By Ankeli Emmanuel, Sokoto
A group in the Seat of Caliphate State under the auspices of Sokoto Heritage Reloaded Intitaive (SHRI) have appealed to President Bila Ahmed Tinubu to fulfill the promised of immortalizing late President Shehu Shagari made by now President Muahammadu Buhari when he came for condolences but never did until he too is now late.
Addressing press conference Saturday at the okoto 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, intergrity and statesman whose vision for Nigeria’s education laid the foundation for distance and open learning.
His signed statement titled, An Emotional Appeal To President Bila Ahmed Tinubu”, said the appeal is onbehalf of countless Nigerians and lovers of narional history and read 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 Muahammadu 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 adminstration 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.
