Emirate group says next Unilorin VC must come from Ilorin
By Kadir Abubakar, Ilorin
In what appears an attempt to complete the circle of nepotism in Nigeria, a group, Ilorin Emirate Descendant Progressive Union (IEDPU has said that the next Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin must come from the acient town.
One of Africa’s topmost University, Obafemi Awolowo University is currently enmeshed in a similar controversy in what many observers see as a reflection of the country’s elevation of parochial ethnic favouritism to a state policy now being copied by almost every institution in the country
The group in a statement made available to Irohinoodua on Thursday said “fifth columnists” are planning to possible emergence of an indigene of Ilorin as the next Vice-Chancellor.
IEDPU in the press statement by its National President, Alhaji Abdulhamid Adi, titled “Return of the Fifth Columnist” released at its office, Gerin-Alimi road, accused the enemies of the Ilorin Emirate of promoting attacks on the Institution.
It accused a section of the University community of attacking Vice Chancellor, Prof. AbdulGaniyu Ambali in order to scuttle the chance of another Ilorin indigene becoming the next VC of the school.
The IEDPU described as Ilorinphobists those working against the interest of the Emirate.
IEDPU said five vice chancellors had administered the university who were not indigenes of Ilorin but were supported.
It wondered why the hostility to Ilorin indigenes whenever they are the VC
The group stated “Our action is not a ploy to shield Prof. Ambali but we cannot tolerate any person or group of people bent on rubbishing the feats attained by the university and Ambali in particular who happened to hail from the emirate,” it added.*
The Emirate said “At inception, pioneer staff of the university were imported as it were. Almost all academic and non academic staff including even cleaners were brought from states outside the then Kwara as if there were no one worthy enough within the state to be employed.
It stated further that the department of Arabic and Islamic studies which would have been the department to reflect the cultural attachment of our people was changed to that of religion because of the sentiment of a negligible few.
It said “In 1997, Prof Shuaib Oba AbdulRaheem was appointed the VC…to welcome him to the office, a 21 ft python sat majestically on his seat just as he was about to commence his administration. The snake, preserved for posterity, is still in a laboratory of the university.
“They were hostile against Professor Oba all through his tenure and at national assignment and tormented professor Is-haq Oloyede because of his perceived link with Ilorin community and their paranoid for Islam. Were they on sabbatical when Prof Amali was the VC?, IEDPU queried.
“The reason for all these attacks is crystal clear, bring down the outgoing VC from Ilorin and another Ilorin VC will not emerge.”