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

Maureen, kudos to you for this post. It will go a long way to tell the yet unborn that some of us are not fooled by political monguls like MKO who amassed wealth in questionable way and reinvested in the same society in many sectors. Today we celebrate MKO as political hero. But we fail to remember his roles in the political melee that greeted the election process that consumed the like of Ya Adua and Iwuayanwun. Let GEJ do what he like to seek popularity afterall 2015 is around the corner. Laguda
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-----Original Message-----
From: Eke, Maureen Ngozi
Sent: 29/05/2012, 22:16
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
Subject: RE: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Protest from students of the new re-named school-MAU


Ok, you my brothers and sisters, you have lost me here. So, I must be out of the loop when it comes to some of these recent Nigerian political narratives. What exactly did Abiola do besides contesting the elections that makes him a hero? How did he promote democratic processes in Nigeria before his involvement in the ugly political tussle that may have cost him his life? Some of you speak of philanthropy, who did he really help? I can understand renaming these institutions to honor those earlier nation builders who actually were in the trenches trying to dig us out of the grips of those colonialists. But, for these new leaders-wanna-be? I would say absolutely no honoring. They have failed Us! If I had a choice I would have renamed the University for Mrs. Kuti, who actually waged war against the Brits, before MKO Abiola. If you are having a difficult time convincing me of Abiola's significance besides amassing a lot of wealth on the backs of Nigerians and contesting elections against his former cronies, then, you have miracles to work to convince the students on the ground who are affected by the name change.

Just recently, I read or heard somewhere that a Mr. B, former president of the Nigerian Senate, hijacked or liberated about $64b, money that belongs to us. The nation watched while the elder B, I am told, bragged that nobody would touch or prosecute his son. I would not be surprised if ten years from now a new President or politician, whose palms have been well-oiled by the Bs, renames a university to honor father and son for "promoting progress" in Nigeria. Please tell me a new story! I vote for those students. They have their heads on right!

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<mailto:eke1mn@cmich.edu> or Maureen.eke@cmich.edu<mailto:Maureen.eke@cmich.edu>

From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com [mailto:usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of odigwe nwaokocha
Sent: Tuesday, May 29, 2012 3:22 PM
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Protest from students of the new re-named school-MAU

Those who are protesting the change of name are showing gross disrespect to one of modern Nigeria's truely great and remarkable men. What a pity!

Odigwe A. Nwaokocha
Department of History and International Studies
University of Benin
Benin City, Nigeria.
________________________________
From: Olabode Ibironke <ibironke@msu.edu>
To: "usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com" <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, May 29, 2012 7:46 PM
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Protest from students of the new re-named school-MAU

The State of Lagos as the most progressive State in the federation was as we all know, the battlefield for the restoration of that mandate; it is important to consider democratic protocols and the politics involved, I think, nonetheless, it is deserving, just as i believe renaming the University of Ife to acknowledge Awolowo's vision of enlightenment. Zik on his part got what he deserved, the politics he played with the name "The University of Nigeria" came back to become his nemesis!

Bode

On May 29, 2012, at 2:32 PM, Kunle Lawal <kunlelawal02@yahoo.com<mailto:kunlelawal02@yahoo.com>> wrote:
I completely disagree with my own brother, Wole Atere, on this issue. I am wondering if the ideal honour to the memory of Chief M.K.O. Abiola should not have been the renaming of the troublesome University of Abuja to Moshood Kashimawo Abiola University. Perhaps if this had been the case, the case may have been made, properly, for acknowledging the Pan-Nigerian mandate which the late Chief Abiola clearly won and for which he paid the supreme price. After all, the University of Abuja would have made it clear and beyond reasonable doubts, too, that President Jonathan is desirous of a lasting solution to the challenge of the most appropriate national monument to the man whose single-minded sacrifice brought about the present democratic dispensation. Certainly, it will be the day when President Jonathan brings Goodluck to his administration when he openly reverses himself on this clearly unpopular step. I want to appeal to him to do something unexpected for a change!

The last word : I waant to appeal to President Jonathan not to allow the joke that the Great University of Ibadan will be renamed Lamidi adedibu University.

