UNILAG: Why Jonathan should reverse himself on name change

Mr Wahab Shittu is a lecturer in the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos and  a private prosecutor with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. In this interview, he speaks passionately on why the proposed renaming of the University of Lagos after Chief Moshood Abiola should be reversed. Excerpts:
WHAT is your stance on the renaming of the University of Lagos after Chief Moshood Abiola?
I have the highest respect for the office and person of the President. Let me also say that I recognise the imperative of honouring late Chief M.K.O Abiola for the enormous sacrifice he made on June 12 and in preserving our democratic experiment. I believe that he deserves to be immortalised.
I also believe that all operators in a democracy must behave as democrats and that democracy is noted for certain fundamentals. These fundamentals include due process, rule of law, constitutionalism, supremacy of the constitution, respect for fundamental rights, respect for process and procedures, transparency and accountability, zero tolerance for corruption.

Presiednt Jonathan

All these are encapsulated in good governance. So I believe that under a democracy, the underlining philosophy of democracy is that sovereignty lies with the people and that all actions should be carried out with the people in mind. The renaming of UNILAG by presidential proclamation without consultation with all the stakeholders including the Senate fails to recognise the fact that UNILAG was created by an Act of Parliament.
And as such, for you to be able to tamper with an Act of Parliament, you have to do so by a constitutional amendment. This process ought to be carried out and approved before the President announces such a change, if necessary. But as it is now, what has happened is the subversion of due process, clearly the subversion of rule of law and the subversion of constitutionalism.
Legislative authority
You don’t put the cart before the horse. So, given these circumstances, what the National Assembly ought to do in order to preserve their legislative authority and enhance the doctrine of separation of powers, is to throw out the bill because the legislature is not a rubberstamp of the executive. Abiola himself will not be happy to see that in an attempt to immortalise him due process was subverted.
He himself said you cannot shave a man’s head behind his back. Using that analogy, how do you shave the head of UNILAG behind the back of UNILAG?My advice to Mr President is that he should be a listening President. If he reverses back to the previous name and then looks elsewhere to immortalise Abiola, it will not be a sign of weakness. Indeed, it would be a demonstration of high statesmanship.
Do you agree with some that some other university or stadium should be used to immortalize Abiola?
That argument overlooks the fact that Abiola was a multidimensional person who touched lives in several ways. He was the pillar of sports.  If you don’t want to name any edifice that has any sports significance to his memory, why not name the Eagle Square in Abuja after him, or why not name a democratic institute after him, or why not declare June 12 M.K.O Abiola Day and then organise activities yearly around that date with federal government participation and approval?
What would it cost the University of Lagos if the university bears the name Moshood Abiola?
Well, it will cost a lot in the sense that University of Lagos has become a brand independent of the history of Abiola. Abiola has its own independent history. UNILAG also has its own independent history. You don’t use one history to supplant another history without disastrous consequences. If you rename it, it is like killing the brand, a brand that is known nationally and internationally with its own peculiarities.