By Bushrah Yusuf-Badmus

A Professor of Rural Sociology at the University of Ibadan, Prof. Janice Olawoye has called for more inclusion, improved Digital access and Literacy for the women gender for economic and personal developments.



Olawoye spoke on Wednesday in Malete during the Launch and Public Awareness Symposium of the institution’s Centre for Gender Studies.



The symposium has it’s theme Gender, Digital Literacy and Sustainable Development: Interrogating Pathways to Inclusion.



Prof. Olawoye said the Gender Digital Divide showed the gaps/differences between men’s, women’s, boy’s and girl’s access and use of technology, the internet and mobile phones, reflecting gender inequalities.



She said women and girls face significantly greater barriers to accessing technology, developing digital skills and utilising the internet than men and boys.



“We have to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.



“It is estimated that about 90 percent of jobs worldwide has a digital component, so access to digital financial services has become important for women’s economic empowerment but requires access and ability to use digital services.



“Further to this, there is the need for digital literacy to enable persons to not only have access but be able to utilise the devices and platform to take advantage of these opportunities,” she said.



The don however called for a nexus between gender, digital access and literacy, inclusion and sustainable development for everyone to have equal ability to take advantage of opportunities in this era of digitalisation.



She said as the social dynamics, the technology and the needed skills all change, we must also adjust strategies to promote an inclusive system for all.



In her lead presentation, Dr Omowumi Macaulay- Adeyelure from the University of Lagos, said the three pathways to inclusion namely, education, economic participation and cultural safety must be guaranteed for women to achieve Digital Access and literacy.



She said the capabilities of women are usually constrained by social norms and by scarcity, so interventions must close both the devices gap and the gap in permission and expectations.



In his remarks, KWASU Vice Chancellor, Prof. Jimoh Shaykh-Luqman said the institution remained committed to gender equity and inclusion and will continue to provide an enabling environment where men and women can excel in their careers.



“The establishment of the Centre for Gender Studies is a natural extension of the University’s commitment to the advancement and empowerment of women and other vulnerable groups in society.



“The theme of today’s symposium is both timely and relevant because we live in a world where digital technology shapes access to information, education, employment, and participation in public life.



“Yet many people, especially women and other vulnerable groups, still face challenges in accessing digital opportunities and developing digital skills.



“As scholars and practitioners, we must continue to examine these challenges and explore practical solutions that promotes inclusion, equity, and sustainable development,” he said.



The Acting Director, KWASU Centre for Gender Studies, Dr Latifat Olatinwo said the establishment of the Centre reflects the determination to expand the frontiers of knowledge and provide solutions to contemporary societal challenges in gender studies.



She expressed optimism that the Centre would serve as a hub for impactful research, strategic partnerships, capacity building, and intellectual discourse in gender mainstreaming and inclusivity.

The Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, has commended the Rector, Kwara State Polytechnic, Dr. Abdul Jimoh, describing him as a good ambassador of the Ilorin Emirate.



The Emir stated this during the Rector’s courtesy visit to the palace, to show his appreciation following his recent reinstatement by the state government.



He was accompanied by the Ag. National President, Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU), Alh. Abdulrauf Issa and the executives of the Balogun Gambari Ward Development Association.



Sulu-Gambari noted that he was confident in the Rector’s integrity, stressing that he believed the Rector would be vindicated as he truly was.



The Emir commended the Rector’s conduct in the discharge of his official assignments, saying that he had demonstrated the ethical and moral values that his family was known for.



“I am happy that you represented the entire Emirate well, for being free from any indictment by the committee that was set up by the state government.



“You truly make me proud, just like other Ilorin indigenes in positions of authority have always made the Emirate proud,” he said.



Sulu-Gambari also praised the progress that the institution has made under the present leadership of the Rector, and assured him of his continuous àsupport and prayers.



Earlier, the Rector, Dr. Abdul Jimoh thanked the Emir for his fatherly support and role played during his trial period, promising to always make the Emir and the people of Ilorin proud.



