The University of Ibadan (UI) is a public university located in

Ibadan Ibadan (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the List of Nigerian cities by population, third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano (city), Kano, with a total populatio ...

Oyo State Oyo is a States of Nigeria, state in South West (Nigeria), southwestern Nigeria. Its capital is Ibadan, the List of Nigerian cities by population, third most populous city in the country and formerly the second most populous city in Africa. Oyo ...

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

. Initially founded as the University College Ibadan in 1948, it maintained its affiliation with the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

. In 1962, it became an independent

institution An institution is a humanly devised structure of rules and norms that shape and constrain social behavior. All definitions of institutions generally entail that there is a level of persistence and continuity. Laws, rules, social conventions and ...

, making it the oldest degree-awarding institution in Nigeria. The University of Ibadan has significantly contributed to Nigeria's

political Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...

, industrial,

economic An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...

, and

cultural Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

development through its extensive network of graduates. UI enrolls about 33,000 students. It is internationally recognized and has a number of accomplished alumni. University of Ibadan gate

History

The university was established in 1948 as University College Ibadan, a branch of the

, which supervised its academic programs and awarded degrees until 1967. The establishment came as a result of a recommendation from the Asquith and the Elliot Commissions on Higher Education in the then-British

colonies A colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule, which rules the territory and its indigenous peoples separated from the foreign rulers, the colonizer, and their '' metropole'' (or "mother country"). This separated rule was often or ...

, that two Universities stemming from the University of London should be set up in

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

and

. Before 1948, Yaba College had been founded in 1932 in

Yaba, Lagos Yaba is a suburb located on Lagos Mainland, Lagos in Lagos State, Nigeria. With its educational institutions and technological start-ups, Yaba is considered the technological hub of Lagos. Inaugurated in 2021, the ultra-modern Mobolaji Johnson C ...

, as the first tertiary educational institute in

, focused primarily on providing post-secondary vocational education and teacher training to Africans. However, the limited aims of Yaba College and clamor by Nigerian nationalists for self-improvement and uninhibited education led to the establishment of University College Ibadan as the first degree-awarding institution in Nigeria in 1948. Staff and students from Yaba Higher College were transferred to

to form the new University College Ibadan. Modelled after the British university system,

Kenneth Mellanby Major Kenneth Mellanby (26 March 1908 – 23 December 1993) was an English ecologist and entomologist. He received the OBE for his work on the scabies mite. Life and work Mellanby was educated at Barnard Castle School and then at King's Colleg ...

was appointed in 1947 as its first principal, and he inaugurated the university college on 18 January 1948. The sod of its permanent site was cut on 17 November 1948, a date now known as its Founders' Day. The university's first buildings were designed by eminent modernist architects

Maxwell Fry Edwin Maxwell Fry, CBE, RA, FRIBA, F RTPI (2 August 1899 – 3 September 1987) was an English modernist architect, writer and painter. Originally trained in the neo-classical style of architecture, Fry grew to favour the new modernist style, ...

and

Jane Drew Dame Jane Drew (24 March 1911 – 27 July 1996) was an English modernist architect and town planner. She qualified at the Architectural Association School in London, and prior to World War II became one of the leading exponents of the Moder ...

. Following the tropical modernist style, the 1950s construction comprised administrative blocks, residential colleges and academic facilities. Following Nigeria's independence in 1960 and the subsequent drive to domesticate several institutions, UCI became an established full-fledged independent university in early 1962 and thus, the name changed to University of Ibadan. In late 1963, on the university playing fields, with a celebration marked by

talking drum The talking drum is an hourglass-shaped drum from West Africa, which can be used as a form of speech surrogacy by regulating its pitch and rhythm to mimic the tone and prosody of human speech. It has two drumheads connected by leather t ...

s, the Rt. Hon. Sir

Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (December 1912 – 15 January 1966) was the first and only Prime Minister of Nigeria, Prime Minister of Nigeria. A dominant figure of Nigerian Independence, he was a conservative Anglophile. His political career spa ...

