UNILAG Clears Air On Invitation To MC Oluomo

UNILAG Clears Air On Invitation To MC Oluomo

Management of the University of Lagos, Akoka, on Friday issued a statement explaining the real situation concerning the alleged invitation of Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) Lagos State chapter Musiliu Akinsanya (a.k.a MC Oluomo) as special guests to a colloquium on its campus.

This is after the controversial banner displaying the picture Oluomo as a guest speaker had sparked reactions on social media.

The University’s statement said the institution’s management did not approve the banner, saying the reactions trailing it on social media were just political propaganda.

The UNILAG Principal Assistant Registrar, Communication Unit, Mrs Taiwo Oloyede, said the event was organised by students in the Department of Geography and that it held on Tuesday.

The statement read, “The management of the University of Lagos hereby notifies parents, guardians and other stakeholders of the university that it is aware of the event to which the Lagos State Caretaker Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Musiliu Akinsanya, was allegedly invited.

“The event was a colloquium on ‘Transport Efficiency: Employing Lagos Terrain Alternatives.’ organised by the National Association of Geography Students (NAGS) on Tuesday, September 17, 2019.

“Relevant stakeholders in the transport sector invited to the event were: Arc. Abiodun Dabiri, MD, Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA); Engr. Ibrahim Alhassan, Chairman, Nigerian Railway Corporation; Dr. Olusegun Spencer, Director, Amalgamated Mega-City Transport; Mr. Oluwadamilola Emmanuel, MD, Lagos Waterways Authority; Dr. Adewale Sanni, Station Manager, Lufthansa and Dr. Charles Asenime, LASU School of Transport, PG Coordinator.

“Although Alhaji Musiliu Akinsanya (MC Oluomo) was one of those to be invited, which informed the draft banner with his picture, currently trending on social media; the approved banner did not have Alhaji Akinsanya as an invited guest, neither did he attend the event.

“For the record, events are organised on campus to expose students to current trends in the academia and industries. During such events, experts and relevant stakeholders with considerable knowledge and experience on the theme of such activities are carefully selected and invited to come and share their thoughts with our students. The goal is to produce students that are locally relevant and globally competitive.

“Therefore, the general public is enjoined to disregard any propaganda making the rounds on social media about the propriety of inviting a particular guest or not,” it concluded.

Alamu Tosin

The writer is Alamu Tosin. I have three strong passions in life — football, blogging and movies — in that order. I love spending time with friends talking about the important things in life and hate nothing more than ‘authority’ and hypocrisy. My personal believe in life is that once an individual sets his/her mind to achieve something, it is totally possible. And oh!, I am a strong Lannister, because I always pay my debt. For writing or fixing gigs, contact tosinalamu@gmail.com.