Professor Raises Alarm Over Threat of Election Manipulation in Nigeria

Professor Lateef Folorunsho Oladimeji, the Vice-Chancellor of Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, North Central Nigeria, has urged Nigerian professors to save the integrity of the noble academic profession by resisting attempts by politicians to use them in the rigging of elections.

Oladimeji, in an interview with Newsmen in Ilorin, Kwara State Capital, said academics appointed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must view electoral assignments as a national service that requires honesty, courage and a firm dedication to justice.

He said the electoral body deliberately engages professors and vice-chancellors because Nigerians have confidence in the academic community as a body of disciplined and incorruptible professionals.

“The umpire of the election in Nigeria must have studied the various groups in the country and come to the conclusion that academics are among those that should be regarded as incorruptible. “That is why we still have professors and vice-chancellors playing major roles in election management,” he said.

There were many academics who had discharged election responsibilities creditably over the years and the Vice-Chancellor said they had helped to strengthen public confidence in Nigeria’s democratic process.

As another electoral cycle looms, Oladimeji called on academics who might be called upon by INEC to remain impartial and resist every form of inducement capable of undermining the credibility of elections.

I tell my professors: whoever is invited must do that job with the maximum commitment. They should not compromise at all. “We always must do the right thing,” he said.

The university administrator, who recently celebrated his first year in office as the sixth Vice-Chancellor of the institution, said universities have a threefold mandate of teaching, research and community service, adding that participation in election management is part of the responsibility to serve society.

In his first year in office, Oladimeji said his administration had done “so far, so fair,” attributing the university’s progress to divine grace and the collective efforts of the members of the institution. According to him, having been a member of the foundation staff and having held several strategic positions such as pioneer Head of the Department of Islamic Studies, Director of Academic Planning, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Registrar, he was able to understand the needs and aspirations of the institution.

He said his ‘Stress-Free Mantra’ policy was already bearing positive fruits as the university recorded its highest student enrolment in history.

He said Al-Hikmah admitted over 2,000 students during the last admission exercise while postgraduate enrolment climbed to over 2,700 students. He also disclosed that the university’s sandwich programme recorded over 1,000 fresh admissions, a development he attributed to deliberate efforts to expand access without compromising on academic standards.

Oladimeji also cited academic achievements under his administration, noting that all the 23 undergraduate programmes and five postgraduate programmes submitted for accreditation by the National Universities Commission (NUC) had been fully accredited.

He said the achievement was a major milestone but said accreditation was still crucial to the maintenance of quality assurance and public confidence in university education.

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The Vice-Chancellor further revealed that the university had received approval from the NUC to start Open and Distance Learning (ODL) programmes, which will allow workers and other prospective students to study for degree programmes remotely without having to resign from their jobs.

On institutional values, Oladimeji stated that Al-Hikmah University will continue to be committed to producing graduates who are not only distinguished by academic excellence but also by sound moral character.

He said the institution has continued to receive commendation for producing graduates who are making meaningful contributions in different sectors across the world, while its Centre for Community Development regularly undertakes outreach programmes across Kwara State to improve public health awareness and community development.

The Vice-Chancellor disclosed that in line with the Kwara State Government’s drive to position the state as an innovation hub, the university is collaborating with the government through strategic engagements and partnerships.

He said the university had met several relevant government officials and recently hosted a seminar attended by several commissioners as part of its efforts to support the state’s innovation agenda.

“There is a concerted effort. The university has been holding meetings with the relevant officers at the Kwara State level. Recently we had a seminar that several of the commissioners attended. It is in line with the state’s innovation hub initiative because we believe in synergy with organisations whose programmes are in line with our philosophy and vision,” he said.

Oladimeji added that entrepreneurship remains a major pillar of his administration through AbdulRahim Oladimeji Centre for Vocational and Entrepreneurial Services, where every undergraduate, irrespective of discipline, is given practical entrepreneurial training.

He said the programme is designed to produce graduates that would be employers of labour and not job seekers, before adding that students are assisted to register companies with the Corporate Affairs Commission before graduation, and prepared with the structures that will enable them to start their businesses immediately after leaving the university.