Felicia Adetokun Omolara Ogunsheye (née Banjo; born 5 December 1926) is the first female professor in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. She was a professor of

library and information science Library and information science(s) or studies (LIS) is an interdisciplinary field of study that deals generally with organization, access, collection, and protection/regulation of information, whether in physical (e.g. art, legal proceedings, e ...

at the

University of Ibadan The University of Ibadan (UI) is a public research university in Ibadan, Nigeria. The university was founded in 1948 as University College Ibadan, one of many colleges within the University of London. It became an independent university in 196 ...

Early life and education

Adetowun Ogunsheye was born on 5 December 1926 in

Benin City Benin City is the capital and largest city of Edo State, Edo State, Nigeria. It is the fourth-largest city in Nigeria according to the 2006 census, after Lagos, Kano (city), Kano, and Ibadan, with a population estimate of about 3,500,000 as of ...

Edo State Edo, commonly known as Edo State, is a state located in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. As of 2006 National population census, the state was ranked as the 24th populated state (3,233,366) in Nigeria, However there was controversy ...

, in the southern part of Nigeria, to parents from

Ogun State Ogun State is a state in southwestern Nigeria. Created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. Ogun State borders Lagos State to the south, Oyo State and Osun State to the north, Ondo State to the east, and the Republic of Benin to the ...

. She is the elder sister of

Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

Victor Banjo Victor Adebukunola Banjo (1 April 1930 – 22 September 1967) was a colonel in the Nigerian Army. He fought in the Biafran Army during the Nigerian Civil War. Banjo was accused of being a coup plotter against Nigerian Prime Minister Abubakar Ta ...

and Ademola Banjo. She had her secondary education at

Queens College Queens College (QC) is a public college in the Queens borough of New York City. It is part of the City University of New York system. Its 80-acre campus is primarily located in Flushing, Queens. It has a student body representing more than 170 ...

, before becoming the only female student to attend Yaba Higher School, now

Yaba College of Technology Yaba College of Technology, popularly known as YABATECH, was founded in 1947, and is Nigeria's first higher educational institution. It is located in Yaba, Lagos. It has a student enrollment of over 16,000. Overview Yaba College of Technology ...

, in 1946. In 1948, she received her diploma, becoming the first woman to graduate from the school. She attended

University College Ibadan The University of Ibadan (UI) is a public research university in Ibadan, Nigeria. The university was founded in 1948 as University College Ibadan, one of many colleges within the University of London. It became an independent university in 1962 ...

, then went on to

Newnham College Newnham College is a women's constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1871 by a group organising Lectures for Ladies, members of which included philosopher Henry Sidgwick and suffragist campaigner Millicent ...

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, UK, to study Geography on scholarship, earning BA and MA degrees in 1952 and 1956, respectively; she became the first Nigerian woman there. She earned another master's degree in Library Science from

Simmons College Institutions of learning called Simmons College or Simmons University include: * Simmons University, a women's liberal arts college in Boston, Massachusetts * Simmons College of Kentucky, a historically black college in Louisville, Kentucky * Har ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, USA, in 1962. She established the Abadina Media Resource Centre Library of the

. In 1973, she became a professor at the University of Ibadan. Between 1977 and 1979, she was appointed as the

dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

of faculty of education at the same university. She was the first woman to become a dean in any Nigerian university. She served as a consultant to various organisations including the

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) is the leading international body representing the interests of people who rely on libraries and information professionals. An independent, non-governmental, not-for-pro ...

(lFLA);

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

; International Association of School Librarianship (IASL); the International Federation of Documentalists (FID); the

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...

and the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...

Honours

She has received the Ford International Fellow, 1961; the Hon. D.L.S. of Simmons College, 1969; the Simmons College International Alumnus Award, 1979; the

Fulbright Fellowship The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

for Senior African Scholars, 1980; the Decade of Women Certificate of Merit for Outstanding Achievement, 1985; Fellow,

Nigerian Library Association Nigerian Library Association (NLA) is the recognized group or organization for librarians working in Nigeria. Its headquarters is in Abuja in the Federal Capital Territory. It was established in 1962 in Ibadan. It was birth from West African Librar ...

, 1982 and Nigerian Academy of Education, 1985; Hon. Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.)

University of Maiduguri The University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) is a Federal higher institution located in Maiduguri, the capital city of Borno State in northeast Nigeria. The university was created by the federal government of Nigeria in 1975, with the intention of its b ...

, 1990; and the International Education Hall of Fame, Nigeria, 2000. She also holds the chieftaincy title of Iyalaje of Ile-Oluji 1982. The

named a female postgraduate hall after her under the administration of Prof.

Abel Idowu Olayinka Abel Idowu Olayinka (born 16 February 1958) is a Nigerian professor of applied geophysics. He is a former deputy vice chancellor and former vice chancellor of the University of Ibadan. He is also the president of thWest African Research and In ...

Works

Academic publications

* "The Role and Status of Women in Nigeria", '' Presence Africaine'', Vol. 4 (1960), pp. 33–49. * ''A preliminary bibliography of the

Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...

language''. Ibadan, 1963. * "Library education in Nigeria", ''Library Materials on Africa'', Vol. 6, No. 2 (November 1968), pp. 58–60. * "Problem of Bibliographic Services in Nigeria", ''Nigerian Libraries'', Vol. 5, Issue 2 (1969). * ''Nigerian Library resources in science and technology''. Ibadan: Institute of Librarianship, University of Ibadan, 1970. * "Library education at Ibadan University, Nigeria", ''UNESCO Bulletin for Libraries'', Vol. 28, Issue 5 (1974), pp. 259–267. * "The future of Library Education in Africa", ''Libri'', Vol. 26, Issue 4 (1976), pp. 268–280. * "Abadina Media Resource Centre (AMRC): A Case Study in Library Service to Primary Schools", ''UNESCO Journal of Information Science, Librarianship and Archives Administration'', Vol. 1, No. 1 (January–March 1979), pp. 29–36. * (ed.) ''Nigerian women and development''. Ibadan, Nigeria: Ibadan University Press, 1988. * ''Bibliographical survey of sources for early Yoruba language and literature studies, 1820–1970''. Ibadan: Ibadan University Press, 2001. * ''A break in the silence : a historical note on Lt. Colonel Victor Adebukunola Banjo''. Ibadan: Spectrum Books Ltd, 2001.

Children's books

* ''My alphabet reading book''. Ibadan: Spectrum Books. 1993. * ''My first alphabet book: A B C''. Ibadan: Spectrum Books. 1996. * ''My first number book: 1 2 3''. Ibadan: Spectrum Books. 1996. * ''Lara and Kariba''. Ibadan: Spectrum Books 2003.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ogunsheye, Adetoun Living people 1926 births 20th-century Nigerian women 21st-century Nigerian women Alumni of Newnham College, Cambridge Nigerian autobiographers Nigerian consultants Nigerian librarians Nigerian women academics Nigerian women's history People from Benin City People from Ogun State Queen's College, Lagos alumni Simmons University alumni University of Ibadan alumni University of Ibadan faculty Women autobiographers Women deans (academic) Yaba Higher College alumni Yoruba women academics