UNILAG Shut Down As Protesting Students Remain Adamant

Huhuonline.com can report that as a result of the continued protest by aggrieved over the renaming of the University of Lagos as the Moshood Abiola University by President Jonathan, the Federal Government has instructed the institution's management to close

down activities on campus.
 
Sources at the University disclosed that the pronouncement was issued by the institution's management and announced on UNILAG radio station.

 
The students who had been locked out of the school premises as at 11:00am on Wednesday have vowed to continue with their protest until the President rescinds his decision.

 
Reports say that the students marched through Alagomeji, Yaba, Sabo and Third Mainland Bridge, causing serious traffic while they also blocked the main gate of the institution.

 
Lagos residents complained that they were unable to get to their offices and places of work as a result of the unending protest by UNILAG students including some lecturers of the institution.

 
The students who were joined by some lecturers and old students of the institution, marched from their main campus at Akoka, Yaba through Herbert Macaulay Street to the Adekunle link on the bridge, demanding the government reverses to the original name of the university. They prevented vehicles from moving and seized government vehicles even though they were not unruly.

 
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko, who led a team of police officers to the scene of the protest, asked the students to return to their campuses and be calm until the government found a solution to the problem, but the students refused. The overpowered the law enforcement agents only watched as the students chanted anti-government songs. According to one of the policemen at the scene, they were only ordered 'from above' to monitor the situation and not to further cause provocation.

 
The institution's management which has claimed it was not aware of the renaming of the institution, have invited students' representatives made up of departmental and faculty executives for talks while students who are still on campus are being forced out of the institution.

 
Huhuonline.com learnt that though the students have been told that the shutting down of the institution is for two weeks, it may take longer as issues in the renaming of the institution have to be fully resolved.

 
Meanwhile, the Federal Government through the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, after the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting insisted that there was no going back on the renaming of the age long institution.