By Ankeli Emmanuel (In Sokoto State)
A group in Sokoto state (the Seat of Caliphate) under the auspices of Sokoto Heritage Reloaded Intitaive (SHRI) have appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to fulfill the promised of immortalizing late President Shehu Shagari.
The appeal follows an earlier promise made by the late former President, Muhammadu Buhari when he came to Sokoto state for condolences but a promise which was yet to be fulfilled until he (Buhari's) death last week Sunday in London.
Addressing a press conference last Saturday at the Sokoto state Secretariat of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the group's spokesperson, Professor Uthman Abdulqadir, said honouring Shagari would amount to respect for history and deep sense of justice.
Prof Uthman who acknowledged that the late President Shehu Shagari, while alive, was not just a leader but a symbol of humility, integrity and statesmanship whose vision for Nigeria's education made him to lay the foundation for distance and open learning in Nigeria which culminated today to the existence of National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).
His signed statement titled, An Emotional Appeal To President Bola Ahmed Tinubu", said the appeal is on behalf of countless Nigerians and lovers of national history and it reads thus: "Mr President, history will always remember you as a man of loyalty and principle. A leader who stood shoulder to shoulder with his predecessor, former president Muhammadu Buhari, long before power was within reach.
"From the days of struggle for democracy to the merger that birthed a new political era in Nigeria, your commitment to Buhari and to national progress is well known and commendable.
"It is in this spirit of continuity, respect for history and your deep sense of justice that we appeal to you to fulfil a national promise made by the Buhari administration to name a national monument after the late President Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari GCFR, Nigeria's first executive President.
While appealing that hence Shagari's desire for a decentralized education was why he birthed the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Professor Uthman appealed that, NOUN be renamed Shehu Shagari Open University of Nigeria (SSOUN) to serve as a tribute to his legacy and vision for educated and enlightened Nigeria. NNL.
