Education deserves better icons

SIR: I am extremely frustrated that the University of Abuja is being named after an army general.  Educational institutions should be named after heroes who have made significant contributions to their establishment, uplifting and continuous development, or other activities that align with such an institution’s values and mission.

I think renaming non military institutions after military leaders can be perceived as acceptance of their unwarranted foray into political terrain which till today has fuelled ethnicism, tribalism, disruption of Nigeria’s true federalism, unparalleled human rights abuses and oppression.

A more befitting tribute to General Yakubu Gowon should be the naming of a military institution such as the National Defence College or Nigeria Defence Academy, etc, after him. That is where his legacies can be better appreciated and honoured.

It is very disturbing to have a degree from a university associated with a military leader when he is not the one who established it, promoted it, or significantly accentuated its development. Such renaming will certainly not inspire students or staff of the already depressed university.

It is time for us as a nation to rethink our approach to naming institutions only after individuals who have made significant impacts on such institutions. There is no connection whatsoever between the innocent University of Abuja and the new name being foisted upon it now. Some names have endured the test of times and should be allowed to remain.

You can imagine the UK renaming Oxford University, University of London, or Cambridge University after some individuals. Abuja is symbolically established. Therefore, it should be allowed to be.

I implore President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as a student of history, to reconsider the renaming of the University of Abuja after an army general. If anything at all, we should rather honour the contributions of education heroes who have made a significant difference in the lives of Nigerians through educational institutions with such honours that resonate with their natural domains and undisputed contributions.
Sola Adeola.