Former UNILORIN Vice-Chancellor, Prof. AbdulGaniyu Ambali, Dies at 68

Former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Professor AbdulGaniyu Ambali, OON, has passed away at the age of 68.

The renowned veterinary medicine scholar and administrator reportedly died in the early hours of Saturday at his residence in Oloje Estate, Ilorin, Kwara State, after a brief illness.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Wahab Olasupo Egbewole (SAN), announced the development through a statement issued by the institution’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Kunle Akogun.

According to the statement, Prof. Ambali, who served as the 9th Vice-Chancellor of the university between 2012 and 2017, made significant contributions to the growth and development of the institution during his tenure.

Describing his passing as a monumental loss, Prof. Egbewole said the late academic’s death would be deeply felt not only by the University of Ilorin community but also by Kwara State University, Malete, where he served as Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, as well as the nation at large.

The Vice-Chancellor extended condolences to the family of the deceased, the Ilorin Emirate, and members of the academic community, urging sympathisers to attend the Janazah prayer scheduled to hold at the late professor’s residence in Oloje Estate, Ilorin, on Saturday.

Until his death, Prof. Ambali was the Chairman and Pro-Chancellor of Kwara State University, a position he assumed after completing his tenure as Vice-Chancellor of UNILORIN.

Born on November 29, 1957, in Ilorin, Kwara State, Ambali began his educational journey at Pakata Primary School before proceeding to Government Secondary School, Jalingo.

He obtained a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in 1981 and later earned both Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom.

Prof. Ambali lectured at the University of Maiduguri before joining the University of Ilorin, where he rose through the ranks to become a Professor of Veterinary Medicine and the pioneer Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.

Throughout his distinguished career, he served in several leadership positions, including Chairman of the Association of West African Universities, and was a Fellow of the College of Veterinary Surgeons of Nigeria.

His death marks the end of a remarkable academic career that spanned decades of service to higher education, research, and institutional development in Nigeria.