The federal government has been requested by The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide to rename the presidential palace in Abuja after Queen Elizabeth II.
At the age of 96, Queen Elizabeth II passed away on Thursday.
The late monarch has received tributes from a large number of individuals worldwide.
In a tweet amid the outpouring of tributes, former presidential candidate Adamu Garba proposed renaming the University of Nigeria (UNN), Nsukka, Enugu, after the British monarch.
“In order to immortalised (sic) Queen Elizabeth, we should rename the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, to Queen Elizabeth University of Nigeria since it is the first University in Nigeria,” Garba tweeted.
In a statement signed by Okechukwu Isiguzoro, its secretary-general, the group said the south-east zone already has a symbol of respect for the late monarch as seen in the Queen Elizabeth Medical Center, Umuahia, Abia state.
Isiguzoro said it is “appropriate” for the northern region to have a “fair share” of the legacies of the monarch.
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo worldwide has cautioned the Federal Government against renaming the foremost and most prestigious university, the University of Nigeria Nsukka after the late British Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, as it has already bequeathed a legacy in southeastern Nigeria,” the statement reads.
“For novices like APC Presidential aspirant Adamu Garba to know that the Federal Medical Center Umuahia was renamed after the late British Monarch and is known as Queen Elizabeth Medical Center Umuahia.
“But Nigerians are yet to see the late Queen Elizabeth’s legacies in northern Nigeria, and it is appropriate for the north to have a fair share of the Queen’s legacy.
“If the Nigerian government and the presidency wish to immortalize late Britain’s Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, they should look at the role of the Queen in granting Nigeria political freedom and Independence on 1st October 1960, so the most appropriate place to show gratitude to Great Britain Monarch should be the citadel of power.
“The federal government should rename the Aso Rock presidential state house and residence after Queen Elizabeth II. This is the best place to honour Queen Elizabeth II, not the University of Nigeria Nsukka, because it’s incendiary to destroy the symbol of Nigeria’s citadel of learning.”