By Tunde Olusunle
Nigeria’s high-flying second generation university, the University of Ilorin, commemorated it’s golden jubilee on Wednesday July 16, 2025. The institution and about half a dozen others grouped together and collectively classified as “second generation universities,” was established under military jurisdiction in 1975, to contribute to the production of high quality intellectual and professional capital, to power the nation’s blossoming socio-economy. *Unilorin* as we proudly call our alma mater for short, is one institution which impacted my life, friendships and associations, and my career, tremendously. In many of my published writings for the media and the academia, I never spare opportunities to celebrate, even serenade the citadel. The Unilorin imprimatur is so deeply engraved on the consciousness of several of us alumni, that we unanimously nicknamed it *Better By Far.* For us, there is no facsimile for Unilorin anywhere in the world.
I’ve heard people refer to Unilorin as a “cult” on account of our “adhesive glue” cohesiveness and the conviviality of our relationships as fruits of the same tree. We hold up each other in trying times; we mourn with friends and schoolmates who are bereaved, encourage and lift them up in prayers, we celebrate ourselves and our own when the drums sound and guitars twang. We took one of us off the streets of a major Nigerian city, supported him through psychological and psychiatric rehabilitation, rented accommodation for him and even kitted his wardrobe to give him a new life. You can only be envious when you see us prosecuting crowd-funding project in support of one another. You will be amazed at the fellow-feeling, the outpouring of real love and affection.
Unilorin commemorated its landmark in style when it recently did. The incumbent leadership of the university recognised select alumni, at a ceremony held in the facilities of the institution, that July 17, 2025. Three categories of former students of the citadel received *Awards of Excellence,* *Distinguished Alumni* and *Unilorin Ambassadors* recognitions at the event. Honorees were predominantly from the academia and legal practice, while the public and private sectors; media; banking and investment; information and communication technology, (ICT); medicine; royalty, also feature on the list of award recipients. The blast furnaces, the grindstone through which we were crafted in Unilorin was bound to produce world class scholars in numbers, as evidenced by the population of the list of awardees, with Professors across disciplines and specialties.
My utmost amazement and delight at the same time, is the sheer number of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, (SAN), 11 of them, alumni of the University of Ilorin, who were honoured. Law as an academic programme was in its teething beginnings in my final year in Unilorin. The pioneer students had to be momentarily absorbed by the older University of Ife, as it then was known, (now Obafemi Awolowo University, (OAU)), while Unilorin built capacity to seamlessly and sustainably prosecute the programme. I know a few SANs from the Unilorin stock who were not even listed, including Eyitayo Fatogun, (2002). I can only be glad and proud, about how well law has fared from its years of being nourished by external feeding bottles, and the number of senior wigs it has thus far produced.
A singular commemorative event without doubt, cannot comprehensively accommodate the stars and bright lights which Unilorin has produced. Even at that, it is important to mention very important oversights in the recent investiture. Let’s hope today’s leadership of Unilorin remember that we have produced a state Governor in Abdulfatah Ahmed, predecessor to Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq of Kwara State, who graduated in 1986. We have a ranking Senator in Fatai Buhari representing Oyo North, (1985). We had Members of the House of Representatives in Abayomi Sheba and Dave Idoko earlier in this Fourth Republic, and still have some of our own in the 10th Assembly. Olusegun Adekunle, OON, (1983), became the very first Unilorin alumnus to make it to the topmost echelons of the Federal Civil Service, as Permanent Secretary in 2017. The second Unilorin-made Federal Permanent Secretary in 2023, was Tinuke Watti, (1987). Across the states, Unilorin has produced Permanent Secretaries through the years, the earliest perhaps being Tivlumun Nyitse, PhD, (1985), who was appointed to the position in Benue State in 2005. Shiaondo Aarga, mni, (1984) and Melutia Ogunremi, (1988), have also been Permanent Secretaries in Benue and Ogun states.
The intelligence and security services, non-uniformed, military and paramilitary, have equally been graced at very top levels by Unilorin alumni. Agev Apollos Dem, OON, (1985), rose to the rank of substantive Ambassador and Deputy Director-General of the Nigerian Intelligence Agency, (NIA). Kayode Ogundele, (1984), was Unilorin’s first alumnus to make the Major-General rank in the Nigerian Army. John Obasa, (1984) and Ayo Fayehun, among others, made the Brigadier-General cut. Johnson Olawumi, a former Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps, (NYSC), who obtained a masters in mechanical engineering in Unilorin in 1997, retired as a Major-General.
Early this year, Unilorin produced its first Deputy Inspector-General of Police, (DIG), Rhoda Adetutu Olofu, (1986). She is indeed the *first woman DIG* from the whole of Nigeria’s North, her state of origin being Kogi. There have been Assistant Inspectors-General of Police, (AIG) of Unilorin stock over the years including: Amaechi Elumelu, (1984); Ayoku Yekini, (1986), and Kehinde Longe, (1986), among others. Adebola Hamzat who studied sociology in Unilorin is a serving AIG. Presently, two Unilorin alumni, Wilfred Tokunbo Afolabi, in-charge of Ondo State, and Sa’adat Ismail, (1988), Force Headquarters, are Commissioners of Police. Abayomi Olukoju, (1985) was Deputy Corps Marshal, (DCM) in the Federal Road Safety Corps, (FRSC), before his retirement a few years ago.
