As Police Fire At Students, Tinubu, Gov. Fayemi Others Ask FG To Reverse The Renaming of UNILAG

Tear gas was fired at students at Moshood Abiola University earlier today, eye witnesses reported that gunshots also rented the air, fired by policemen. Students are protesting the renaming of the university after MKO Abiola, winner of the annuled June12 Presidential election.

SOURCE - Former Lagos State Governor Bola Tinubu; Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi; a member of the National Assembly, Gbenga Ashafa; Mohammed, son of the late legal giant Gani Fawehinmi; Abuja-based lawyer, David Agunbiade; a UNILAG lecturer, Prof. Lai Olurode; Osun State University lecturer, Prof. Siyan Oyeweso; and the leader of the Civil Society Coalition, Shehu Sani, rejected the renaming of UNILAG as Moshood Abiola University, asking the Federal Government to reverse its decision.
In a statement, Tinubu contended that though the President’s decision to rename the university after Abiola was welcome, it fell short of what was required.
He 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 Yoruba – 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 localise or sectionalise MKO.”

Fayemi, who is an alumnus of UNILAG, described Jonathan’s action “as an opportunistic recognition of the late winner of June 12, 1993 presidential election.”