15 Amazing Facts about Nigeria’s University of Ibadan
By: Theophilus Femi Alawonde
Tags: Facts, Trivia, University

The University of Ibadan, Nigeria’s first university, and also one of the best in the country, celebrated its 71st year of existence in November 2019. Though one may claim that the University of Ibadan is young when compared to schools like Harvard and Cambridge, one would also think of her as a granny when compared to her fellow Nigerian schools like Obafemi Awolowo University, Covenant University and University of Lagos. Established in 1948, the septuagenarian sure has some facts that you most likely have never heard of. What are these facts?

1. Though it is widely believed that the University of Ibadan had three faculties at inception, historical documents prove that there are four founding faculties. The four faculties are Arts, Science, Medicine (the three believed wildly known as the founding faculties), and Agriculture. However, many did not consider Agriculture as a faculty because it had two students only.

2. Although the University of Ibadan refers to Kenneth Mellanby Hall, named after the college’s premier principal, as its first hall of residence, documents prove that the formal opening of both Kenneth Mellanby Hall and Lord Tedder Hall happened on the same day; 17 November, 1952.

3. At the planning of the structure and scenery of the University of Ibadan, the budget for tree planting alone was £10, 000.

4. Ezekiel Oluyemi was the first student to oversee a religious service at the University of Ibadan chapel, the Chapel of Resurrection. He coordinated the Sunday service of November 13, 1949.

5. The first Nigerian staffers of the University of Ibadan were Dr. Dina and Mr. Ejiwunmi.

6. Professor Ajose was the first African professor appointed at the University of Ibadan. He was professor of preventive medicine. He later went on to become the Vice-Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University.

7. The election of students to student union offices for a tenure of one session has its roots in the University of Ibadan, when students found out that tenures of a semester, as obtainable in schools like Harvard and Oxford, were cumbersome.

8. Ransome Kuti Hall used to go by the name Hall Three, after Kenneth Mellanby Hall and Lord Tedder Hall.

9. Mrs. Sansome, of the Department of Zoology, was the first Hall Mistress on the University of Ibadan campus. She was Hall Mistress of Block Zero when the University of Ibadan was still located at its temporary site at Eleyele. She was also the first Hall Mistress of Queen Elizabeth II Hall after the hall’s formal opening in 1956.

10. Arthur Creech Jones, Secretary of State for the colonies of the United Kingdom, cut the sod at the foundation ceremony of the University of Ibadan on Wednesday, November 17, 1948.

11. The first set of students admitted to the University College, Ibadan, introduced the word “gisting” as a synonym to the word gossiping.

12. The first non-academic staffer to be the overall head of the University of Ibadan was J.T. Saunders, appointed in 1953.

13. Emeritus Professor Ayo Banjo is the only University of Ibadan Vice-Chancellor who served for two terms. He was among the first students to gain admission into the University of Ibadan.

14. The official opening of the University of Ibadan, at its temporary location in Eleyele, was Monday, February 2, 1948.

15. The shortest named route in the University of Ibadan is Chad Road, which links Cross Road to Benue Road. The longest named route on the University of Ibadan campus is Barth Road, which starts off Lander Road.

Having read the article, you would sure agree that the facts are amazing. You would also agree that a lot of these facts were unknown to you. Say, how many of them had you known before reading this article?