Dapo Asaju, (1983), Professor, was Vice Chancellor of the Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo; Jimmy Olukoya, (1981), served as Registrar of the iconic University of Ibadan, even as Temitayo Olowola, (1986), is the current Registrar at the Kings University, Ile-Ife. Victor Babatunde Adeniran, PhD, (1983), has been Group Executive Director, (GED) in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Ltd, (NNPCL), while Olusegun Ilori, (1984), is Executive Director, Legal and Corporate Services, Green Energy International Ltd, and pioneer Secretary of the Crude Oil Refinery Owners Association of Nigeria, (CORAN). Sunmola Bakare, (1984), leads AB Offshore Marine Services, one of Nigeria’s most successful private maritime services outfits, even as the documentation of television drama in Nigeria, will be incomplete without the acknowledgement of the endeavours of Tunji Bamishigbin, (1985).
Sunnie Enessi Ododo, (1986), Professor, has been Director-General of the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, while Emmanuel Edem Ikpeme, PhD, MON, (1986), is the Technical Director of the Nigerian Football Federation, (NFF). Franca Aiyetan, (1988), was Secretary of the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission, (NBC); Dapo Adelegan, (1986), was President and Chairman of Council of the Nigeria-British Chamber of Commerce, while Lanre Adisa, (1988), is the Founder and Chief Creative Officer at Noah’s Ark Communications, one of Nigeria’s most revered advertising agencies. Babafemi Oyewole, PhD, is Chief Executive Officer of the Pan African Farmers Organisation, (PAFO), headquartered in Benin Republic; Olusegun Babalola Ogbonnewo, (1985), was Non-executive Director of Access Bank Plc, and Coronation Insurance Plc, and Matthias Chika Mordi, (1986), Chairman of United Capital Plc and former Alternate President of the West African Institute of Bankers. Omolola Oloworaran, is Director-General of the National Pension Commission, (Pencom), while Kayode Opeifa, (1986), Managing Director of the Nigerian Railways Corporation, (NRC), is also a Unilorin “homeboy.”
Ayo Akinkuotu, (1980), virtually inspired a whole generation of Unilorin alumni in the media profession, having made a success of his odyssey in the Daily Times of yore. Yet he didn’t study journalism. Gbenga Ayeni, Professor of Communications at East Connecticut State University, (ECSU), United States, and this writer, (both 1985 alumni), who is an Adjunct Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Abuja, and who was the first Unilorin alumnus to serve as a presidential aide, worked in Daily Times. Hakeem Bello, (1988), long-serving Media Adviser in Lagos State and the Federal Ministry of Works, and Tunde Rahman, (1987), Senior Special Assistant on Media to President Bola Tinubu, also served in the Daily Times at various times, becoming household names. Prominent human rights activist, Joe Okei-Odumakin, (1987), President of the Campaign for Democracy, (CD), as well as the Commonwealth Short Story Prize winner in 2012, Jekwu Anyaegbuna, are worthy alumni.
Hundreds of Unilorin alumni by the way, are making the institution exceedingly proud across the world in diverse vocations. Dele Abegunde, health economist who worked in the World Health Organisation, (WHO), Geneva; Babatunde Ogunnaike, (1983), Texas, US-based Professor of anesthesiology; Abayomi Ige, (1986) Philadelphia US-based specialist in psychiatry; Harold Longe, (1988), Professor, oncology and haematology, Indiana University School of Medicine, are some of Unilorin’s most formidable medical exports to the world. Adebisi Adebayo, PhD, a renowned activist for the reproductive health of women and girls, is the Chief Focal Point, at the Liaison Office of the Inter-African Committee on Practices Affecting Women and Girls, in Geneva, Switzerland, is a distinguished alumnus in her own right.
Someday, hopefully, there will be recognition for departed alumni who very ably hoisted the institution’s flag aloft in their time. Aize Obayan, Professor, who obtained her doctorate in Unilorin, was the first and only female Nigerian academic thus far to have been Vice Chancellor of two universities namely: Covenant University, Otta, and Landmark University, Omu-Aran. She transited, sadly in January 2019. The award-winning Nigerian-Canadian writer and scholar, Pius Adesanmi, (1990), also an eminent Professor, was Director of the Institute of African Studies at the Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada, before unfortunate demise in the same year, in the February 2019 mishap in Ethiopia. Same for Abraham TJ Adavi, (1987), composer of the famous Unilorin anthem, who retired as Permanent Secretary in Kogi State and passed in 2022. Adeola Augustine Otukpe, (1984) and Toyin Okpaise, (1986), were pioneer venturers into advertising who co-founded *Alicia Virgins Concepts* very early in their careers.
This addendum aims to challenge the authorities of the University of Ilorin present and future, to be more broad-based, more inclusive, more diligent in identifying notable exemplars, distinguished alumni and ambassadors for honours and recognition, in times and years ahead. Such an exercise requires much more than a thin body to compile alumni qualified for honours. The University of Ilorin has contributed no less than 300,000 properly trained graduates who are variously contributing to global advancement. It has earned its stripes and must handle every edition of such a project with every seriousness and competence. This writer may not be an encyclopedia on Unilorin alumni matters. He may have a little bit to support with, though.
Tunde Olusunle, PhD, Fellow of the Association of Nigerian Authors, (FANA), is an Adjunct Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Abuja