Professor Olakunle A. Lawal
Department of History
University of Ibadan
IBADAn - NIGERIA

________________________________
From: "woleatere01@yahoo.com<mailto:woleatere01@yahoo.com>" <woleatere01@yahoo.com<mailto:woleatere01@yahoo.com>>
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com<mailto:usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, 29 May 2012, 17:36
Subject: Re: RE: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Protest from students of the new re-named school-MAU

I have watched with interest, the views expressed on this matter. Dare I say at the risk of voicing a minority view that it is a needless protest. Like someone wrote, this is NOT the first nor will it be the last time a University would be renamed. Several people had expressed misgivings about the non-recognition of the hero that the Late Abiola was in the development of democracy in Nigeria. Now that it has come, it is being greeted with protest Perhaps we require a reminder that the affected University is funded by the Federal Government symbolised by President Goodluck Jonathan. In any case, the other University that would have been focused is the Federal University, Abeokuta. My suspicion is that it is being reserved for former President Obasanjo, when he eventually passes on. As for the Senate of the University, no Senate that understands the workings of government owned University will make such an issue a matter for Senate debate. I admonish 'the stakeholders' in the University to prevent an avoidable crisis by accepting the change as inevitable, after all change is the only permanent phenomenon in life. Meanwhile, kudos to Mr President. Adewole Atere, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Department of Sociology and Criminology. Osun State University
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN
________________________________
From: chukwuma adilieje <chumadil@yahoo.com<mailto:chumadil@yahoo.com>>
Sender: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com<mailto:usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Date: Tue, 29 May 2012 08:59:08 -0700 (PDT)
To: <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com<mailto:usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>>
ReplyTo: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com<mailto:usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Cc: chuma<chumadil@yahoo.com<mailto:chumadil@yahoo.com>>
Subject: Fw: RE: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Protest from students of the new re-named school-MAU

Femi My brother, you are quite right there. It appears to me that politics was the overriding consideration in the decision to rename the University after the Late M.K.O. Abiola of blessed memory, should not have been so. My humble opinion is that this University of Lagos should be drawn into the murky waters of Nigerian politics. Besides if proper consultations of with all the stake holders were undertaken before the change was announced I doubt that we would witness the kind of demonstration and outpouring of anger among the various stake holder who have already voiced their regret over the change and urged its reversal. I believe that, were chief M.K.O. Abiola to be alive today, he would like late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe who in 1986, rejected such an honour after University of Nigeria was renamed after him, do the same thing. This is really a disservice to the memory of Chief Abiola, because the last thing anybody should do is to drag his name to the mud after he had lived his life and earned his image as a great philanthropist and businessman; democracy Icon and a pillar of sports in Africa. everyone is I spoken to is agreeable to having an appropriate honour done to the memory of M.K.O. Abiola. There is no reason why anybody should choose to paint Abiola as a controversial figure after his death. As I write this the Alumni, ASUU, and the non- Academic staff members of the University have all rejected this sudden change of name. From available information the Senate of the may follow suit as many senior professors in the university have also voiced their opposition to this change. The university does not belong to members of the Federal Executive Council but to all its stake holders who ought to have been properly consulted. The name University of Lagos, symbolizes all its past achievement and and its present standing in international education sector. It is what it is today, partly because of what itself good name brings to it. I am also talking in terms of what image the numerous people across the world have about the university and its graduates over the years. The name change make a mess of the efforts of the past years to build a brand that is capable of attracting national and international goodwill the every university so very much deserves. The name change takes the university back to the level of new universities in Nigeria that are still struggling to find their feet both in terms of track record of academic standards, quality of learning and level of human resources development, as it will now be faced with the unenviable task of convincing the public that the name change should not affect its image and integrity. The track record of any university includes its name and is part of what attracts quality academics and students to it. But the question should therefore be asked : "What was wrong with the name University of Lagos that warranted a desperate desire to change it or reposition the university?'. If it is just a change of name, do you change a good name which any institution has built without hurting that institution or truncating its past glory standing a risk of reversing its progress?



--- On Tue, 5/29/12, Femi Kolapo <fj_kolapo@hotmail.com<mailto:fj_kolapo@hotmail.com>> wrote:

From: Femi Kolapo <fj_kolapo@hotmail.com<mailto:fj_kolapo@hotmail.com>>
Subject: RE: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Protest from students of the new re-named school-MAU
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com<mailto:usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Date: Tuesday, May 29, 2012, 7:07 AM
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<mailto:usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
> From: orelikesdat@yahoo.com<mailto: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(r) wireless handheld from Glo Mobile.
>
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