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Professor AbdulGaniyu Ambali, a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin and one of Nigeria’s most prominent academics, has died at the age of 68 after a brief illness.
The death of the former university administrator was announced on Saturday by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Wahab Olasupo Egbewole, SAN, according to a statement issued by the institution’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Kunle Akogun.
The university described his passing as a significant loss to Nigeria’s academic community, noting that Ambali was serving as Pro-Chancellor of Kwara State University, Malete, at the time of his death.
What they are saying
Based on an excerpt from the statement by Prof. Wahab Olasupo Egbewole, SAN,
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“Prof. Ambali, who headed the University from 2012 to 2017, died earlier this morning after a brief illness. He was 68.”
According to the statement, Prof. Egbewole said the death of Ambali was “a huge loss not only to the University of Ilorin and the Kwara State University, Malete, which he currently serves as Pro-Chancellor but also to the entire nation and humanity.”
Burial rites were announced to take place at his residence in Oloje Housing Estate, Ilorin, scheduled for 4 p.m. on Saturday(today).
Ambali served as the ninth Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin from 2012 to 2017, a period marked by efforts to strengthen the institution’s academic reputation and expand its profile within Africa’s higher education landscape. During his tenure, he repeatedly expressed his ambition of positioning the university among the continent’s leading institutions.
Brief profile
Born on November 29, 1957, in Ilorin, Kwara State, Ambali studied Veterinary Medicine at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, graduating in 1981. He subsequently obtained both his master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom.
His academic career began at the University of Maiduguri shortly after completing the National Youth Service Corps programme in 1982. Through decades of teaching, research and administration, he rose through the ranks to become a professor in 1995.
Beyond university administration, Ambali played important roles in Nigeria’s education and professional regulatory sectors. He served on the National Universities Commission (NUC), the Veterinary Council of Nigeria and several accreditation and advisory bodies within the agricultural and livestock sectors.
He also contributed to Nigeria’s electoral process, serving as a Collation Officer during the 2015 presidential election and as Returning Officer for the Niger State governorship election.
A respected veterinary scholar, Ambali was a recipient of several professional and national honours, including the Distinguished Veterinarian Award conferred by the Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association in 2013. He was also a Fellow of several professional bodies and received the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON).
His death marks the end of a distinguished career in academia and public service, leaving behind a legacy that shaped university education, veterinary scholarship and institutional leadership in Nigeria.
