The Vice Chancellor of University of Ilorin, Professor Abdluganiyu Ambali has urged the Federal Government to increase its funding of the university, saying that monetary allocations to it were grossly inadequate.

Ambali spoke, yesterday, when the House of Representatives Committee on Education led by the Chairman, Shehu Garba visited the institution as part of its oversight functions.

Welcoming the lawmakers, Prof. Ambali, however, expressed joy that the university was among the universities targeted by the Federal Government for special intervention through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund.

He said that the university had no difficulty accessing the TETFund, even as he stressed that the amount being given to the institution was nothing to write home about.

"We have enormous challenges here and we are pleading for increased funding to enable us meet up with these challenges. Particularly, our running cost is so enormous. We have been able to achieve this because of the support we receive from the government in terms of prompt release of our allocation with which we regularly provide amenities that make life on the campus conducive for staff and students.

"Staff and students of this university are very committed, dedicated and hard working such that in the last 10 years, we have never had any disruption in our academic calendar."

According to him, the academic community in the United States and other foreign countries now reckon with the University of Ilorin because of its stable academic calendar.

He then assured the committee members that the institution would never go against Federal Government directives on admission policy.

Responding, the Chairman of the Committee, Mr Garba commended the university for its accomplishments in the areas of academic excellence, efficient system of administration, environmental beautification, infrastructural development and sustained high ranking among universities in the world.

"As a Nigerian, I am very proud to be at the University of Ilorin. I graduated close to 30 years ago and I am worried by what has become of the standard of education in our country since then."