Vice Chancellor of University of Ilorin, Professor Abdulganiyu Ambali, has lamented the inability of the institution to admit more candidates for over ten years as thousands of candidates were desirous to attend the institution because of its stable academic calender.

Professor Ambali, who disclosed this at a press conference in Ilorin, preparatory to the 40th anniversary celebration of the university, said this against the backdrop of dashed hopes of several thousands of parents and guardians eager to secure admissions for their wards to the university for 2015/2016 academic session.

According to him, only 7,800 of the 65,000 candidates who sat for the post-UME will be offered admission.

He expressed the intention of the university to admit more students, provided the National Universities Commission, NUC, gave approval, saying the university now had more infra structure facilities to cope with more students.

"In view of this development, the management of the university had written a letter to the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB, through the National Universities Commission, NUC, so as to look into the situation for the university.

"The university has more facilities, more academic programmes, more good lecturers, more patronage in terms of candidates, and other needed infrastructures that can accommodate more students," he said.

While speaking on the reason for conducting UTME for a total number of 65,000 candidates, knowing well that the university will only take 7,800, the vice chancellor said the reason was borne out of the quest to have the best student admitted out of the lot,stressing that if he had his way, he would have conducted examinations for much more candidates.

Ambali further said that the institution had been able to set sustainable standard that had now been envy of all universities in the country.

The UNILORIN's helmsman, however, described academic stability as the selling point of the university which has portrayed the institution as the University of first choice to all applicants across the country.

He said the university was lucky to have academic staff with constructive unionism, adding that the management had also complemented that factor with openness and transparency.

"Usually, the issue between the academic staff and the management bothers on salary, allowance, unconducive environment, lack of infrastructure like water, light and other amenities, gagging of lecturers and others.

"As the chairman of all the chairmen in the university, everyone's welfare is my priority. When there's money, we share and it there's none, we share the moment together," he said.

Ambali, on the issue of corruption, opposed death penalty for Nigerians found guilty of corrupt practices and opted for lenient punishments of collection of stolen funds and jail term for corrupt leaders in the country.

The VC said: "If corrupt leaders are killed without recovering their loots, we are only trying to transfer the stolen monies to another set of people.

"But if the stolen monies are collected and thereby imprisoned the perpetrators, it will serve as deterrent to others and even serve as lessons to the victim.

"Also, if the perpetrators are killed and the loots are recovered, it becomes double jeopardy. I will want the federal government to look towards this direction in the interest of the country and humanity. Infact, we need to study the nations that practised such idea in the past and look at what has come of them."

While speaking on the choice of President Muhammadu Buhari's ministerial appointment, Professor Ambali advocated for the nomination and appointment of person with the interest of the education sector at heart as the Minister of Education.

He said: "We have had some Education Ministers in the past coming from the academia but ended up disappointing the sector. I will want the President to appoint someone that will assist in the growth and development of the sector, irrespective of his/her background."