The National leader of the opposition party, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has suggested ways the Federal Government could appropriately honour Chief M K O Abiola and immortalize him.
He said this while receiving over 100 protesting students of the University of Lagos who stormed his Freedom House office located on Idowu Taylor Lagos, Tinubu suggested the naming of a national monument, situated at the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja) after Abiola; his posthumous declaration as president and the setting aside of a day in his honour.
Tinubu played a prominent role in the struggle for the actualization of the June 12, 1993 presidential election won by Chief Abiola. He was a member of the then leading pro-democracy movement, the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO).
The National Leader of the main opposition party, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) advised President Goodluck Jonathan to work with the National Assembly in this regard.
He contended that though the President’s decision to rename the University of Lagos (Unilag) after Abiola was welcome, it falls short of what is required.
Tinubu spoke in Lagos on Wednesday while receiving protesting students of the university. Numbering about 100, the students, who handed a protest letter to the former governor, said they were at his office – Freedom House, Victoria Island office – to express their displeasure over the renaming of their school.
Tinubu said: “We must congratulate the president for attempting to do it, but we say-do it right. MKO was elected by the entire country not just by the Yorubas- he was arrested and taken to Abuja.
“He was tried, incarcerated and eventually died in very controversial circumstances in Abuja under the custody of federal agents. Abiola’s mandate was a national mandate which he tried to reclaim.
“But we must be careful not to localize or sectionalize MKO. Without Abiola, without June 12 elections, we would not be enjoying this democracy now or even the freedoms we now have. The seed for what we enjoy was sown by Abiola’s victory on June 12 and millions of Nigerians who voted.
“There are preliminary options for President Jonathan. There is a pending resolution by the National Assembly that recommended that the National Stadium be named after Moshood Abiola.
“Let the President go ahead and name the Abuja stadium after Abiola- a pillar of sports and political icon. Then we will celebrate and respect that.
“Before now, various excuses were given over the inconclusiveness of the elections. Some of us were incarcerated and suffered during the June 12 struggle. Since then the various actors, especially the umpire or head of the Electoral Commission, Prof. Humphrey Nwosu in his book declared the result of the election and that Abiola duly won.
“The President can on the basis of this go to the National Assembly to declare him winner, enter it into record and posthumously declare Abiola as the democratically elected president of Nigeria. We will support the President on this and recognize this”.
“I won’t stop saying the truth. I won’t stop supporting and promoting the democratic ideals I believe in, we must depart from doing things by fiat as if we are under the military”, Tinubu said.
To the protesting students, Tinubu said: “You have the right to air your grievances over this matter. Let me speak to you as a mentor and a leader. Though I am in support of your position, but do not criticize the government without giving it alternatives.
Tinubu urged the students to find a constructive way to tell the President what options are open to him. He cited the National Stadium, Abuja; National Hospital Abuja (where Abiola eventually died), Eagle Square and the International Conference Centre, Abuja.
Some of the student leaders, who spoke earlier, said they were not against the move to immortalize Abiola, but were opposed to the motive behind the renaming of their school.
They argued that the President’s decision was not informed by his believe that Abiola should be immortalized, but an attempt by his government to trivialize Abiola’s name and gain political relevance in the Southwest.
“The President is not immortalizing Abiola because he loves the Yorubas, but he is doing so to gain his lost political relevance across the geo-political zones in Nigeria, particularly in South West of Nigeria,” Adeyemo Monsuru Tunde (Socrates), the Coordinator, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Zone D, said.
Agbabiaka Ahmed, former Senate President, Unilag, argued that the renaming of their school will not only destroy the brand name it had grown and maintained for 50 years, it was also capable of demoralizing the students.
Ahmed, who later handed to Tinubu, the protest letter written on behalf of “concerned University of Lagos alumni, students and youths of Lagos State,” wondered why the Federal Government failed to consult the school’s Executive, Governing Council and other relevant stakeholders before taking its decision. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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Fact : how many Yorubas in his cabinet ? He is nothing but a hold digga. Is doing this only to achieve his objectives. Let him just go back where he belong to and continuing fooling them. Enough is enough .
