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History of the College

The quest to improve the condition of Islamic Education in Kwara State dates back to the late 70s. Following this development, three committees were set up instantaneous at various times by the governments to look into the area of Arabic and Islamic Studies. The committees were to examine the structure of all institutions offering courses in religious education, Arabic and Islamic Studies with particular reference to the following:

First committee July 1980

1. Alhaji Abdulkadir Orire, Grand Kadi of Kwara State, now retired. - Chairman
2. Justice Yoonus Abdullahi, Shariah Court of Appeal, Ilorin now Grand Kadi, Kogi State - Member
3. Professor I.A.B. Balogun, Department of religions, University of Ilorin - Member
4. Alhaji I. A. Haroon, College of Education, Oro. Now a Judge of the Shariah Court of Appeal, Ilorin.
5. Alhaji Ahmed Olayiwola Kamal, Government Secondary School, Ilorin and former Commissioner in the State -Secretary

The terms of reference for the committee included, amongst others, to look into the existing institutions offering religious education, particularly, Arabic and Islamic Studies. Thus, consequent upon the committee's report, Arabic Teachers College was established to run both Teachers College II and Arabic and Higher Islamic Certificate courses. The committee was to also recommend the establishment of Diploma awarding institution  for the products of Arabic Teachers’ college, Jebba, and other privately owned institutions.

Consequently, in November 1981, another committee was set up to review and assess materials available and syllabi and contents for the proposed College of Arabic and Islamic Studies set up to run similar courses with Jebba review and asses Teachers’ College. This recommendation received the blessing and favour of the government and resulted in the establishment of similar colleges at Ilorin (1981), Babana, now Niger State (1981) and Okene in Kogi State to serve s feeders for this proposed Diploma awarding institution. The members of the committee were:-

1. Justice Yoonus Abdullahi, Shariah Court of Appeal, Ilorin, now Kogi State - Chairman
2. Alhaji Ahmad Olayiwola Kamal, G.S.S Ilorin and a former Commissioner - Member
3. Justice M.A. Ambali, Shari Court of Appeal, Ilorin, and now the Grand Kadi of the State - Member
4. Alhaji Musa Ali Ajetunmobi, Now Professor and first Provost of the college - Member
5. Alhaji Haroon Raseed Ministry of Education Ilorin. - Member
6. Alhaji Babatunde Lawal Yusuf - Secretary May his soul rest in peace (Amen)

As earlier stated, there were three colleges of Arabic and Islamic Studies in Kwara State, even though, they were not established conventionally as the regular secondary schools, and their products were employed to reach in primary schools. These colleges had in common similar history of establishment and development, similar staffing situations and curriculum development. The history of the College of Arabic at Ilorin is, therefore, peculiar to those established at both Babana in 1981 and Okene in 1982 respectively.

The College of Arabic and Islamic Studies, Ilorin commenced with eighty (80) students on the 26th March, 1981 at a temporary site located at Adeta Zonal Education Board School, Ilorin. Alhaji I.A Ibrahim was the pioneer principal. It was later moved to its present and permanaent site on the 5th October, 1984, during the tenure of its second principal, Alhaji M.S. Salman. Originally, the college was planned to run three different course, namely:,

1. Diploma course in Arabic and Islamic Studies
2. Diploma course in Islamic Shariah, and
3. Teachers’ Grade II Course with emphasis on Arabic and Islam Studies

However, the college was unable to run any diploma course as was initially planned. Nonetheless, Ilorin, being a famous centre of Islamic Scholarship in Nigeria and indeed the entire Muslim community of the State responded by sending enrolment rose from 80 students in 1982 to 668 in 1987 (535 males and 133 females).

By 1987, the Muslims in Kwara State urged the government to establish a tertiary institution to cater for the products of these colleges. This agitation led to the inauguration of another committee on 7th August, 1991 headed by the then Honourable Commissioner for Education in kwara State, Dr. Abdullahi A. Saadu. The committee was to look into financial implication and related matters concerning a smooth take-off of the proposed college. The committee recommended that the college should start immediately and embark on courses leading to award of;

1. Diploma in Arabic Islamic Studies and Hausa
2. Diploma in Arabic Islamic Studies and Yoruba
3. Diploma in Shariah and Civil Law

The committee comprised seven members; they were;

1. Hon. Justice Yoonus Abdullahi, Shariah court of Appeal Ilorin, Now grand kadi kogi state - Chairman
2. Alhaji A.W. Kamal, Department of Islamic Studies, College of education, Illorin - Member
3. Alhaji S .A Yakubu, Department of Arabic, College of Education, Illorin
4. Alhaji (now) Dr. Yusuf Lanre Badmus, Department of Religions, University of Ilorin
5. Dr A.A. Lawal, Ministry of Education llorin. - Secretary