The Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Abdulganiyu Ambali, on Monday, said the Federal Government had mandated the university to help salvage the country’s educational downturn.

Ambali said this in Ilorin during a press briefing to mark the 29th convocation ceremonies of the university.

The Vice Chancellor said that the university, according to government, was a reference point which would help the country “out of the current unenviable national rating in global educational assessment”.

“We can do it and we will do it by the grace of God,” he said.

According to him, the university has achieved its feat of uninterrupted academic session due to the understanding, support and sacrifice of staff.

He said that it was duty of the society and not only that of the government to fund education, saying that 65 to 70 per cent of funding of the University of Wisconsin in the U.S. was from the institution's alumni.

He, therefore, urged stakeholders especially the alumni associations of universities to contribute their quota to the country’s educational success.

Ambali added that Unilorin had the most diversified academic programme in Africa.

He said that the institution was making efforts to embark on new undergraduate programmes such as horticulture, fishery, criminology, radiography and family medicine, among others.

Ambali said that student welfare was topmost in the university’s agenda as a 1000-room hostel facility had been constructed on a Build-Operate-and Transfer (BOT) basis.