ACN denies instigating UNILAG protests

Posted by admin Action Congress of Nigeria, Party Politics Friday, June 1st, 2012

The Action Congress of Nigeria has denied the Peoples Democratic Party’s accusation that the party is behind the protests by the students of the University of Lagos against the Federal Government’s decision to change the institution’s name to Moshood Abiola University.

In a statement in Lagos on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said rather than blame the opposition for the protests, the PDP should be concerned with how the “Jonathan Administration had once again snatched defeat from the jaws of victory by reaching the right destination through illegal routes.”

ACN said while it was not opposed to any action to honour the most prominent martyr of Nigeria’s democracy, Chief Moshood Abiola, it was opposed to the sectional nature of the honour and the diminished importance of naming a university after prominent personalities, especially someone like Chief Abiola.

It said, “Chief Abiola clearly won a national election, and this has been acknowledged by the government itself. Any honour to be conferred on him must reflect that. While it can be argued that UNILAG is a federal university, the truth remains that it is based in the South-West.

“Also, in an era in which the establishment of universities have been liberalised, everyone with access to funds can now set up a university and name it after himself or herself. That has definitely eroded the importance attached to naming such institutions after national heroes, including Chief Moshood Abiola, winner of the June 12th 1993 presidential election.”

ACN however said it disagreed with insinuations in certain quarters that the decision to honour Abiola was aimed at garnering political benefits, saying Nigerians in general and the people of the South-West in particular were too sophisticated to be hoodwinked by such move.

The party said based on media reports, the protests by UNILAG students were spontaneous because the students, staff and alumni of the institution were shocked that the government did not consult them, as stakeholders, before taking the decision to change the name. “Neither were the university’s Senate and Council even informed of the impending decision,” it said.

It said the ACN had never shied away from fighting for its beliefs or giving vent to its opinion on any issue.

ACN said, “What happened was that while President Goodluck Jonathan may have meant well in honouring a man who gave his blood to wet the seed of democracy being enjoyed in the country today, an action that should have earned him general commendation instead fetched him widespread criticisms because his advisers and his party, as usual, failed him. Perhaps he also did not think the action through before announcing it.

-Punchwp_posts