Former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Professor AbdulGaniyu Ambali, is dead.
The renowned veterinary medicine scholar and university administrator reportedly died in the early hours of Saturday at his residence in Oloje Estate, Ilorin.
He would have turned 69 in November.
Family sources said Ambali passed away around 3 a.m., hours after attending the Isha’i prayer at a nearby mosque on Friday night.
He was not known to have been ill before his death.
His Janazah is scheduled to hold at 4 p.m. at his residence along Air Force Road in Oloje Estate, Ilorin.
Ambali served as the ninth Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin between 2012 and 2017
He left behind a distinguished career that spanned more than three decades in teaching, research and university administration.
At the time of his death, he was Chairman and Pro-Chancellor of Kwara State University, a position he held after completing his tenure at the University of Ilorin.
Born on November 29, 1957, in Ilorin, Kwara State, Ambali began his education at Pakata Primary School before attending Government Secondary School, Jalingo.
He obtained his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Ahmadu Bello University in 1981 and later earned both a Master’s degree and a PhD in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Liverpool.
He lectured at the University of Maiduguri before joining the University of Ilorin, where he rose through the ranks to become Professor of Veterinary Medicine and later the pioneer Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.
Ambali had also served as Chairman of the Association of West African Universities and was a Fellow of the College of Veterinary Surgeons of Nigeria.
He also mentored numerous scholars, supervised postgraduate students and published more than 80 scholarly articles in peer-reviewed journals.
In recognition of his contributions to education and national development, he was conferred with the national honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON).
Reacting to the development, the Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU) described the late academic’s passing as a painful loss to the Ilorin Emirate and the country.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Suleiman Shuaib Dagbo, the union said its members received news of Ambali’s death with shock and profound sadness, describing him as “a complete patriot and perfect gentleman” who served humanity with humility and dedication.
The union noted that the late professor made significant contributions to the growth of the University of Ilorin and also played active roles within the organisation, including serving as chairman of its Maiduguri branch and presiding over the opening ceremony of its 2018 national conference.
“His death is not only a terrible blow but an incident that diminishes the people of the Ilorin Emirate,” the statement said.
The IEDPU extended condolences to Ambali’s family, the Emir of Ilorin, Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, the managements of Kwara State University and the University of Ilorin, as well as colleagues, associates and friends of the late scholar.
It also prayed for Allah’s forgiveness and eternal mercy upon the deceased.
Ambali is widely remembered for his contributions to higher education, institutional development and veterinary medicine, as well as for a vice-chancellorship that helped consolidate the University of Ilorin’s reputation as one of Nigeria’s most stable and sought-after universities.
