By Abubakar Imam
The Chairman of the University of Ilorin 50th Anniversary Planning Committee, Prof. Olugbenga Ayodeji Mokuolu, has canvassed the support of the Chairman and members of the Committee of Provost and Deans of Faculties of the University (CoPD) for the upcoming golden jubilee celebration.
Prof. Mokuolu made this call last Wednesday (July 2, 2025) while briefing the CoPD on preparations for the upcoming anniversary celebration at the Boardroom of the Academic Planning Unit.
He explained that the meeting was organised because the Committee believed that the Provost and the Deans “are entitled to be properly briefed on such a monumental milestone the University would be attaining in a few months.”
Explaining the lineup of activities for the anniversary celebration, Prof. Mokuolu said that the celebration would run from Sunday, November 23 to Friday, November 28, 2025 and mostly within the University premises.
Prof. Mokuolu said that the highlights of the programme would be an anniversary lecture to be delivered by a distinguished scholar and globally renowned Pan-Africanist, Prof. P. L.O. Lumumba, and the launching of ₦50 billion endowment fund for various projects.
He also announced that an account has been specifically created for the anticipated financial support being expected from alumni and friends of the University across the world.
Prof. Mokuolu thanked the Deans for keying-in to the anniversary programme even before the meeting as he said that he was excited that most of the Faculties have produced branded letterhead papers and are also displaying anniversary banners in their various Faculties.
]He explained that though he was not unaware that the tenures of most of the Deans would soon come to an end, he said that they could still do a lot for the Committee, pointing out that they should extend the information to their successors, Faculty members and other stakeholders.
The Chairman requested that each of the Faculties should assist the University by raising at least ₦100,000,000 towards meeting the ₦50 billion target with the conviction that the Faculties can easily reach out to their alumni.
Prof. Mokuolu expressed the belief that the amount could be generated from the pool of over 250,000 alumni of the University who are doing well across the world.
He requested the Deans to nominate a Faculty Liaison Person (FLP) that would join the Committee in executing the tasks ahead. He suggested that such a representative should be preferably an alumnus of the University working in their respective Faculty.
In her remarks, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), Prof. Moji Taibat Bakare-Odunola, who also attended the meeting, thanked the members of the Anniversary Planning Committee and the Deans for their contributions to the progress of the University.
Prof. Bakare-Odunola urged the Deans to support the Committee and the University not just towards raising the targeted funds but to also ensure the overall success of the programme.
Also speaking, the Co-Chairman of the Anniversary Committee, Prof. AbdulRasheed Abiodun Adeoye, reminded the Deans of their envisaged contributions to the anniversary book.
Prof. Adeoye, who is also the Director of Academic Planning, lamented that only the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture has so far responded to the call for papers as he noted that time was of essence in the production of the book, which he said would be a mine of information on the University.
Responding, the Chairman of the CoPD, Prof. Biodun Sulyman Alabi, thanked the Chairman of the Anniversary Planning Committee for organising the meeting, which he described as informative.
Prof. Alabi who is the Provost College of Health Science promised that each of the Deans would do everything within his or her capacities to ensure that the anniversary is colourful and successful.
