The University of Ilorin has yet again last Wednesday (March 11, 2015) bagged another award as the institution was named the “Most Ethically Responsible Federal University” in Nigeria in the year 2014. Some principal officers of the school were also given several awards.
The institution’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. AbdulGaniyu Ambali (OON), was also honoured with the Award of “Ambassador of Ethics and Conscience” in recognition of his sterling performance at the helm of the University.
The Centre for Ethics and Self Value Orientation (CESVO),which gave the two awards, also named the Registrar of the University, Mr. Emmanuel Obafemi, as one of the “200 Most Ethically Responsible Civil Servants in Nigeria”.
While presenting the awards, the Executive Director of CESVO, Prince Salih Musa Yakubu, commended the Vice-Chancellor for the wisdom with which he has been propelling the University forward.
Prince Yakubu disclosed that his group had heard so much about the University of Ilorin and that it therefore decided to carry out a secret and independent investigation to verify the claims of the University.
He said that the group was not disappointed, as the University scored 87% in the public administration appraisal score card, noting that this prompted the Gold Medal award to the Vice-Chancellor for his good work in public administration.
The Executive Director said that the group is a non-governmental organisation, with the mission to expose corrupt leaders and to contribute to the development of the nation. This, according to him, is carried out through the conduct of opinion polls without the knowledge of the subjects being investigated.
He said, “After the investigation, I am pleased to announce to you that you are a man of ethics and value. You are a wise man and we love you.”
Prince Yakubu, who regretted that the country has yet to achieve the vision of its heroes past because of bad leadership, described the Unilorin Vice-Chancellor as “one of the most respected public officers in the country.”
He congratulated Prof. Ambali for making himself outstanding, noting that the management of the University has been the most ethically responsible in the country.
Speaking further, the CESVO boss stressed that the cankerworm of corruption must be tackled if the country aspires to be great. He said, “We are a change agent and we are prepared to lay down our lives to guarantee the future of this country. We know our work is risky, but we are equally sophisticated.”
The group also volunteered to organise a two-day training workshop for 200 staff members of the University on CONTISS 1-14 on the topic, “Understanding the Fundamentals of Governance Ethics and Public Service Value Mentality”, at no cost to the university.
In his response, the Vice-Chancellor said that he envisaged a promising future for Nigerians with the advent of the group. He submitted that he had always believed that tomorrow belongs to the younger ones.
Prof. Ambali explained that the University of Ilorin inculcates the values of the University into every student, adding that the University has a set of values to make students conform to international standards.
“When those in leadership like us see people like you, we feel like retiring because we know you are capable of taking up the mantle of leadership”, Prof. Ambali said.
The Vice-Chancellor blamed the rampant corruption in the country on the ‘fear of the unknown’, stressing that the country needs young men like members of CESVO who have positive attitude towards managing the nation’s resources.
Prof. Ambali then called on the government to ensure that the system works and that people have no reason to steal because they are guaranteed of tomorrow.
Pointing out that the sanitization of the system is a collective responsibility, the Vice-Chancellor said, “We are encouraged by this award and we promise that we are going to do more. The award is dedicated to Unilorites and Unilorin Alumni”.
Other members of the CESVO team that visited the University included, Mr. Yahaya Iliabe Musa, Comrade Shata Sunday, Mr. Abubakar Mohammed, Mr. Haruna Abdulkareem, Mr. Nuhu O. Solomon, Mr. Felix O. Maduabueni and Mr. Adams A. Samuel.
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