UNILAG Students & Staff Remain Steadfast in their Stand against the Institution’s Name Change – ‘UNILAG FOREVER’

Yes, Unilag forever

very soon Goodluck will bribe all the members of staff leaving the students alone to continue the fight.Typical Nigeria!

Unilag Forever, Great Akokite

i am a student of Unilag and so be it. Unilag Forever,no relenting in our decision.

shame on you guys come together for more important issues like the fact that your clasrooms are over populated and lectureeres are extoting students in the name of handout and books that there are incident like missing script after exams have been taking seriously brand ni brand ko abegi. boko haram is killing people left right and centre

I dont understand why they have chose to change the name?? It doesnt make logical sense. They have failed to consider how much iwill cost to spend on re-branding etc. Besides, in a every nation there are cities that has universities in relation to the city it makes it unique/its history. Why change that??? seriously they should sit down and put that effort (that is currently been wasted on this ) invest into devising strategy to improve students complaints regarding the university facilities and address employment issues for their graduates…

to call them mumu is an understatement.

http://lifeinstagesdoz.blogspot.co.uk/

UNILAG NAME CHANGE: CUTTING THE NOSE TO BEAUTIFY THE FACE?

One of the arguments going round over the recent shocking news about UNILAG being renamed to MAULAG is that the same happened to UNIFE and heavens did not fall. Let’s be aware that University of Ife’s name change to Obafemi Awolowo University was in itself an aberration because it was done under military dictatorship. We couldn’t challenge the gun-wielding khaki boys then. Even Prof. Wole Soyinka has confessed that he has not come to terms with that change up till now. Now GEJ wants to behave like the military by renaming UNILAG. And unilaterally? We are in a democracy, and every constituency, including that of UNILAG stakeholders, counts.
A university is a sacred entity which doesn’t belong to a nation; it belongs to its stakeholders who are scattered around the universe, while the nation is only a custodian. If the stakeholders are not happy about this, then GEJ should have a rethink – he should have consulted them in the first place – that’s the first lesson in a democracy.
The second lesson is that a university is not a political tool to be used to appease some people. It is a serious intellectual entity which develops its own persona, DNA and value over time through intellectual investments and relationships. These intrinsic characteristics set such institution apart in the whole wide world (universe-city), and cannot be exchanged for another.
Does GEJ realise the cost of a name change for a university that has existed for 50 years? The cost implications go beyond UNILAG and Nigeria. It affects the entire universe – all the places, individuals and institutions with which UNILAG has any relationship will have to pay for this change monetarily, emotionally, not to mention time and labour costs. It can only be likened to that incurred globally around the Y2K bug drama at the turn of this century.
Besides, GEJ’s move on UNILAG is about to obliterate the intellectual identity of over 150, 000 UNILAG alumni across the world who carry the UNILAG certificate. They will be stripped of their pride because their alma mater will simply no longer exist; it will only exist in memories and die eventually with time. This is akin to wiping out some generations of Nigerians. Isn’t that intellectual genocide? The emotional cost of this action cannot be valued.
If you check most of the institutions named after individuals across the globe, you will find that those names have to do with the founding of such schools. Much as I respect MKO and appreciate what he did for our democracy, sports, education etc, and as much as I would want to see him appropriately immortalised, I would have to admit that MKO has nothing to do with the founding of UNILAG. Obafemi Awolowo and his government founded the University of Ife, so you could even excuse the military misadventure in renaming it OAU, even though it still was an improper thing to do.
The late Zik understood very well the importance of preserving an existing university’s DNA, that’s why he rejected the renaming of the University of Nigeria after him while he was still alive. He rather preferred a new university to be built for that purpose. That’s why we have Nnamdi Azikiwe University.
Other universities bearing individuals’ names were such named from inception; so we didn’t have to kill a brand for another brand.
Many people who have no knowledge about branding and how much it costs to build a successful brand, should ask any Brand Manager in the world. They will realise how much and how long you have to invest and sacrifice to build an iconic brand. And so why does GEJ want to sacrifice one iconic brand for another? UNILAG and MKO are two different brands with very dissimilar DNAs, personalities and values.
Some people ask: “what’s in a name?” And I say: change the name Coca Cola to “International Zobo”, then you have your answer!
MKO’s family is disappointed at the protests? I understand their emotions. But I would enjoin them to sit back for a while to fully understand the scenario. The protests are not against MKO’s immortalisation, neither are they against or unappreciative of his personality and what he lived and died for. The protests are about the right thing done the wrong way.
What Abiola deserves is more than UNILAG. He deserves something at the heart of Nigeria as a nation, something that affects every Nigerian whether rural or urban, literate or illiterate, East, West, North or South. GEJ is still denying MKO the pride of place he truly deserves. Many options had been muted before now; options even discussed in the parliament – the place where any move about immortalising Abiola should have started from. Obasanjo ignored those options. Again, GEJ brushed them aside and went for an option he himself knew was sure to cause controversy in the South West. He chose UNILAG without consulting the stakeholders, he used the ‘secrecy’, ‘surprise and capture’ tactics synonymous with the military. This is clearly a ploy to divide the South West! It is a Greek gift that should only be returned to sender.
Think about it, a higher education institution in the South West already goes by MKO’s name (Ogun Poly to MKO Poly). This should have disqualified the idea of renaming UNILAG. Or are they implying that Abiola’s achievements are limited to the education sector? This is again an indication that the intention is not pure. This move is not in Abiola’s interest; some forces are doing this for what they stand to gain from it via rebranding contracts!
This is why I would implore the Abiola family to sheathe their sword and demand for a better treatment of their Patriarch. I know they have waited so long for their father’s sacrifice to be acknowledged, but they shouldn’t accept peanuts when they deserve better.
To those who are urging GEJ on, let it be known that a university is not a political tool. This will only lead to a further degeneration of our values. Illegality and poli-tricks should not be applauded because they could set dangerous precedents. And who knows where the punch of the next presidential goof will land? It may be just right on your own face.
It is not too late for the President to retrace his steps on this matter. He should realise that as an Elder Statesman and father of the nation, he is responsible for the happiness of every Nigerian. He should not let pride or ego deprive him of an opportunity to shore up his rating which is fast dropping. Retracing his steps is not a sign of weakness; it is a mark of a true leader and father who listens and cares about how each of his people and children.
Mr. President, please remember how you have told us that the government alone cannot fund education. Go and check out how UNILAG Alumni have contributed immensely to the development of their school, and they are still actively and hugely doing so. They will hands-off MAULAG if you insist on it -understandably because it will no longer be their alma mater!
Mr. President, please don’t listen to political jobbers who didn’t even advise you right in the first place – or they should have known and told you that the UNILAG name couldn’t be changed by presidential fiat but by an act of parliament.
It is time for you to listen to the academic within you that pushed you till you got your Ph.D. Let that intellectual in you remind you that you’re about to pooh-pooh your very own constituency. Let it advise you not to commit intellectual genocide.

Hahahahaha…..international zobo

abi ooo i fit read am sef shooo abeg who u be?

like seriously Clare Onasanya, u sat down and typed this? who exactly are u trying to impress? unfortunately i didnt read even a line from your very very long essay!