University of Ibadan


The University of Ibadan is a public research university in Ibadan, Nigeria. The university was founded in 1948 as University College Ibadan, one of many colleges within University of London. It became an independent university in 1963 and is the oldest degree awarding institution in Nigeria.
Through its graduate network, the University of Ibadan has contributed to the political, industrial, economic and cultural development of Nigeria. The history and influence of the University of Ibadan have made it one of the most prestigious universities in Africa.
The University of Ibadan is made up 92 academic departments organized into 17 faculties namely: Arts, Science, Basic Medical Sciences, Clinical Sciences, Agriculture, the Social Sciences, Education, Veterinary Medicine, Pharmacy, Technology, Law, Public Health, Dentistry, Economics and Management Sciences, Renewable Natural Resources, Environmental Design and Management, and Multidisciplinary Studies. The Faculties of the Basic Medical Sciences, Clinical Sciences, Public Health and Dentistry are organized as a College of Medicine. The University has other academic units amongst 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, Institute for Advanced Medical Research and Training, Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Centre for Drug Discovery, Development & Production and Centre for Control & Prevention of Zoonosis. The recently established Infectious Diseases Institute, School of Business and National Institute for Maternal, Child & Neonatal Health have commenced operation.
The University of Ibadan has 15 halls of residence which provide accommodation for about 30% of the population of students in the regular studies mode, some of the popular halls in the university includes Lord Tedder Hall, Kenneth Mellanby Hall, Sultan Bello Hall, Nnamdi Azikiwe Hall, Independence Hall, Tafawa Balewa Hall, Kuti Hall, Queen Idia Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Obafemi Awolowo Hall which is the largest female hall in West Africa. 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.
The university has educated many notable alumni, including a Nobel Laureate in Literature, eminent mathematicians, scientists, politicians, lawyers, business icons, philosophers, writers, monarchs, countless technocrats, recipients of the Nigerian National order of merit, Fellows of the various learned Academies.
In September 2016, it became the first Nigerian university to make the top 1000 in Times Higher Education rankings. Prior to that, it had always made the top 10 African Universities in Webometrics Rankings.

History

The origins of the university are in the University of London. It was established in 1948 as the University College Ibadan, as a College of the University of London which supervised its academic programmes and awarded degrees until 1967. The establishment came as a result of recommendation of the Asquith and the Elliot Commissions on Higher Education in the then British colonies, that two University Colleges of the University of London be set up in Ghana and Nigeria. Prior to 1948, Yaba College had been founded in 1932 in Yaba, Lagos, as the first tertiary educational institute in Nigeria, focused primarily on providing post-secondary vocational education and teacher training to Africans. In 1948, staff and students from Yaba Higher College were transferred to Ibadan to form the new University College Ibadan.
The university college started on 18 January 1948. The sod of its permanent site was cut on 17 November 1948 and became a full-fledged independent university in early 1963.
In late 1963, on the university playing-fields, with a celebration marked by talking drums, the Rt. Hon. Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, first Prime Minister of independent Nigeria, became the first Chancellor of its independent university. The first Nigerian vice-chancellor of the university was Kenneth Dike, after whom the university library is named.

First degree awarding institution in Nigeria

At the time of its establishment as University College Ibadan, students were awarded degrees of the University of London. That makes it the first degree awarding institution in Nigeria. The University of Nigeria Nsukka was the first university in Nigeria when it was established as an autonomous and full-fledged university in 1960. UI became autonomous in 1963 and started awarding its own degrees in 1967. unlike the UNN, which started the same three years earlier.

Rankings and reputation

Administration

The current principal members of the university administration are:
OfficeHolder
VisitorMuhammadu Buhari
Pro-Chancellor & ChairmanNde Joshua Mutka Waklek
ChancellorSultan Sa'adu Abubakar, 20th Sultan of Sokoto
Vice-ChancellorProfessor Abel Idowu Olayinka
Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Kayode Oyebode Adebowale
Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Adebola Babatunde Ekanola
Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Olanike Kudirat Adeyemo
RegistrarMrs. Olubunmi Faluyi
BursarDr. Michael O. Alatise
University Librarian Dr Helen O. Komolafe-Opadeji, CLN

Faculties

In August 2011 Ruqayyah Ahmed Rufa'i, the then Nigerian Minister of Education, announced that the University of Ibadan would host the Nigerian node of the Pan-African University, the Institute of Earth and Life Sciences.
A major arm of the College of Medicine is located about five kilometres from the main university, within the structure of The University College Hospital. The college has a dormitory for students who are in their clinical years of study. The college was created in August 1980. Some of the past provosts are Oluwole Akande, Isaac Folorunso Adewole, and Akinyinka Omigbodun.

Institutes

Below is a list of affiliate institutions of the University of Ibadan, approved by the National Universities Commission.
Among the notable structures in the university is the central Kenneth Dike Library, 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 its easy access, students are made to carry out their library registration in their first year of admission.
The Library is named after Professor Kenneth Dike who was the first indigenous Principal and former Vice-Chancellor of the school. it was established out of the desires of the founding fathers and matriarch of the institution in order to cut a niche for research and sound teaching. Today, the library is ranked favourably in the comity of libraries in the Commonwealth.
The Library contains 700,000 volumes of information and over 1,250 sears for readers. It is open to all senior staff, students of the institution, senior staff of the University College Hospital, Ibadan as well as Alumni of the University. The library will also admit anyone else with cogent reasons be it research, reference purposes, study etc into the library on provision of letter of introduction from a recognized university official i.e. Deal, HOD from the visitor's school or organization.

Students' union

The university allows the participation of students in some decision making. The students' union is headed by a president who wins by majority vote in the elections. All positions in the students' union are contested for.

Recent activities

On 29 May 2017, the management of the school stopped academic activities for undergraduate students. This was as a result of the protest by the student union. The student body were in disagreement with the school authorities over their failure to issue identity cards to the students and the outlaw on some electrical appliances. On 9 June, it was announced that school will be reopened on 20th. The school resumed activities on 2 July.

Vice Chancellors

The vice chancellors since 1947 include:
See also :Category:University of Ibadan alumni