, the first Prime Minister of independent Nigeria, became the first Chancellor of this independent university. The first Nigerian vice-chancellor of the university was

Kenneth Dike Kenneth Onwuka Dike (17 December 1917 – 26 October 1983) was a Nigerian educationist, historian and the first Nigerian Vice-Chancellor of the nation's premier college, the University of Ibadan. During the Nigerian civil war, he moved to H ...

, after whom the university library is named.

Rankings and reputation

The university consistently ranks as one of the best in Nigeria. In September 2016, it became the first Nigerian university to make the top 1,000 in ''

Times Higher Education ''Times Higher Education'' (''THE''), formerly ''The Times Higher Education Supplement'' (''The THES''), is a British magazine reporting specifically on news and issues related to higher education. Ownership TPG Capital acquired TSL Education ...

'' rankings. Prior to that, it had always made the top 10 African Universities in

Webometrics The science of webometrics (also cybermetrics) tries to measure the World Wide Web to get knowledge about the number and types of hyperlinks, structure of the World Wide Web and using patterns. According to Björneborn and Ingwersen, the definiti ...

Rankings. UI is currently ranked No. 1 in Nigeria and 1,177 in the world according to Webometrics. The US News and World Report rank the University as the 350th in Best Global Universities.

Administration

The current principal members of the university administration are: The university is made up of 92 academic departments organized into 17 faculties, namely: Arts, Science, Basic Medical Sciences, Clinical Sciences,

Agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

, the Social Sciences, Education,

Veterinary Medicine Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, medical diagnosis, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in non-human animals. The scope of veterinary medicine is wide, covering all a ...

Pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medication, medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it ...

Technology Technology is the application of Conceptual model, conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word ''technology'' can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible too ...

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

Public Health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the de ...

Dentistry Dentistry, also known as dental medicine and oral medicine, is the branch of medicine focused on the Human tooth, teeth, gums, and Human mouth, mouth. It consists of the study, diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases, dis ...

, Economics and Management Sciences, all Renewable Natural Resources, Environmental Design and Management, and Multidisciplinary Studies. The Faculties of the

Basic Medical Sciences Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

, Clinical Sciences, Public Health and Dentistry are organized as a College of Medicine. The university has other academic units, among which are: Institute of Child Health, Institute of Education, Institute of African Studies, Centre for Child Adolescent and Mental Health, Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI), Institute for Advanced Medical Research and Training (IAMRAT), Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Centre for Drug Discovery, Development & Production (CDDDP) and Centre for Control & Prevention of

Zoonosis A zoonosis (; plural zoonoses) or zoonotic disease is an infectious disease of humans caused by a pathogen (an infectious agent, such as a virus, bacterium, parasite, fungi, or prion) that can jump from a non-human vertebrate to a human. When ...

(CCPZ). The recently established Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI), School of Business (UISB) and National Institute for Maternal, Child & Neonatal Health (NIMCNH) have commenced operation. The University of Ibadan has 15

halls of residence A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm), also known as a hall of residence, a residence hall (often abbreviated to halls), or a hostel, is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential qu ...

that provide accommodation for about 30% of the population of students in the regular studies mode. Some of its popular halls include Lord Tedder Hall,

Hall, Sultan Bello Hall, Nnamdi Azikiwe Hall,

Independence Hall Independence Hall is a historic civic building in Philadelphia, where both the United States Declaration of Independence, Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States were debated and adopted by the Founding Fathers of ...

, Tafawa Balewa Hall,

Kuti KUTI (1460 AM) was a radio station broadcasting a sports format to the Yakima, Washington, United States area. The station was last owned by Townsquare Media. The station reached all parts of the Yakima Valley area. It aired programming from ...

Hall,

Queen Idia Idia was the mother of Esigie, who reigned as Oba (king) of the Edo people from 1504 to 1550. Life Historians are uncertain as regards her period of life; they do know that Idia was alive during the Idah war (1515 – 1516) because she played ...

Hall,

Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II (1926–2022; ), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms * Queen B ...

Hall and the

Obafemi Awolowo Obafemi Jeremiah Oyeniyi Awolowo (6 March 1909 – 9 May 1987) was a Nigerian politician who served as the first Premier of the Western region of Nigeria. He was known as one of the key figure towards Nigeria's independence movement from 1957 ...

Hall – which is the largest female hall in

West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...

