Jonathan seeks Senate approval to rename UNILAG, 2 others

President Goodluck Jonathan Wednesday sent a bill to the National Assembly seeking to formalise the renaming of University of Lagos (Unilag) after the late acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, Bashorun Moshood Abiola.

The gesture, the government said, was in recognition of Abiola's contributions and sacrifice for democracy in Nigeria.

Two other bills were also presented to the Senate at plenary on the same subject but for different institutions.

The other bills were requests to rename two other universities namely Federal University of Agriculture, Umudike and Federal University of Technology, Yola.

They are now to be known as Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, and Modibo Adama University of Technology, Yola, respectively.

The Federal Government had on May 29, announced that Unilag had been renamed Moshood Abiola University of Lagos, a pronouncement that triggered wild protests from the students and lecturers of the institution.

The decision also generated mixed reactions from members of the academia, lawyers and the civil society.

Some members of the National Assembly also faulted the renaming of Unilag as they argued that the action did not follow due process.

But in a letter dated June 5, 2012 and addressed to the President of the Senate, David Mark, Jonathan sought the cooperation of the parliament in the passage of the three bills.

 Source- THIS DAY