Nierians were agog with the news of a proposed name change for the country. According to The Cable, the proposal was submitted to the committee by Adeleye Jokotoye, a tax consultant in Lagos state on Wednesday.
Adeleye opined that the name Nigeria is foreign as it was given Lord Lugard’s wife, Flora Shaw. He said that even in the bible, God Himself changed peoples name from time to time. Like from Saul to Paul, Jacob to Israel.
He believes that the name should also build and foster peace and unity in the country during these high tensioned times. A new constitution and operating system of government was also proposed by the tax consultant.
The new name United Africa Republic (UAR) did not go down well with the citizens. One is left to wonder if this is actually because of the name choice or that a name change is not in any way close to the solution of Nigeria’s mountain of problems.
For those campaigning for Biafra, what does UAR signify?
Does it in any way tackle the reasons for the secession call?
Is it a signal for them to give up the idea of breaking away by rejigging the purported unity through the new name that begins with the word UNITED?
Or maybe like we have the case of giving a dog a bad name to hang it, this is giving it a good name to preserve it.
What should the like of Nnamdi Kanu do at the thought of UAR? Smile or frown.
