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

 I agree with Kolapo, but at this time we are unsure of the extent to which the federal government engaged UNILAG stakeholders before making the decision to change to change the name of the university. Did they consult the academic and non-academic unions, including student bodies? Did they lend their full support? Did majority support the change? If they carried most people along then the recent protest will not endure. I remember that when Ikedi Ohakim, a former governor of Imo State, changed the name of the state university to Evan Enwerem University without wide consultation, that decision did not enjoy popular support.  The unpopularity of the decision made it an easy political decision for the current governor, Rochas Okorocha, to revert to the old name: Imo State University. I hope this will not be the case with Moshood Abiola University because he thoroughly deserves it.

Ogech

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Ogechi E. Anyanwu, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of African History 

Eastern Kentucky University

310 Keith Building

Richmond, KY 40475

Tel: (859) 622-1375

Email: ogechi.anyanwu@eku.edu

http://www.history.eku.edu/people/anyanwu

Editor-in-chief, Journal of Retracing Africa, http://encompass.eku.edu/jora/

Author, The Politics of Access: http://uofcpress.com/books/9781552385180

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From: Femi Kolapo <fj_kolapo@hotmail.com>
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, May 29, 2012 10:07 AM
Subject: RE: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Protest from students of the new re-named school-MAU

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.
>
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