UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS’ ACADEMIC REGALIA

It is repulsive to observe that the University of Lagos changed the universally acknowledged convocation regalia, specifically the convocation cap, ostensibly to conform to the culture of the immediate environment. The change of the convocation cap signified the futile efforts at nation- building and national integration. Such globally- acknowledged and admired pattern of ceremonial convocation adornments should not have been subjected to ethnic chauvinism; one of the factors that subjected Nigeria’s insurmountable and crippling socio-economic challenges to be perceived as patently cursed. Education originated from the civilised nations of the world which led to the gradual dumping of conservative and primitive ways of doing things for a universally admired ways.

The bane of nationbuilding and national integration in Nigeria stemmed from manipulations of good policies, laws and recommendations of political reform conferences to reinvent true federalism by ethnic and religious chauvinists. True federalism would enable the disparate ethnic groups to articulate their visions and value systems in line with their respective world view. The failure to restructure the country has placed it at the brink of a failed state, in spite of the enormous mineral resources which could have been harnessed and judiciously deployed for socio-economic growth and development in the nooks and crannies of the country.

It is very unfortunate that the Nigeria Universities Commission (NUC) glossed over the ethnic chauvinism behind the redesigning the universally admired academic cap to reflect Yoruba culture by the authority of University of Lagos. The NUC should direct the university to revert to the normal convocation cap immediately to prevent the leadership of other universities sited in other ethnic groups all over the country from redesigning their cap and even the gown to reflect the so-called “rich culture” of the ethnic groups. Failure to sanction Unilag will make other universities to ‘culturalise’ their convocation regalia. For instance, Northern muslim states will resort to their long cap and hijab for women [they had even tried it by suggesting that lawyers would be putting on caftan and cap for the courts. It took fierce resistance of the NBA to suppress the craze]; Benue State will go for their blue strip costume, south-eastern states will put on their cap [not Ozo title red cap and Chief Victor Umeh’s long cap with eagle feathers]; Akwa Ibom will put on the boat-like cap, Cross River, Rivers, Bayelsa and Edo States respectively will have theirs to showcase their supposed “rich cultural heritage”.

It is the madness in rationalising the obviously conservative and archaic ways of life and dress code of Africans as “rich cultural heritage” that led the authority of the University of Lagos into degrading the universally acknowledged and beautiful matriculation and convocation cap as if other ethnic groups do not have theirs.