Elders, Residents Protest Renaming Of UNIOSUN College
The Asiwaju of Ejigbo town, Chief Atilade Adebowale, on Tuesday led some chiefs and residents of the town to stage a protest at the Osun State House of Assembly over the renaming of the College of Agriculture, Osun State University, in the town after Senator Isiaka Adeleke.
The protesters, who were armed with placards having various inscriptions, said they had nothing against Adeleke but stated that the governor should have named the Ejigbo campus of UNIOSUN after an indigene of the town, and not Adeleke, who is from Ede town.
They said a private university established in Ede is already named after Adeleke, adding that the assembly should reverse the renaming.
Adebowale said, “The renaming of the university is a slap in the face of Ejigbo sons and daughters. Ejigbo community donated land for the construction of the university.
“Are we saying there is nobody in Ejigbo who can be honoured with the university? We say no to this. We have sons and daughters of impeccable character, who are qualified to be honoured. We do not have any issue or grudge against Ede town or Senator Isiaka Adeleke, but the governor must do the right thing.”
He said the people of Ejigbo embarked on the peaceful protest because they were peace-loving people, but warned that they should not be treated as second-class citizens.
The Speaker of the House of Assembly, Mr. Najeem Salaam, who is also an indigene of Ejigbo, lauded the orderliness of the protesters.
He appealed to them to continue to be law abiding and not to take the law into their own hands. He assured them that the lawmakers would look into their grievances.
Governor Rauf Aregbesola had last Wednesday changed the name of UNIOSUN to Bola Ige University. He also named the College of Agriculture of the university to Isiaka Adeleke College of Agriculture.