. The university has a total staff strength of 5,339 with 1,212 housing units for both senior and junior staff. The university has residential and sports facilities for staff and students on campus, as well as separate botanical and zoological gardens.

Institutes

* Institutes of African Studies * IFRA-Nigeria (''Institut français de recherche en Afrique'') – an institute funded by the French government to promote research in the social sciences and the humanities and improve collaborative work between academics in France and

. * Institute of Child Health * Institute of Education * Advanced Medical Research and Training * Institute for Peace and Strategic Studies * LES Institute of PAU * School of Economics * School of Business

Academic Centres

* Centre for General Studies * Centre for Educational media resource studies * Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation * Centre for Petroleum, Energy Economics and Law Multidisciplinary Central Research Laboratory (MCRL) * Yoruba Language Centre

Centres of Excellence

* Centre for Excellence in Teaching & Learning * Centre for Child & Adolescent Mental Health * Centre for Control & Prevention of

Zoonoses A zoonosis (; plural zoonoses) or zoonotic disease is an infectious disease of humans caused by a pathogen (an infectious agent, such as a virus, bacterium, parasite, fungi, or prion) that can jump from a non-human vertebrate to a human. When h ...

* Center for Drug Discovery, Development and Production (CDDDP)

Library

Among the notable structures in the university is the central Kenneth Dike Library (popularly called "KDL" by the students), located just beside the Faculty of Arts. The library, which has a large capacity for students, contains books relating to virtually all fields of knowledge both in and outside the university community. To ensure easy access, students are made to carry out their library registration in their first year of admission. The library is named after Professor

, who was the first indigenous Principal and former Vice-Chancellor of the university. It was established out of the desires of the founding fathers and matriarch of the institution to cut a niche for research and sound teaching. The library contains 700,000 volumes of information and more than 1,250 seats for readers. It is open to all senior staff, students of the institution, senior staff of the

University College Hospital University College Hospital (UCH) is a teaching hospital in the Fitzrovia area of the London Borough of Camden, England. The hospital, which was founded as the North London Hospital in 1834, is closely associated with University College Lo ...

,
UCH
Ibadan as well as alumni of the university. The library will also admit any outsider with cogent reasons upon the provision of a letter of introduction from a recognized university official (i.e. dean of a faculty, head of department from the visitor's school or director of an organization).

Notable alumni

The

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

has educated many notable alumni, including a

Nobel Laureate in Literature The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in th ...

, eminent

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, mathematical structure, structure, space, Mathematica ...

scientist A scientist is a person who Scientific method, researches to advance knowledge in an Branches of science, area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engag ...

s, politicians, lawyers, business icons,

philosophers Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, value, mind, and language. It is a rational and critical inquiry that reflects on ...

, writers,

monarch A monarch () is a head of stateWebster's II New College Dictionary. "Monarch". Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest ...

s, countless technocrats, recipients of the Nigerian National Order of Merit and fellows of the various learned academies. * Abdulganiyu Abdulrasaq, lawyer, former President of the Nigerian Stock Exchange * Mufutau Oloyede Abdul-Rahmon, Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies. * John Omoniyi Abiri, Nigerian academic *

Sadique Abubakar Sadique Baba Abubakar (born 8 April 1960) is a retired air marshal in the Nigerian Air Force and former Chief of the Air Staff of Nigeria. In 2023, he contested for governor of Bauchi State in the 2023 Bauchi State gubernatorial election, ...

, former Nigeria Chief of Air Staff *

Chinua Achebe Chinua Achebe (; born Albert Chinụalụmọgụ Achebe; 16 November 1930 – 21 March 2013) was a Nigerian novelist, poet, and critic who is regarded as a central figure of modern African literature. His first novel ''Things Fall Apart'' ( ...

, novelist, author of ''

Things Fall Apart ''Things Fall Apart'' is a 1958 novel by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe. It is Achebe's debut novel and was written when he was working at the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation. The novel was first published in London by Heinemann (publisher), ...

'' p. 64. * J. K. Acquaye, Professor of Haematology, president of the

West African College of Physicians The West African College of Physicians is a professional society, founded in 1976, for medical specialists in the West African sub-region. The association promotes postgraduate specialist training, professional curriculum development and fellowsh ...