ReplyDeleteNa who fine pass!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA
ReplyDeleteWhy are the Yorubas not happy and celebrating their acclaimed heroe who is a heroe on Nigerian standard and not a worldwide standard? And why should Abiola be honoured in Abuja and not Lagos? Tinubu shut your mouth. Uni of Ife is now Obafemi Awolowo and ABU is Ahmadu Bello University so what's wrong with Unilag becoming Moshood Abiola University? All dis hypocrites should go and rest. Demostrating and suggesting for their selfish interest
ReplyDeleteIdiot, you are a fool on a world standard!!! As in, your logic is so brainless & your reasoning is so flawed, that I refuse to dedicate the brainpower needed to correct it. With people like you in Nigeria, how can that country progress. I'm only saddened by the fact that an idiot like you will procreate!
DeleteWhy is my comment not published
ReplyDeleteRemember that Anambra State University was renamed to Nnamdi Azikiwe University. We are enlightend group, let us call 'spade', spade. For us to move forward, we should not always follow our sentiment, we should widen our horizon for the interest of our country.
ReplyDeleteIdiot, wat is the interest of our country in the renaming of a university? A renaming that isn't even welcomed? U truly are foolish. There are more pressing interests, like road/water/light/healthcare/security issues, Ode!!!
DeleteWhy my factual comment wasn't published?
ReplyDelete@ anonymous of 8:02 AM. The president GEJ is the selfish person not the protesters.
ReplyDeleteThe name has been changed,the standard remain the same.we may call this government what ever we feel like,but this is GOD'S will for us and is the best.Those Who are killing Innocent Nigerians just to cow us all in giving them the office of the president they have all failed.And know it that those people are In all the 6geopolitical Zones not the North alone.
ReplyDeleteWere Obafemi awolowo and Ahmadu Bello sectional leaders? Why then were they immortalised in their respective region? We should stop all this baseless agurments and embrace postive changes.
ReplyDeleteGod, another idiot; I give up!
DeleteI pray GEJ will read this write-up to have change of mind on his decision
ReplyDeleteChange of name has no negative effect on either the school or the students, the standard of the School remains the same so the student should read their books and stop playing nonsense and sentimental politics sponsored by those who want to destroy lagos. Fashola and Tinubu are busy collecting toll fees from a road that was built by past Governors in the 80s and 90s and no body said anything. Tinubu owns virtually everything in Lagos while Fashola is trying hard to be like him by introducing all kinds of illegal taxes, yet nobody has said anything; Lagosians,Yorubas please open your eyes before Fashola the rootless Governor, Tinubu, a native of Osun state who claims to be a lagosian and their associates in corruption sell you all like slaves.
ReplyDeleteGoodluck Jonathan has done well,after all Obasanjo, a Yoruba man was the president for 8 years and did not remember Abiola, Yoruba people including myself should be happy for Mr. President, unless we are saying Abiola does not deserve the good gesture. let the truth be told
ReplyDeleteI don't understand why people are not seeing reasons and talking blindly. GEJ cannot be honouring Abiola when he referred to him as the aclaimed winner of June 12 election, he is doing this to achieve an aim we probably don't know yet. Abiola was a student of UNILAG, how then can you name the University that made Abiola after him? UNILAG is bigger than Abiola in this context.
ReplyDelete2. I agree with Tinubu's idea that Abiola's election was annulled by powers in Abuja, arrested and taken to Abuja, imprisoned in Abuja and eventually died in Abuja. Why is he not honoured in Abuja for these reasons?
3. Abiola was voted for by all Nigerians and was suppose to be the president of Nigeria having won the best election ever had in Nigeria, this made him a national figure and should be given honor that measure up to that position, at least Ya'adua was honoured in Abuja after his death and not in Kastina or North West region.
4. I think the issue is that the president has broken the rule of due process, this is democracy, you cannot just sleep and wake up and just think "this is what I am going to do". There is a process of naming Universities but that process was not followed by the person that is suppose to ensure rules are followed. This is not the first time GEJ is renaming a University without due process, we cannot continue to do things base on knee jack reactions or to gain popularity, or support.
Finally, I think there should be criteria for honouring people in the country. Criteria that will be documented and when met by anyone, no matter who he is, even a political opponent, the person will be honoured. This should be a two-edged sword as those that drag our name in the mud should also be punished. That way, there won't be protests greeting declarations like this.