A socio-cultural organisation, the Kwara South Consultative Forum, has openly rejected a proposal calling for the renaming of the University of Ilorin, a federally owned university located in Ilorin, Kwara State, North-Central Nigeria, after Sheikh Alimi, the founder of the Alimi dynasty.
The proposal was earlier made by the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, the traditional ruler of Ilorin Emirate in Kwara State, during activities marking the fiftieth anniversary of the University of Ilorin, an institution established in 1975 by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Reacting in a statement issued on Friday, 19 December 2025, and signed by its Secretary-General, Adebayo Daramola, the Forum described the call as “highly provocative” and insensitive to the ethnic composition and historical diversity of Kwara State. The group stressed that the university is a shared asset belonging to all parts of the state and beyond.
Okay News reports that the Forum warned that renaming the university after a figure closely linked to a particular lineage could revive ethnic divisions that the state has worked for decades to manage.
“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 said.
The Forum further explained that the presence of the university in Ilorin, which serves as the state capital, does not give the host community exclusive rights over the institution.
“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,” the group stated.
According to the Forum, Sheikh Alimi’s historical relevance does not resonate across all ethnic groups in Kwara State, especially among communities of Ekiti, Ibolo and Igbomina origin in Kwara South, as well as several 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 statement added.
As an alternative, the Forum advised supporters of the proposal to consider establishing a privately owned university named after Sheikh Alimi. It cited the rising number of private tertiary institutions across Kwara South as evidence that such a project is feasible.
Examples listed include Landmark University in Omu-Aran, Thomas Adewumi University in Oko, Abubakar AbdulRazaq Toyin University in Gamo, Summit University in Offa, Offa University in Offa, Lens University in Offa and Ilemona, and Lens Polytechnic in Offa.
“So, we are advising you to take a cue from Kwara South by establishing a private university in the name of Sheikh Alimi if there is a strong desire to immortalise him,” the Forum said.
The group also criticised the recent renaming of the Kwara State Government House, located in Ilorin, to Ahmadu Bello House, saying the decision was taken without adequate consultation with other ethnic communities, particularly those in Kwara South.
It argued that if the Government House must be named after an individual, it should honour Brigadier General David Lasisi Bamigboye, the pioneer Military Governor of Kwara State, who played a foundational role in the early development of the state.
“It is still not late to right the wrong by renaming the Kwara State Government House as David Lasisi Bamigboye House, considering that he laid the foundation of the state and left enduring legacies, including the Government House,” the statement noted.
The Forum appealed to Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, the current elected governor of the state, to intervene and reverse what it described as a glaring injustice. It emphasised that governance in Kwara State must be guided by equity, fairness, 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 statement concluded.
The University of Ilorin remains one of Nigeria’s most diverse federal universities, attracting students and academic staff from all regions of the country and from outside Nigeria.
