Tunde Akanbi, Ilorin
The University of Ilorin has been listed among 18 tertiary institutions selected to benefit from the Federal Government’s ₦110 billion intervention fund aimed at expanding medical training facilities across the country.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu disclosed this on Thursday while speaking at the 40th Convocation Ceremony of the university, saying the initiative was designed to strengthen the training of healthcare professionals and tackle the shortage of medical personnel nationwide.
Represented by the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Professor Temidayo Oladiji, the President said his administration would continue to invest heavily in research, innovation, and education to position Nigerian universities as global centres of excellence.
He commended UNILORIN for its consistency in academic discipline and research excellence, describing it as a model institution for other universities in the country. “As the University of Ilorin approaches its 50th anniversary, it remains a beacon of excellence. Nigeria must begin to produce Nobel laureates, and I believe UNILORIN can lead that charge,” Tinubu said.
The President also announced that UNILORIN had been chosen as one of the host universities for the National Universities Commission’s (NUC) Digital Innovation Hubs, a national programme designed to boost research, digital skills, and entrepreneurship among students.
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While acknowledging the current economic challenges facing the country, Tinubu appealed for patience, assuring that the government’s ongoing reforms would yield positive outcomes. “I understand the temporary hardships Nigerians face today, but these challenges are short-lived. The foundation we are laying will sustain a stronger and more inclusive economy,” he said.
He added that the decision to suspend the creation of new federal universities was to consolidate and strengthen existing ones for improved performance. “We must prioritise quality over quantity,” he stated.
In his goodwill message, the Executive Secretary of the NUC, Professor Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu, represented by the Vice Chancellor of Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, Professor AbduLateef Oladimeji, lauded UNILORIN for attracting over ₦12 billion in research grants within two years.
Leading centre of learning
The Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Wahab Egbewole (SAN), congratulated the 11,886 graduating students, including 316 First Class graduates, and urged them to uphold the institution’s values of discipline, integrity, and hard work.
“At 40, our university has matured. The future begins now. Be deliberate in shaping your destiny,” he said.
He also highlighted student achievements, including veterinary students Karimot Abisola and Idris Nahimah Opeyemi, who won a $5,500 Global Morris Foundation Scholarship, and engineering student Qudus Aduraghemi, whose team won €1,200 in a European innovation challenge.
Pro-Chancellor and Surveyor Abiodun Aluko, commended President Tinubu’s reforms in the education sector, describing them as “revolutionary interventions improving access and welfare in universities.”
He also praised Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for maintaining peace and development in the state, urging that the ongoing urban renewal project be extended to the university’s access road.
The convocation, which also marked UNILORIN’s golden jubilee, attracted dignitaries, scholars, and alumni from across Nigeria and abroad, further cementing the university’s status as one of the nation’s leading centres of learning, discipline, and innovation.