Presidency denies planning to rename UI after Akunyili

The Presidency has denied a report saying it is planning to rename the University of Ibadan after the late former Director-General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Prof. Dora Akunyili.

Akunyili, who served as the Minister of Information and Communication between 2008 and 2010, died on Saturday in a hospital in India, having battled with cancer in the last two years.

A Twitter handle purportedly belonging to the Nigeria Television Authority had quoted the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, as saying the President was planning to immortalise her by renaming the nation’s premier university to ‘Dora Akunyili Memorial University’.

“Mr. President may consider renaming University of Ibadan as ‘Dora Akunyili Memorial University’ to honour the late NAFDAC boss,” the Twitter handle, @NTA_News , had quoted Abati as saying.

But the presidential spokesman in a swift reaction denied making any of such statement, declaring that there was no iota of truth in the rumour making the rounds on social media.

Writing on his Twitter page, Abati noted that while the Federal Government held Akunyili and her family in high esteem, the President had no such plans.

“Nobody ever said Mr. President is considering naming University of Ibadan after late Prof. Dora Akunyili. Please ignore fake news. On Dora Akunyili, there is an official statement conveying President Jonathan’s heartfelt condolences. We stand by that statement,” Abati tweeted.

Also, the management of the NTA has dissociated itself from the statement said to have emanated from its social media account.

Describing the Twitter handle as bogus, the NTA vowed to shut it down and ensure the prosecution of those behind the rumour.

“The handlers of @NTA_News have been advised to shut down the Twitter account. It is a crime to impersonate a government agency. You risk being prosecuted,” the NTA warned on its official Twitter page.

-iphone