that the government was
totally out of tune with reality;
d) the ill-advised and opportunistic announcement of the scrapping of a
popular internationally recognized 50 year old brand was made in utter
disregard of the views and feelings of stake-holders strewn all over the world.
5. The Alumni Association notes with concern the defiant reaction of
the Federal Government to the spontaneous objection of students, alumni
and the general public when it stated that there was no going back on a
patently illegal and insensitive action and notes further that this was
most unfortunate and amounts to persisting in error which is totally
unacceptable in a democratic dispensation and from a government founded
on laws.
6.The Alumni Association challenges Mr. President to exercise an act
of statesmanship by reversing this illegal and unpopular decision and to
enter into a dialogue with the National Assembly and other stakeholders
with a view to finding a more befitting way of honouring the late Chief
M. K. O. Abiola.
7.Without prejudice to the desire of the Alumni Association to
encourage a peaceful settlement of this matter in the interest of the
nation,the Extra- Ordinary General Meeting of the Association hereby
mandates the National Executive to seek redress in the court of law and
take all legal measures to resist this illegality and ensure that the
name of our university remains the University of Lagos.
8.The Alumni Association regrets the fact that the action of the
Federal Govt. has unwittingly re-awakened the boycott of classes which
it has not experienced for many years. The Association appeals to the
University authorities to re-open the institution and we also appeal to
the students of University of Lagos to go about their normal duties and
to trust that the Alumni Association will consistently pursue this
action to its logical conclusion until justice is done.
Other resolutions includes;
9. An appeal to school authority to open the school for academics
10. That students should not go out to protest anymore but should trust the alumni body to the name of the institution.
11. The management should not change any letter head or sign board.
DATED AT LAGOS THE ….3rd…DAY OF …June…2012
