UNILAG hostel foundation laying ceremony turns political

A drama ensued at the University of Lagos, Akoka, on Friday, when the foundation laying ceremony of a female hostel turned to a political carnival.

 

The wife of the Nigerian President, Patience Jonathan, laid the foundation of the project. However, various social and political organisations used the opportunity to show support for Jonathan. The 15-storey female hostel, which will accommodate about 1,900 students, will be named after the wife of the President. The event, which was supposed to commence by 2pm was delayed as Jonathan arrived two hours late amidst tight security. Dressed in various traditional attire, women groups filled up about half of the available seats; they brandished banners, announcing themselves. They also danced and sang. Some organisations in attendance include Arewa Women Initiative, Women for Equity and Fairness Organisation of Nigeria, Women for Change and Development Initiative, Ohana Eze Ndigbo, Ndigbo United Association, Lagos and the South-South Peoples Democratic Forum.

 

There was also a PDP group which displayed banners welcoming Jonathan to Lagos in the name of a chieftain of the party in Ogun State, Buruji Kashamu. The groups intermittently interrupted the programme with songs in different languages as they tried to outdo one another. Jonathan, who joined the groups briefly before delivering her speech, said she was “honoured by the university.” In her speech, Jonathan decried the poor  standard of university education in the country and called on university authorities to improve the declining standard. She also urged lecturers to strive to become role models to their students.

 

She said, “I’m sure that you are worried and concerned about the standard in our institutions of learning these days. I therefore want to call on the university authorities in the country to put in more efforts to improve the standard and quality of our educational system.

 

“This will ensure that our students compete favourably with their counterparts from other parts of the world. We also want to see a situation where the lecturers and teachers in our schools serve as role models to our children as it used to be in the past.” Jonathan also said that the project, when completed, would “go a long way in reducing the challenges of having so many students of the university living outside the campus with the attendant insecurity.

 

“As we all know, education is the key to human and capital development, it is also the key to national development. The quality of education we provide today will determine the quality of leaders we will produce for the future.”