(2003–2004) * Dapo Lam Adesina, Member of House of Representative for Ibadan North East/South Federal Constituency * Zulu Adigwe, Nollywood actor *

Adiele Afigbo Adiele Eberechukwu Afigbo (22 November 1937 – 9 March 2009) was a Nigerian historian known for the history and historiography of Africa, more particularly Igbo history and the history of Southeastern Nigeria. Themes emphasised include pre-colo ...

, historian * Ayandiji Daniel Aina, former Vice-Chancellor of

Caleb University Caleb University is a private university located in Imota, Lagos State, Nigeria. It was founded in 2007. Courses offered in Caleb University Below is a list of courses offered in Caleb University * Accounting * Architecture * Banking and ...

* J. F. Ade Ajayi, Nigerian historian * Wahab Adekola Akande, diplomat *

Claude Ake Claude Ake (18 February 1939 in Omoku – 7 November 1996) was a Nigerian political scientist from Omoku, in Rivers State, Nigeria. Ake (pronounced AH-kay) was considered "one of Africa's foremost political philosophers." He specialized in poli ...

, Professor of Political Economy, international scholar and social crusader * Stephen Adebanji Akintoye *

Lola Akande Lola Akande (born 3 October 1965) is a Nigerian academic and fiction writer. She has published three novels and a collection of short stories including the award winning _''What It Takes''_ and her latest novel, _''_The Truth about Sadia''_ which ...

, author and academic *

Grace Alele-Williams Grace Alele-Williams (16 December 1932 – 25 March 2022) was a Nigerian professor of mathematics education, who made history as the first Nigerian woman to receive a doctorate, and the first Nigerian female vice-chancellor at the University ...

Elechi Amadi Elechi Amadi (12 May 1934 – 29 June 2016) was a Nigerian author and soldier. He was a former member of the Nigerian Armed Forces. He was an author of plays and novels that are generally about African village life, customs, beliefs, and religi ...

p. viii. * Seth Amoama, Ghanaian Chief of the Defence Staff *

Alexander Animalu Alexander Obiefoka Enukora Animalu (born 28 August 1938) is a Nigerian academic, who is Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He holds a BSc (London), M.A. (Cantab.) and PhD (Ibadan), FAS, NNOM, IOM A pioneer of ...

, emeritus Professor, former Director National Mathematical Centre, Abuja *

Emeka Anyaoku Chief Emeka Anyaoku, GCON, GCVO, CFR (born 18 January 1933)"Anyaoku, Eleazar Chukwuemeka", in ''Africa Who's Who'', London: Africa Journal for Africa Books Ltd, 1981, p. 137. is a Nigerian diplomat of Igbo descent. He was the third Commonw ...

, former

Commonwealth Secretary-General The Commonwealth secretary-general, formally the secretary-general of the Commonwealth of Nations, is the head of the Commonwealth Secretariat, the central body which has served the Commonwealth of Nations since its establishment in 1965, and r ...

* Kayode Are, former National Security Adviser and former Director General of the State Security Service * Ladipo Ayodeji Banjo, former

Vice-Chancellor A vice-chancellor (commonly called a VC) serves as the chief executive of a university in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, other Commonwealth of Nati ...

of the University of Ibadan * Mosun Belo-Olusoga, financial expert * Senator Robert Ajayi Boroffice *

Vivian E. Browne Vivian E. Browne (April 26, 1929–July 23, 1993) was an American artist. Born in Laurel, Florida, Browne was mostly known for her painting series called ''Little Men'' and her ''Africa'' series. She is also known for linking abstraction to na ...

, visual artist *

J. P. Clark John Pepper Clark-Bekederemo (6 April 1935 – 13 October 2020) was a Nigerian poet and playwright. He popularly published as J. P. Clark and John Pepper Clark. Life Born in Kiagbodo, Nigeria, to an Ijaw people, Ijaw father and Urhobo people, Ur ...

* Sola David-Borha, Chief Executive (Africa Region) of

Standard Bank Standard Bank (officially Standard Bank Group Limited) is the largest bank in Africa, as well as the continent's biggest lender by assets. The company's corporate headquarters, Standard Bank Centre, is located in Johannesburg, Gauteng. The ...

