The Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Wahab Olasupo Egbewole, SAN, has promised the institution’s host community of more impactful interventions.
Prof. Egbewole gave this assurance penultimate Saturday (February 1, 2025) while welcoming the National President of the Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU), Alhaji Abdulmumini Ayo Abdulmalik, to his private office in Ilorin.
The Vice Chancellor, who thanked the Union for inviting him to the opening ceremony of its recent 59th national conference, which held last December, said that he “felt extremely honoured” with the invitation.
While assuring that the University would formally extend invitation to the Union on its upcoming 50th anniversary, the Vice Chancellor said that it was high time the IEDPU and similar organisations increased their fraternity with the University by supporting it more in one way or the other, to improve its service delivery capacities.
Prof. Egbewole, who also acknowledged that he and his Administration had been enjoying the cooperation and loyalty of indigenes of Ilorin Emirate working at the University, appealed to IEDPU to consider the possibility of institutionalising one form of award or the other as well as similar interventions in the University.
He explained that doing so would, among other things, make the University to feel more impacts of its host community as it would make the relationship between the University and Ilorin Emirate truly symbiotic.
Earlier in his remarks, the IEDPU President, Alhaji Abdulmalik, said that the purpose of the visit was to thank the Vice Chancellor for creating time out of his tight schedule to attend the last national conference of the Union in person.
Alhaji Abdulmalik explained that the presence of the Vice Chancellor, who is also the Secretary-General of the Association of West African Universities (AWAU), was a clear affirmation of the subsisting good Town and Gown relationship between the University and Ilorin community.
The President also thanked the University Management for always rewarding the hardworking staff, including indigenes of Ilorin Emirate working at the University who have been enjoying commensurate career progression.
He specifically cited the recent promotion of six indigenes of Ilorin Emirate to the enviable rank of Professor and seven to the position of Associate Professor, among several other beneficiaries of the recent promotion exercise for senior academic staff of the institution.
The community leader, who is a retired Assistant Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, also thanked the University Administration for appointing some indigenes of Ilorin Emirate into critical management positions.
Alhaji Abdulmalik also congratulated the Vice Chancellor and other members of the University community on the upcoming 50th anniversary celebration of the University as he assured them that the Union as well as the entire people of the Emirate are looking forward to playing active role in the activities marking the celebration.
Responding to another issue, Alhaji Abdulmalik assured the Vice Chancellor that the Union was ready to institutionalise an annual prize for academic excellence in the University. He said that this would be done immediately for the prize to commence in the ongoing academic session.
The highlight of the visit was the presentation of some copies of the Union’s 2025 calendar to the Vice Chancellor by Alhaji Abdulmalik. Alhaji Abdulmalik was accompanied on the visit by the Union’s National Secretary, who is also the Secretary-General of Ilorin Emirate Staff Association, University of Ilorin, Mr Abubakar Imam.
