The golden jubilee celebration and convocation of the 2011/2012 graduating session at the University of Lagos, UNILAG on Friday saw the campus cupped to capacity with alumni of the institution, current and past staff of the institution, guests, high profile citizens and officials of Government gracing with pride.

The event wafted variegated colors of luxurious cars and gorgeous guests’ apparels through the university campus. An event convoking successful students in a session, the ceremony also decorated persons selected by the institution to be exemplary with honors and titles.

‘Professorship’ and ‘Distinguish Professorship’ were among the titles and honors awarded to persons during the ceremony. Importantly however, three persons were conferred with Honorary Degrees Awards. Former Prime Minister of Nigeria, Late Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was the first recipient of the award. He was conferred with the award posthumously. The two other recipients are former vice chancellor of the university, Dr. Afe Babalola and Dr. Arthur Mbanefo respectively. The institution said the honorary awardees had contributed immensely to the development of the Institution and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.



Speculations that earlier trailed the delay of the convocation ceremony had it that the controversy of change of name hanging on the institution made it difficult to proceed. Grapevine had it that President Goodluck Jonathan, who had announced the change of the institution’s name from University of Lagos (UNILAG) to Moshood Abiola University of Lagos (MAUL) on the occasion of democracy day last year had demanded that the institution affects the new name on the certificates of the latest graduands.

However the speculations were dismissed by authorities of the institution. The new vice-chancellor, Professor Rahman Bello expressed gratitude to President Jonathan for respecting court’s process to stay his wish for the name change while the challenge was ongoing in court.

Former Pro-chancellor chancellors of the University of Lagos and founder of a private university in his own name, Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD), Dr. Afe Babalola, while responding to the honorary award, took on the Federal Government to totally reverse the idea of change of name.

Dr. Afe Babalola said it was important to immortalize Late Chief MKO Abiola, the declared winner of the annulled June 12 1993 Presidential elections, but that it was wrong to affect UNILAG with the idea. Afe Babalola advised that President Jonathan would properly immortalize MKO Abiola if he names the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, the Supreme Court’s building or the Aso Rock Villa after the democracy hero.

The advice got the hall of participants at the Golden Jubilee ceremony hailing the speaker and temporarily taking over the air with chants of ‘Unilag Today, Unilag forever’.

President Jonathan, represented by the education minister, Professor Ruqayyat Rufai, did not mention of the controversial change of name throughout the address. The President concerned himself only with acknowledgement of the greatness of the institution.

Apart from banners, stickers and posters perching on walls at various faculty buildings and doors of staff members in the institution, packs of gift items at the Golden Jubilee ceremony were wrapped with papers bearing overt inscriptions of ‘UNILAG FOREVER!’.

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http://visionitesmagazine.com/mag/unilag-at-50-afe-babalola-advises-president-jonathan-on-the-immortalizing-abiola-change-of-unilag-name/