Students of the University of Lagos on Tuesday morning organised a protest against the renaming of the institution after the late acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, MKO Abiola.
President Goodluck Jonathan had in a national broadcast early on Tuesday announced the renaming of the institution after Abiola for his contribution to democracy in Nigeria.
The protesting students began gathering in groups in the main campus at Akoka, Lagos immediately after the president’s announcement.
They subsequently trooped out of their hostels chanting protests songs and denouncing the change of the institution’s name.
They also blocked access to the institution and disrupted traffic on University of Lagos Road and St. Finbarrs’ College Road.
Officials the institution came out to beg the students to go back to campus saying, “We are with you.” Students shouted “NO”.
The university’s Director of Student Affairs, Olukayode Amund, was among the official who came out to beg the students to calm down.
Premium Times, an online newspaper reported the director as saying “We were all taken back. There was no due consultation and they said this is a democracy.”
The paper also reported, Bolanle Ajayi, a student of the University as saying, “Change of name is the least of our problems. Besides, there is MAPOLY, already named after Abiola.”
