How we defied GEJ and retained UNILAG’s name - Outgoing VC
- The outgoing Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Professor Rahamon Bello, has revealed how UNILAG was able to retain its name, despite the efforts of former President Goodluck Jonathan
- Bello disclosed that the institution was able to defy the wishes of the former president who wanted to rename it after MKO Abiola, because it was established by an Act of Parliament
- The VC further disclosed that the prestigious institution was the first federal university in the country; even before the University of Ibadan, which was only a College when UNILAG was established
Professor Rahamon Bello, the outgoing Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos has disclosed that the institution was able to retain its name despite the efforts of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, because it was set up by an Act of Parliament.
Bello, whose tenure expires on November 11, made his comments during a forum organized by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
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Legit.ng gathers that the VC stated that the parliamentary act enabled the institution defy the wishes of the former president who wanted to rename it after the late politician and philanthropist, Moshood Abiola.
He stated: “The University of Lagos is the first university to be established by the Federal Government in Nigeria, historically, go and find out in 1962.
“Ibadan (University of Ibadan) was a college when the University of Lagos was established. It was the first to be established by an Act of Parliament.
“That is why it was difficult for (former) President Goodluck Jonathan to change the name; and it was on that basis that we were able to get the name back.
“It was after UNILAG that UI now got its own status as a federal university.
“The other universities that came around that time and before the University of Lagos were not federal universities. Nsukka, ABU and Ife were all regional universities at that time. It was later that the federal government took them over.
“As a federal university, Lagos was number one. And government acquired land for the University of Lagos in that environment. We have the documents.’’
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Recall that Legit.ng previously reported that former President Goodluck Jonathan renamed the University of Lagos as Moshood Abiola University.
The ex-president said that renaming the University was in appreciation and honour of the contribution of late MKO Abiola, the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
He stated: “The federal government has decided that late Chief MKO Abiola should be honoured. In honour of Chief MKO Abiola, the University of Lagos is renamed the Moshood Abiola University.”
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Source: Legit.ng
