FUTA Students Reject Call To Name Institution After Shehu Shagari

Following the call to rename the Federal University of Technology Akure(FUTA), Ondo State after the late former President Shehu Shagari, the students of the institution have kicked against the call, saying it might mar the brand of the institution.

After the death of Shagari, a renowned lawyer, Aare Afe Babalola said that the former President be immortalised by naming FUTA, being one of the  federal universities, established during his administration between 1979 to 1983, after him.

Reacting through a statement sent to Nigerian Cable News online, the students Union President said:

On behalf of the ever increasing numbers of the student of the Federal University of Technology Akure, we commiserate with the family of the deceased Former President and Commander-In-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, Alhaji Shehu Aliyu Usman, and our nation Nigeria.

The departure of an icon like him is indeed a great loss for our nation, and we also acknowledge that fact that a man like him deserve to be immortalised. We also acknowledge that the birth of this Institution of ours was made possible via the administration led by the departed hero, and we are ever grateful for this.

As afore established, the suggestion of immortalising this legend is a brillant idea, and a good move, however we strongly disapprove the renaming of our beloved university for the sake of the proposed immortalization. FUTA is our brand, a world wide brand with a vision of being a world class University, renaming such brand would demeaning the brand, disrupt the vision and discourage the students. The University embraces immortalization and this is visible with several structures in the university named after people who had contributed to the University in several manner, examples of such is the Albert Ilemobade Library which is the university Library, the Akindeko hall of residence which is a male hostel of the university, among others. These structures were named for the sake of immortalization. Hence we definitely embrace immortalizing the deceased by renaming any of the existing structures or perhaps naming the new structures. The FUTA brand however should not be tampered with in the name of immortalisation, as its a world wide brand.

The stand of the entire student of the Federal University of Technology Akure is that, we negate the suggestion of the renaming of our university and counter suggest that the university structures could be renamed or named for the purpose of immortalizing the legend.

We wish him a most deserved rest, and pray that the Almighty Allah will grant the family of the deceased and the citizens of Nigeria the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

SIGNED

COMRADE IBRAHIM OLUWANIFEMI Oluwasegun. (ALUTA P)
PRESIDENT, FUTA STUDENT UNION