The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Professor Abdulganiyu Ambali, has hinted that the university will be able to admit only 9,000 out of over 100,000 admission seekers that applied to study in the university in the ongoing 2014/2015 admission exercise.

Ambali dropped the hint in Ilorin yesterday during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), to establish a sugarcane bio-factory in the University. 

He said the University is rapidly expanding to be able to accommodate more students in the future.
Ambali added,”the University of Ilorin  has been able to carve a niche for itself through the commitment of its staff members that had been assisting  the institution to provide a qualitative academic environment for its students. 

Ambali also assured the NSDC Executive Secretary, Dr. Latif Busari,  that the University has everything  it takes to make the project a huge success.

He  noted  that the time had come to take advantage of technology in ensuring food security in the country.
Speaking earlier at the MoU signing ceremony in the university, the NSDC Executive Secretary explained that when completed, the bio-factory would provide high-yielding, disease-resistant sugarcane seedlings for the use of sugarcane factory estates and out-grower farmers across the country. 
                                           
Busari said the seedlings would be mass produced through the tissue culture in-vitro multiplication process.  The Executive Secretary further stated that the seedlings production would be need-driven, thereby eliminating wastage. In addition, he said the council will leverage on the competence of the University of Ilorin to ensure the success of the project.

Busari also disclosed that the NSDC would be seeking greater collaboration with the University of Ilorin because of its track record of academic excellence, research output and stable academic calendar.

The National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) was established by Decree 88 of 1993 to, among other things, promote the development of the sugar sub-sector through the provision of guidance on the development of sugar estates and the organisation of sugarcane out-growers schemes to enhance local production of sugar with a view to ensuring that Nigeria achieves at least 70 percent self-sufficiency in sugar requirements as soon as possible.