Assuming UNILAG name change was successful

 Let us work on the theory of assumption for a moment. For the purpose of this write-up, I would like to define the theory of assumption as reasoning and picturing a present or future scenario in its past form.

The theory of assumption looks at the present or into the future with the eyes of the past and wishing that the unfolding scenario had happened in the past. So this article will assume that UNILAG was MAULAG when it was established in 1962 and President Jonathan on May 29, 2012 decides to rename it UNILAG.

Based on our assumption above, the name MAULAG would have been with us for fifty years. We would have had an Alumni Association called MAULAG Alumni, Bread called MAULAG Bread, a consult called MAULAG Consult and a community called MAULAG Academic community; our certificates would have read MAULAG. Literarily, we would not have seen anything wrong with the name for 50 solid years.

Let us fast-forward our assumption a little bit further, assuming the presidential broadcast of May 29, 2012 by our dear President renamed MAULAG as UNILAG without consultation with the stakeholders, what would have been our reactions? Would students have come out to protest the name change? Would we have read any political meaning into it? (Although the president has not come out to deny or confirm whether the renaming was politically motivated or not), would we have called it bad timing especially coming after the death of our dear Vice- Chancellor? Would the alumni body have kicked against it? Would we have gone out to block the Third Mainland Bridge? Find out next week…