A university don and the candidate of the Mass Action Joint Alliance (MAJA), in the 2019 presidential election, Princess Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies has berated the suggestion of one Mr. Adeleye Jokotoye, who wants the name of Nigeria to be changed to “The United African Republic “or better still “United Alkebulan Republic”, for what she describes as his lack of knowledge of history and current issues, intuition, insight, and deep thinking, in his submission to the Senate committee.
In a statement made available to newsmen, Adesanya-Davies said, “We have learnt of recent that Fulani herdsmen all over Africa are said to have arrived the shores of Nigeria “to take over what they claim to be their fatherland” erroneously, i.e, the land of the indigenous people of Nigeria. And we all live and are subdued under these threats and panic attacks and ongoing colossal destruction. Is Mr. Jokotoye still living, ravishing and luxuriating in the past!”
The newly appointed Ag. Country President for UN-POLAC Peace Advocates, Nigeria, a former Deputy Country President of UN-POLAC, Bishop (Amb.) Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies, a Princess of Ira, Kwara State, had similarly submitted to the Committee, that,
“There is the need to change the name of Nigeria to the “UNITED NATIONS OF NIGERIA – UNN” while the deliberations toward the full restructuring and regionalisation of Nigeria for peace, unity and stability is ongoing.”
Mr. Adeleye Jokotoye, a tax consultant, dropped something at the hearing in Lagos, says that, he wants the name of the country changed to United African Republic as the current name was an imposition by Nigeria’s past colonial masters. “The significance of name change cannot be overemphasised. According to him, “Even God our father, in the Holy books, changed names of prophets e.g. Saul to Paul, Abram to Abraham, Jacob to Israel, etc. The reason for the name change is to physically and psychologically reflect a new beginning.” He said, at the crossroads in Nigeria’s history, “it is mandatory that we change our name to reflect a new beginning which will be ushered in with a new constitution.”
He added, “The word ‘Africa’ is a Greek word meaning ‘Without Cold’. Africa was originally called ‘Alkebulan’, meaning ‘Mother of Mankind’ (Garden of Eden),” Jokotoye said. “Alkebulan is the oldest and the only word of indigenous origin used by Moors, Nubians, and Ethiopians. So, if we like, we can go a step further and name our nation, United Alkebulan Republic (meaning ‘United Mother of Mankind Republic).”
Adesanya-Davies, a University Don, a linguist, with her area of specialisation in Applied linguistics speaking on this issue of nomenclature, agreed with Jokotoye that the name, “Nigeria” was imposed by Nigeria’s past colonial masters and that Nigeria needs a new constitution and a NEW beginning. Notwithstanding, the new name shouldn’t be UAR, if the name should be changed, it would need to be critically and thoughtfully changed by professionals towards a positive national orientation and goal. Thus, in the same vein, Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies has suggested a new nomenclature, coined as the “UNITED NATIONS OF NIGERIA”, at the Public hearing.
The name Nigeria was suggested and named in the late 19th Century by British journalist Flora Shaw, who later married the British colonial administrator Lord Frederick Lugard. It is derived from the River Niger which enters the country from the north-west and flows down to the Niger Delta where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean through its many tributaries.
On the same burning issue, on 4th. June 2021, an aide to President Muhammadu Buhari, Bashir Ahmad has denied that, “the president is not responsible for the proposed change of Nigeria’s name to the United African Republic. Bashir Ahmad, Buhari’s special assistant on news media, said a group or individual was responsible for proposing the United African Republic as a name for Nigeria. “It’s not the Nigerian government, particularly, President Buhari that submitted the change of name proposal, it’s an individual or a group that submitted it,” Ahmad tweeted on Thursday.
Further readings show that, large number of people have already taken it to their head, accusing the President of something he absolutely has no hand in it. The presidential aide’s response came after Nigeria’s House of Representatives received a proposal to rename Nigeria to the United African Republic (UAR), for which President Buhari is not interested.
Adesanya-Davies says that, “We believe that all patriotic, peace loving, God fearing and well wishers of Nigeria would embrace and encourage this creative and intelligence move of brilliance and wisdom to change the name Nigeria towards a functional restructured and regionalised Nation to the “UNITED NATIONS OF NIGERIA” – with Five (5) regions.”
“As a format for regionalism, I agree and propose the name “UNITED NATIONS OF NIGERIA” (UNN), consisting of FIVE (5) UNITED NATIONS OF NIGERIA, namely:
(1) ODUDUWA YORUBA REPUBLIC
(2) AREWA ISLAMIC REPUBLIC
(3) MIDDLE-BELT REPUBLIC
(4) BIAFRA CHRISTIAN REPUBLIC
(5) NIGER DELTA REPUBLIC”.
“Long live an advanced restructured and regionalised Nigeria, as I speak as a Nigerian Princess, linguist, – a woman, advocating a new name for Nigeria: The “UNITED NATIONS OF NIGERIA, as British journalist lady Flora Shaw earlier on did.”
