The Alumni of the University of Osun State (UNIOSUN), Osogbo, has rejected the recent renaming of the university by the state Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, during its 4th and 5th combined convocation, declared that the renaming of the university after the late Cicero of Esa-Oke and former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, the late Chief Bola Ige was immaterial now, urging Aregbesola to reverse the action. They equally considered the option of approaching the Court of Competent Jurisdiction in the land to seek redress on the subject matter if Aregbesola refuses to reverse the action to status quo, explaining that Mr. Governor just took the decision unilaterally without considering the interest of all the stakeholders of the university (UNIOSUN). Although the renaming of the university after former Governor old Oyo-State, Ige, has generated reactions in the polity where some people saw the development as immaterial but to score cheap political popularity and bringing confusion into the system, while some people, particularly, the members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) saw the action as welcome development and applauded Aregbesola for the development. This was contained in a statement issued and signed by Mr. Oluwatosin Abikanlu and Mr. Otunde Adebowale, the President and Secretary-General of the Alumni respectively, and a copy was made available to newsmen on Sunday, March 13, 2016, maintained that they rejected the renaming after Ige because Chief Bola Ige has nothing to do with the establishment of the university aside being a political leader in the state before he died in December 2001, noting that the acronym of the UNIOSUN with the renaming of Bola Ige University( BIU) had also clashed with Benson Idahosa University (BIU). They further alleged that Aregbesola was not funding the university again, for the past two and half years now, aside the university management in its wisdom to raise funds internally and as well as the help from the Federal Government agency like Tetfund, insisting that the Alumni was totally rejecting the renaming of the university at this point in time when the university was facingfinancial difficulty. They added that, to embark on such project of renaming any institution at this point in time, when the economy crunch was biting every sector of the country harder, it was misplacement of priority because the project was capitally intensive. The Alumni stated: “Renaming of the University of Osun State, popularly called UNIOSUN, after late Cicero of Esa-Oke and former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, the late Chief Bola Ige at this point in time, is immaterial and misplacement of priority. Chief Bola Ige has nothing to do with the establishment of the University. Mr. Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola action on the development is political and confusing and also, against the wishes of the UNIOSUN concern stakeholders. “The UNIOSUN is to bear the same acronym with Benson Idahosa University (BIU) after its renaming as Bola Ige University (BIU). As Alunmi of the UNIOSUN, we totally rejected the renaming of UNIOSUN because Mr. Aregbesola has failed to perform its constitutional duty in financing the university as its Visitor. We are ready to approach the Court of competent jurisdiction for redress if Governor Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola is NOT reversing the university to the status quo
”.
