By Abubakar Imam
The Governor of Kwara State and Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, CON, has been commended for the recent support of his administration to the Centre for Ilorin Studies (CILS), University of Ilorin.
This commendation was made by the Director of the Centre, Prof. Issa Olarongbe Sanusi, while conducting UNILORIN Bulletin round the Centre’s gallery last Wednesday (June 11, 2025).
Prof. Sanusi, who is the fifth Director of the Centre, explained that the sum of ₦5,000,000 donation granted to the Centre by the Kwara State Government was used to provide some essential materials that would assist it to serve its purpose better.
He added that the donation was quite significant and timely as it has been used to acquire two sets of cabinets containing wardrobes and shelves as well as wooden wall-brackets that have been placed at the gallery.
Prof. Sanusi, who teaches at the Department of Linguistics and Nigerian Languages, also said that part of the fund was also expended on the collection, digitisation and documentation of some Arabic and Islamic manuscripts written by notable Islamic scholars from Ilorin Emirate for the Centre.
He also explained that from the amount made available to the Centre by the Governor, several varieties of cultural materials of Ilorin Emirate origin were also acquired to stock the gallery as well as the erection of a specially designed Ilorin Emirate logo for the CILS.
Also acquired from the financial assistance of the Kwara State Government was a set of local weaving frames with accessories as well as samples of already made pieces of Aso-Oke, which he described as an important traditional economic product of the Ilorin Emirate.
Speaking on other challenges, the Director said that the Centre needed to be equipped with more facilities that would make it attractive to tourists and researchers from far and near.
Prof. Sanusi appealed to indigenes and friends of Ilorin Emirate to support the Centre with more funds and intellectual materials such as relevant books, journals,archival pictures and theses, saying that more of such support would enhance its service delivery.
The Director, who recalled the support of the Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU) and some Ilorin families and even individuals to the Centre, urged other sociocultural organisations of the people of Ilorin Emirate, particularly the newly founded Ilorin Women Association (IWA), to also extend one form of support or the other to the Centre.
Prof. Sanusi equally thanked the Emir of Ilorin and Chairman, Kwara State Council of Chiefs, Alhaji (Dr) Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, CFR, and his chiefs for their support, particularly for assisting the Centre with information, which enabled it to prepare and publish a handbook on “The Ilorin Emirate Council Administrative Hierarchy” that has since been released for public use.
The Director equally thanked the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Wahab Olasupo Egbewole, SAN, for his support to the Centre, saying that his advice has been found most useful by the management and staff of the Centre in moving it forward.
Prof. Sanusi also acknowledged the contributions of the previous Vice Chancellors of the University, particularly Prof. Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede, whose administration established the Centre and his successors as well as all the four previous Directors of the Centre, saying that their efforts culminated in the present state of the Centre.