The Ag. National President, IEDPU, Alh. Abdulrauf Issa thanked the Emir for his help during the recent unfortunate incident at the Polytechnic and thanked him for his guidance throughout the difficult period.



The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the team prayed that Almighty Allah grant the Emir long life and good health.

By Kunle Akogun

With heavy hearts but with total submission to the Supreme Will of Almighty Allah, we, at the University of Ilorin, mourn the passing of our former Vice Chancellor, Prof. AbdulGaniyu Ambali, OON, who departed this world on Saturday, June 6, 2026, at the age of 68.

Prof. Ambali, who headed the university between 2012 and 2017, was more than an administrator. He was a visionary leader who believed in the power of ideas, discipline, and service. During his tenure as Vice Chancellor, he sustained the glowing legacies bequeathed to him by some of his illustrious predecessors. He also championed academic excellence, nurtured young minds, and created a conducive environment for all-round institutional growth.

During his tenure, he was widely regarded as a visionary and transformational leader who prioritised academic excellence, institutional growth, and student development.

We remember him as a leader who understood that a university is not just lecture halls and laboratories but also character, community, and voice. He gave the university room to train, to mentor, and to tell some of the glorious stories we proudly tell today. Many of the ex-students now making waves across Nigeria are products of the enabling environment he helped create.

Under his leadership, the university recorded significant milestones in infrastructure, research, and national reputation.

Beyond policies and projects, colleagues and students remember him for his accessibility, his calm  demeanour, infectious wisdom, and his belief in nurturing the next generation.

Born on November 29, 1957, to the family of Mallam Ambali Gidado and Mrs. Husseina Angulu, Prof. AbdulGaniyu Ambali hailed from the Idi Agbede axis of Okeleru Quarters, Ilorin.

After his primary education at Pakata Primary School, Ilorin, he proceeded to McBride Secondary School, Jalingo (now Government Secondary School, Jalingo), Taraba State. Thereafter, he attended Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, from where he graduated with the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree in 1981. He was also at the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom, for his Master of Veterinary Science (M.V. Sc.) (1984), and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Veterinary Medicine (1989). The erudite veterinarian also attended the Royal Veterinary College, University of London, UK, for his Animal License Certificates. He is a Wellcome Trust Research Fellow.

Immediately after his national service in 1982, the young Ambali joined the services of the University of Maiduguri as Assistant Lecturer, and by dint of hard work and academic excellence, he became a Professor in 1995.

Prof. Ambali was two-time Dean, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maiduguri, before transferring his services to the University of Ilorin, where he became the pioneer Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in October 2010.

The erudite scholar was on national assignments in various capacities at various times, prominent among which were Collation Officer for the 2015 Presidential Election in Niger State, Returning Officer for the 2015 Governorship Election in Niger State, and Returning Officer for the 2017 Governorship Election in Ondo State.

With the impending expiration of the tenure of Prof. Is-haq Oloyede and the advertisement of the vacancy for the position of Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin in April 2012, the consummate veterinarian, showed interest in the job Prof. Ambali was one of the 14 eminent Professors that turned in their application letters.

After a rigorous interview session, Prof. Ambali was adjudged the most suitable, and he was recommended by the Council/Senate Selection Board for appointment. The University Council, thereafter, ratified the Selection Board’s recommendation on July 25, 2012.

The erudite scholar, who still engaged in active teaching at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ilorin after his vice chancellorship tenure, was until his death the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council of the Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete.

The late Prof. Ambali understood that a great university is built on both scholarship and character.

At 68, his work here is done, but his legacy will continue to live after him. The policies he signed, the staff he mentored, and the students he inspired would continue to speak for him.

Adieu, Prof. Ambali. There goes a great Unilorite, an embodiment of hard work, an epitome of humility, and a quintessential humanist.

May Allah accept his return, forgive his shortcomings, comfort the family he left behind, and make Aljannah Fridaous his perpetual abode.