Akokites rebel against name change from Unilag to MAULag (Moshood Abiola University Lagos)

 

Students of UniLag demonstrating the renaming of the University

It"s no longer news that the name change has taken effect, it"s not news either that social media is agog with parodies about the name change that was announced this morning in honour of the late MKO Abiola by GEJ in his Nationwide broadcast to celebrate Democracy day. What is sad News to me however is what the images above portends. The images of "students" in a procession and milling around protesting the name change.

I only hope that that in the process of registering their angst, the protest that for the main part seems a litle bit peaceful here does not degenerate into violence. 

It is sad that an institution that should be mourning the passing of its VC would have the time for this. I gathered that there is a poll on the university's facebook page and the NAYS seem to have carried the day. The "battle"  on my facebook profile  STATUS   in my opinion is a pointer that the mostly negative reactions that have trailed the renaming, points to an issue bigger than just a case of a simple naming. I am forced to conclude that this rabid opposition and protests are symptoms of a greater ailment.

Suffice it to say, I admit its not yet Uhuru, but the act of always throwing out the baby with the bath water has become pretty tiresome. Like I told someone in response to the general assumption that GEJ renamed the University as part of a strategy to pander for Lagosians votes come 2015; honestly I found this take  hilarious as I wondered why he would bother to do it in 2012 when he could easily have waited to do it nearer to the time when the gesture would stil be "oven fresh"; anyways I told the fella that such an assumption was simply that of one school of thought; because another might conclude that the gesture was a way of thanking Lagosians for the stupendous support they gave his candidature in the last polls. So who is to say who is right and who is wrong. At the end of the day,  what we have is pretty much the "seven blind men and the Elephant scenario"; with each given his unique perspective of what he believes the object before him to be, based simply on the evidence he had through "touch".

At the end of the day, only GEJ knows why he really made the GESTURE

I reiterate that "A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME STILL REMAINS A ROSE"

In the mean time 

 Stay Rooted

OSA