Kwara South Group Rejects Call to Rename University of Ilorin After Sheikh Alimi

Kwara South Group Rejects Call to Rename University of Ilorin After Sheikh Alimi

A socio-cultural group, the Kwara South Consultative Forum, has strongly rejected the proposal by the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, to rename the University of Ilorin after Sheikh Alimi, founder of the Alimi dynasty, describing the move as “provocative” and potentially divisive.

The Forum said the proposal, made during the university’s 50th anniversary celebration, fails to reflect the ethnic diversity and shared history of Kwara State, and has since sparked widespread debate across the state.

In a statement issued on Friday and signed by its Secretary-General, Adebayo Daramola, the group stressed that the University of Ilorin is a collective heritage of all Kwarans, not the property of any single ethnic group or community.

“The entire state of Kwara is the catchment area of the University of Ilorin. We are just not homogeneous enough in Kwara State for that idea to ever be muted,” the statement read.

The Forum warned that renaming the federal institution could inflame ethnic tensions, noting that the university’s location in Ilorin does not amount to exclusive ownership by the host community.

“The fact that the University is located in Ilorin does not confer ownership on the city. The privilege of being a host community should not be confused with exclusive ownership,” it added.

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While acknowledging the historical significance of Sheikh Alimi, the group argued that his legacy does not enjoy statewide acceptance, particularly among Ekiti, Ibolo and Igbomina communities in Kwara South, as well as several ethnic groups in Kwara North.

“It will therefore be uncalled for to contemplate the imposition of a name that does not have statewide spread on our collective inheritance,” the Forum said.

As an alternative, the group advised proponents of the proposal to consider establishing a private university named after Sheikh Alimi, citing the increasing number of privately owned tertiary institutions in Kwara South, including Landmark University, Omu-Aran; Thomas Adewumi University, Oko; Summit University, Offa; and Offa University, Offa, among others.

The Forum also criticised the recent renaming of the Kwara State Government House as Ahmadu Bello House, alleging that the decision was taken without broad consultation, particularly with ethnic groups in Kwara South.

It argued that if the Government House must be named after an individual, it should honour Kwara State’s first Military Governor, the late Brigadier General David Bamigboye (retd.), who laid the foundation of the state and initiated key infrastructure, including the Government House.

The group called on Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to intervene and reverse what it described as a “glaring injustice”, urging that governance in Kwara State must be guided by fairness, equity and justice.

“We must not do anything that can tamper with our resolve to live together in peace and harmony in Kwara State, the State of Harmony,” the Forum added.

Established in 1975, the University of Ilorin is a federal institution with students and staff drawn from across Nigeria and beyond, making it one of the country’s most diverse universities.

Kwara South Group Rejects Call to Rename University of Ilorin After Sheikh Alimi