Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Protest from students of the new re-named school-MAU

Is there no such thing as permanence in Nigeria. Must everything and all things be transitory? University of Lagos is a brand with hard won reputation. As important as Steve Jobs was to Apple Inc., can you imagine changing Apple Inc. to Jobs Inc.? The federal government recently established several new universities, why not name one of these after Abiola, or better yet name  "democracy" day and the national assembly after Abiola. It is disheartening to know that nothing is permanent in Nigeria, may be not even Nigeria itself. One day you wake up and you are living in a new state created out thing air or your school goes from University of Lagos to Moshood Abiola University--without consultation, without debate. If we are not already the laughing stock of the world, then we ought to be.

Gozie 

On May 29, 2012, at 10:34 AM, orelikesdat@yahoo.com wrote:

I agree with you, perhaps any of the state could be changed someday. God knows.

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld from Glo Mobile.

---

From: "Eke, Maureen Ngozi" <eke1mn@cmich.edu>

Sender: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com

Date: Tue, 29 May 2012 15:13:45 +0000

To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com<usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>

ReplyTo: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com

Subject: RE: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Protest from students of the new re-named school-MAU

Well put, indeed. Do they think about the international implications of such renaming? Imagine any of the American public universities suddenly being named for someone without consulting all state holders! Really? Let us not speak of democracy when we cannot even describe or spell it. What historical achievements are being honored with such renaming? In a country where every and anything can be easily bought or sold, such decisions which did not involve consultation with those affected would be suspect. Hmm! How much money changed hands and who initiated the process in the first place? Well, just wait a few years and we  could rename one of the capital cities for some figure with a lot of Naira. I am on the side of the students!

 

Maureen N. Eke, PHD

Professor of English

AN 240

Central Michigan University

Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859

Direct: 989-774-1087

Main: 989-774-3171

Fax: 989-773-1271

Email: eke1mn@cmich.edu or Maureen.eke@cmich.edu

 

From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com [mailto:usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Folu Ogundimu
Sent: Tuesday, May 29, 2012 10:25 AM
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
Cc: <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Protest from students of the new re-named school-MAU

 

Femi,

 

Very well-said. Our folks should know that consultations and public debate are essential to the transactional nature of democracy. Some national institutions like the University of Lagos already have established names and identity of indeterminable value. We should be cautious about flushing such valuable property down the drain. 

 

Perhaps our so-called democrats will learn not to behave like the callous military autocrats they succeeded. Or perhaps we should force them to behave like democrats. 

 

Folu

Sent from my iPhone

On May 29, 2012, at 10:07 AM, Femi Kolapo <fj_kolapo@hotmail.com> wrote:

I doubt that most students will question whether  late Abiola deserves national honor. The question rather is whether  students (and alumni) and the community were taken into partnership in the decision to change the name of their school. Did government  envisage that students and other interested parties may have views and opinions that required discussions and negotiations before such decision was made?

Another way to look at it is to ask whether another king could tomorrow ascend to our authoritarian throne and arbitrarily decide that the name of the university should be changed again to Wok & Chop University?

Democracy and respect of the citizen by the government goes beyond the ballot box transaction. Relationship between Nigeria,together with its governments and its young (beginning from elementary school level) should model respect and democracy. 

f.j. kolapo

> Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Protest from students of the new re-named school-MAU
> To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
> From: orelikesdat@yahoo.com
> Date: Tue, 29 May 2012 12:02:32 +0000
>
> It is disheartening to find the students of the University of Lagos now Moshood Abiola University protesting due to the fact that the President of the federation honoured the late Abiola. Why are they protesting? That's my question. They have portrayed irresponsible character of themselves and showed that they have not been fully educated,which have amounted to their gross ignorance of what they should do instead.
> Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld from Glo Mobile.
>
> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the "USA-Africa Dialogue Series" moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin.
> For current archives, visit http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
> For previous archives, visit http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
> To post to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue-
> unsubscribe@googlegroups.com

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the "USA-Africa Dialogue Series" moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin.
For current archives, visit http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
For previous archives, visit http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue-
unsubscribe@googlegroups.com

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the "USA-Africa Dialogue Series" moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin.
For current archives, visit http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
For previous archives, visit http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue-
unsubscribe@googlegroups.com

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the "USA-Africa Dialogue Series" moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin.
For current archives, visit http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
For previous archives, visit http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue-
unsubscribe@googlegroups.com

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the "USA-Africa Dialogue Series" moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin.
For current archives, visit http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
For previous archives, visit http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue-
unsubscribe@googlegroups.com