Emir, LAK Jimoh rally support for CILS
By Abubakar Imam
The Emir of Ilorin and Chairman of the Kwara State Council of Chiefs, Alhaji (Dr) Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, CFR, and a renowned historian, Alhaji Lasisi Ayinla Kolawole Jimoh, have called on indigenes, residents and friends of the Ilorin Emirate to offer more support to the Centre for Ilorin Studies (CILS) , University of Ilorin, to enable it achieve its essence.
The two elder-statesmen made this advocacy last Thursday (August 27,2026) at their separate residences while receiving the management of the Centre led by its new Director, Prof. Ali Arazeem Abdullahi, which paid them courtesy visits.
Welcoming the delegation to his palace, the Emir, who is also the Chancellor of the Bayero University, Kano, and Muhammad Kamalud-Deen University, Ilorin, said that the Centre can only achieve its essence with the support of all and sundry.
Alhaji Sulu-Gambari thanked the authorities of the University of Ilorin for establishing the Centre and for appointing distinguished scholars to head it at various times.
He assured the Centre of his support and prayers at all times as he said that the management of the Centre should always feel free to approach him and the palace for support.
While addressing the Emir earlier, Prof. Abdullahi said that he and his deputy were recently appointed as he added that they felt it necessary to seek the fatherly prayers and support of the Emir for the tasks ahead.
Prof. Abdullahi, who teaches at the Department of Sociology, said that the Centre was purposely established to collate and preserve the intellectual, social and economic heritages of the people of Ilorin for posterity.
He promised to build on the achievements of previous Directors for the Centre to achieve its mandates.
The Director, who was accompanied on the visits by his Deputy, Dr Musa Muhammad Danjuma; and some other staff members of the Centre, appealed to the Emir to use his good offices to appeal to stakeholders within and outside the Ilorin Emirate for more support.
The management of the Centre also visited a renowned community leader and historian, Alhaji L.A. K. Jimoh at his residence in the Gambari area of Ilorin.
Prof. Abdullahi thanked the elder-statesman for his numerous contributions to community development, particularly in the realm of historical documentation and knowledge dissemination.
Prof. Abdullahi assured Alhaji Jimoh that the Centre would continue to perform its responsibilities that are similar to what the Centre for Arabic Documentation at the University of Ibadan, Arewa House, Kaduna and the Centre for Transahara Studies, Maiduguri,do.
Responding, Alhaji Jimoh thanked the Director and members of the delegation for the visit.
While advising the Director and his team on what should be done to make the Centre more relevant, Alhaji Jimoh assured that he would continue to support the Centre to the best of his ability.