* Adebayo Faleti (late), journalist, poet, actor and writer *

Kayode Fayemi John Olukayode Fayemi (; born 9 February 1965) is a Nigerian politician who served as governor of Ekiti State from 2018 to 2022. He previously served in office between 2010 and 2014 before losing re-election to Ayodele Fayose. He was also the ...

, former Governor of Ekiti State, former Min of Solid Minerals * Ronke Giwa-Onafuwa, radio presenter and broadcaster * Chukwuemeka Ike, writer * Amadi Ikwechegh *

Abiola Irele Francis Abiola Irele (commonly Abiola Irele, 22 May 1936 – 2 July 2017) was a Nigerian academic best known as the doyen of Africanist literary scholars worldwide. He was Provost at Kwara State University, founded in 2009 in Ilorin, Nigeria. Be ...

Funmi Iyanda Olufunmilola Aduke Iyanda (born 27 July 1971), known professionally as Funmi Iyanda, is a Nigerian talk show host, broadcaster, film and television producer, media executive, philanthropist, journalist, and blogger. She produced and hosted a ta ...

, talk show host, broadcaster, journalist * Lola Kola, medical sociologist *

William Kumuyi William Folorunso Kumuyi (born 6 June 1941) is the convener of Global Crusade with Kumuyi (GCK), and the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry situated at Gbagada, Lagos, Nigeria. He is the author of several C ...

, founder and General Superintendent of

Deeper Christian Life Ministry Deeper Christian Life Ministry also known as Deeper Life Bible Church is an international Pentecostal Christian denomination with its headquarters, Deeper Life Bible Church Lagos, in Gbagada, Lagos. It is overseen by the General Superintendent ...

* Yahaya Kuta, author * Eyitayo Lambo, Nigerian former Federal Minister of Health * Mary Lazarus, Nigerian actress. * Eddie Mbadiwe, Member of the House of Representative * James Meredith, Civil Rights Movement figure * Epaphras Denga Ndaitwah * Aniebiet Inyang Ntui, EU Ambassador, University Librarian of University of Calabar and Professor of Library and Information Science. * Jerome Nriagu, Environmental chemist, academic and researcher * Mark Nwagwu, academic and poet * James Chike Nwankwo, disc jockey and singer * Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani * Christopher Okigbo * Ifeanyi Okowa, Governor of Delta State * Isidore Okpewho * Nduka Otiono, journalist and author * Tunji Olaopa, founder and Executive Vice-chairman, Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy, ISGPP * Olufunmilayo Olopade * Sophie Oluwole, philosopher * Miriam Olusanya, first female managing director of Guaranty Trust Bank, GTB * Akinyinka Omigbodun * Michael Omolewa, former UNESCO, President of UNESCO General Conference and Ambassador of Nigeria to UNESCO * Kole Omotosho * Gamaliel Onosode * Zakariyau Oseni * Femi Osofisan, lecturer and playwright known for ''Women of Owu'' * Niyi Osundare * Jude Rabo, Vice-Chancellor of Federal University, Wukari * Ken Saro-Wiwa * Kashim Shettima, Vice President of Nigeria, Vice President-elect of Nigeria * Fisayo Soyombo, investigative journalist * Wole Soyinka, winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature * Martin Ihoeghian Uhomoibhi, Martin I. Uhomoibhi * Farida Waziri * Folashade Yemi-Esan, head of the civil service of the federation

In popular culture

Ebrohimie Road, a street in the University of Ibadan, was the subject of a documentary film, ''Ebrohimie Road: A Museum of Memory'', released in July 2024, written by Nigerian writer and linguist Kola Tubosun. The street features a campus bungalow where Nigerian writer and Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka lived with his family from around 1967 to around 1972, and which has played a significant role in the history of the country, the university, and the writer himself.

References

Sources

* *

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ibadan, University Of University of Ibadan, Universities and colleges established in 1948 Public universities in Nigeria 1948 establishments in Nigeria Buildings and structures in Ibadan Medical schools in Nigeria Universities and colleges in Ibadan Education in Ibadan Science-related lists Geology-related lists