FG releases funds for payment of UNILORIN 49

The University of Ilorin on Monday disclosed that the Federal Government had released funds for the payment of its lecturers who were reinstated by the Supreme Court last year.


The institution’s authorities also stated that both parties that were involved in the litigation had learnt their lessons and put the past behind them.

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The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, who spoke at a press briefing to usher in a week-long programme of activities for the 26th convocation of the institution, was reacting to speculations that one year after, the lecturers were yet to be paid.


Oloyede explained that with the release of the lecturers’ entitlements by the Federal Government, the institution had commenced the payment, adding that the school could not have flouted a Supreme Court judgment.


He said that with the court case now settled, “the university is now more invigorated and ready to blaze the trail in Nigeria’s university system.”


He said, “Lessons have been learnt by everyone on the issue of the unilorin 49. We are a law abiding institution. What we have done is to fully comply with the ruling as the Federal Government has provided the resources imposed on us by the court. Today, we pay N386m monthly in salaries.”


The VC called for more accountability in the tertiary education sector, noting that if what the Federal Government makes available to Nigerian universities was judiciously used, the country’s tertiary institutions would be some of the best in the world.


He observed that those who were still complaining that the government was allocating meagre resources to the sector were only doing so because some of the monies allocated were not prudently utilised.


He also took a swipe at universities who were in the “habit of selling honorary degrees,” saying that the whole idea had lost its usefulness.”


Oloyede, who is also the President of the Association of African Universities, contended that people were now being awarded degrees for doing nothing to add value to the society, noting that the school would always distance itself from such acts.


Oloyede stated that honorary degrees had become so cheap in the country, that those who did not deserve them were rewarded “just like the case with chieftaincy titles.”


The VC had earlier in his address said that the university produced 19 first class students, 857 second class upper and 2, 971 second class lower graduates in the 2009/2010 session.