The University of Ilorin has today 16th of March,
2017 reacted to the three-day report from The
nation newspaper titled, "EXPOSED: HOW
CORRUPTION, FAVOURITISM THRIVE IN
UNILORIN" .
The University in a press release through the
Director of Corporte affairs, Mr. Kunle Akogun
titled "Exposed: How The Nation cloaked Unilorin
49’s documents in editorial garb!" reacted to the
report and can be quoted as saying;
"The ceaseless attacks on the integrity of the
University of Ilorin and its managers by the
wailing remnants of the notorious Unilorin 49
took a dangerous new dimension last Monday
with the successful enlistment of an otherwise
reputable newsmedia organisation into the fray.
Hitherto, these disgruntled elements had
restricted themselves to taking out newspaper
pages for paid advertorials. The latest rantings
of this inexplicably bellicose gang would have
been ignored like the previous ones, but for the
involvement of The Nation newspaper, a news
medium, which the management of the University
of Ilorin holds in very high esteem."
"Probably sensing that their past media war
stratagem had not achieved their jaundiced
objective, these fellows decided to finally go for
the kill by hiding under what they think is likely
to be a more credible editorial presentation. And
it is unfortunate thatThe Nation, or, rather, the
anchor of the report, one Adekunle Yusuf, fell for
the bait to fraudulently confer legitimacy on a
well-rehearsed set of fallacious allegations
intended to mislead the members of the reading
public."
"Ludicrously advertised as “wide-ranging
investigations that started four years ago”, the
verbose three-part feature article, entitled
“Exposed: How corruption, favouritism thrive in
UNILORIN”, is a recap of the documents that the
kingpins of the Unilorin 49 had been circulating
against the management of the University for
some time now. The writer has only been smart
by half by merely paraphrasing the documents
handed over to him by those who have made
Unilorin-bashing their life-time enterprise! It will
not be out of place for the management of The
Nation to take a second look at that write-up
and compare it with the past releases and
petitions against Unilorin by these enemies of
progress, with a view to checkmating this
editorial fraud!"
"We appreciate the fact that the younger brother
of a senior editor of The Nationhad at one time
or the other fallen foul of Unilorin’s insistence on
high level of probity and discipline. We are also
aware that another columnist of the newspaper
is also a sister to the same senior editor and
former Unilorin staff. We sympathise with the
highly influential editor. But these facts do not
justify the gross abuse of the sacred
responsibility imposed on The Nationand other
newspapers by the Constitution of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria. It is quite uncharitable to
use the sacred pages of a national newspaper to
fight a personal war!"
"Even as a matter of editorial style, all the so-
called allegations do not worth 10 paragraphs of
a tightly edited script much less the whimsically
allotted nine pages. This, to us, is a reckless
waste of scarce news space that could have
even been better used for more serious
developmental editorial stuff or even money-
spinning advertorials capable of bailing out any
newspaper in the face of the current biting
economic recession. Viewed from the prism of
professional standard or economic consideration,
this shows a high level of poor editorial judgment
and a lack of economic savvy. Even the three-
day serialization of the article calls to question
the motive of the writer: Was his intention to
intimidate the University to the point of
negotiating with him on how to “kill” the story
mid-way or what? "
"Is it not ironical that the very day the
serialization of this incendiary article began, the
Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board
(JAMB), headed by Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, one of
the objects of the attacks, published a full page
advertisement in the newspaper as a sign of the
high level of respect the erudite Professor has for
The Nationnewspaper? "
"If after his sponsored ambush of the University
for four years, the best that the writer could
come up with was that largely unwarranted and
unsubstantiated beer parlour gossips and
undiluted assault on the hard-earned image of
the University of Ilorin and its Principal Officers,
we make bold to say that the hatchet job is an
off-target wild shot.
The University, in the pursuit of its quest for
academic excellence and the highest standards
of morals and discipline, has always strived to
enforce strict standards without minding whose
ox is gored. If, in the pursuit of these ideals we
have stepped on certain toes of some entrenched
interests, so be it and there is no apology for
that. The University assures all stakeholders that
it would continue, at all times, to pursue those
ideals that have made Unilorin the University of
first choice among Nigerians."
"It is this type of demarketing of the higher
educational institutions in Nigeria by selfish,
unpatriotic hack writers that has, in the past,
driven thousands of hapless Nigerian youths to
seek admission in other countries like Ghana and
even Benin Republic and Togo, where they are
being assailed with substandard education while
also being fleeced of scarce resources and the
nation’s economy being drained of foreign
exchange!"
"As most of the issues raised in the write-up had
earlier been addressed in our previous responses
to the earlier outbursts of the original peddlers of
the allegations, we just want to place on record
now that The Nation’sinvolvement in this whole
bogey is as unfortunate as it is unwarranted.
The editorial management of the paper will do
well to purge its ranks of editorial frauds whose
activities are capable of dragging the good
reputation currently being enjoyed by the
newspaper in the mud. Enough said!"
