Ex-UNILORIN Vice Chancellor, Prof AbdulGaniyu Ambali is Dead

Ex- Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Professor AbdulGaniyu Ambali, has died at the age of 68.

Ambali, a respected scholar of Veterinary Medicine and seasoned university administrator, reportedly passed away in the early hours of Saturday, June 6, 2026, at his residence in Oloje Estate, Ilorin, Kwara State.

Family sources said the former vice-chancellor died around 3 a.m., just hours after observing the Isha’i prayer at a nearby mosque on Friday night. He was said not to have been visibly ill prior to his passing.

His Janazah prayer is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Saturday at his residence along Air Force Road, Oloje Estate, Ilorin.

Academic and Administrative Career

Born on November 29, 1957, in Ilorin, Kwara State, Ambali built a distinguished academic career spanning more than three decades in teaching, research, and university leadership.

He obtained his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Ahmadu Bello University in 1981 before proceeding to the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom, where he earned both a Master’s degree and a PhD in Veterinary Medicine.

Before joining the University of Ilorin, he lectured at the University of Maiduguri, where he began his academic career. He later joined UNILORIN, rising through the ranks to become a professor and eventually serving as the institution’s ninth Vice-Chancellor between 2012 and 2017.

He also served as the pioneer Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the university, playing a key role in shaping its early academic structure.

National Contributions and Recognition

At the time of his death, Ambali was serving as Chairman and Pro-Chancellor of Kwara State University.

He was widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s leading veterinary scholars, having supervised numerous postgraduate students and published over 80 academic papers in peer-reviewed journals.