The University of Ilorin has today 16th of March,
2017 reacted to the three-day report from The
nation newspaper titled, "EXPOSED: HOW
CORRUPTION, FAVOURITISM THRIVE IN
UNILORIN" .
The University in a press release through the
Director of Corporte affairs, Mr. Kunle Akogun
titled "Exposed: How The Nation cloaked Unilorin
49’s documents in editorial garb!" reacted to the
report and can be quoted as saying;
"The ceaseless attacks on the integrity of the
University of Ilorin and its managers by the
wailing remnants of the notorious Unilorin 49
took a dangerous new dimension last Monday
with the successful enlistment of an otherwise
reputable newsmedia organisation into the fray.
Hitherto, these disgruntled elements had
restricted themselves to taking out newspaper
pages for paid advertorials. The latest rantings
of this inexplicably bellicose gang would have
been ignored like the previous ones, but for the
involvement of The Nation newspaper, a news
medium, which the management of the University
of Ilorin holds in very high esteem."
"Probably sensing that their past media war
stratagem had not achieved their jaundiced
objective, these fellows decided to finally go for
the kill by hiding under what they think is likely
to be a more credible editorial presentation. And
it is unfortunate thatThe Nation, or, rather, the
anchor of the report, one Adekunle Yusuf, fell for
the bait to fraudulently confer legitimacy on a
well-rehearsed set of fallacious allegations
intended to mislead the members of the reading
public."
"Ludicrously advertised as “wide-ranging
investigations that started four years ago”, the
verbose three-part feature article, entitled
“Exposed: How corruption, favouritism thrive in
UNILORIN”, is a recap of the documents that the
kingpins of the Unilorin 49 had been circulating
against the management of the University for
some time now. The writer has only been smart
by half by merely paraphrasing the documents
handed over to him by those who have made
Unilorin-bashing their life-time enterprise! It will
not be out of place for the management of The
Nation to take a second look at that write-up
and compare it with the past releases and
petitions against Unilorin by these enemies of
progress, with a view to checkmating this
editorial fraud!"
"We appreciate the fact that the younger brother
of a senior editor of The Nationhad at one time
or the other fallen foul of Unilorin’s insistence on
high level of probity and discipline. We are also
aware that another columnist of the newspaper
is also a sister to the same senior editor and
former Unilorin staff. We sympathise with the
highly influential editor. But these facts do not
justify the gross abuse of the sacred
responsibility imposed on The Nationand other
newspapers by the Constitution of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria. It is quite uncharitable to
use the sacred pages of a national newspaper to
fight a personal war!"
"Even as a matter of editorial style, all the so-
called allegations do not worth 10 paragraphs of
a tightly edited script much less the whimsically
allotted nine pages. This, to us, is a reckless
waste of scarce news space that could have
even been better used for more serious
developmental editorial stuff or even money-
spinning advertorials capable of bailing out any
newspaper in the face of the current biting
economic recession. Viewed from the prism of
professional standard or economic consideration,
this shows a high level of poor editorial judgment
and a lack of economic savvy. Even the three-
day serialization of the article calls to question
the motive of the writer: Was his intention to
intimidate the University to the point of
negotiating with him on how to “kill” the story
mid-way or what? "
"Is it not ironical that the very day the
serialization of this incendiary article began, the
Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board
(JAMB), headed by Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, one of
the objects of the attacks, published a full page
advertisement in the newspaper as a sign of the
high level of respect the erudite Professor has for
The Nationnewspaper? "
"If after his sponsored ambush of the University
for four years, the best that the writer could
come up with was that largely unwarranted and
unsubstantiated beer parlour gossips and
undiluted assault on the hard-earned image of
the University of Ilorin and its Principal Officers,
we make bold to say that the hatchet job is an
off-target wild shot.
The University, in the pursuit of its quest for
academic excellence and the highest standards
of morals and discipline, has always strived to
enforce strict standards without minding whose
ox is gored. If, in the pursuit of these ideals we
have stepped on certain toes of some entrenched
interests, so be it and there is no apology for
that. The University assures all stakeholders that
it would continue, at all times, to pursue those
ideals that have made Unilorin the University of
first choice among Nigerians."
"It is this type of demarketing of the higher
educational institutions in Nigeria by selfish,
unpatriotic hack writers that has, in the past,
driven thousands of hapless Nigerian youths to
seek admission in other countries like Ghana and
even Benin Republic and Togo, where they are
being assailed with substandard education while
also being fleeced of scarce resources and the
nation’s economy being drained of foreign
exchange!"
"As most of the issues raised in the write-up had
earlier been addressed in our previous responses
to the earlier outbursts of the original peddlers of
the allegations, we just want to place on record
now that The Nation’sinvolvement in this whole
bogey is as unfortunate as it is unwarranted.
The editorial management of the paper will do
well to purge its ranks of editorial frauds whose
activities are capable of dragging the good
reputation currently being enjoyed by the
newspaper in the mud. Enough said!"
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