The Five Oldest Universities in Nigeria

It has been more than fifty years of independence in Nigeria, some educational institutions have been around for almost as long as this. Most of them have stood the test of time and are still standing till today while others are just beginning to grow and develop. Most of the universities that started a long time ago are still the best at educational standards, structures and facilities, this can be traced to the fact that they periodically receive funds and grants from the government at regular intervals to develop and build new infrastructures. In light of this, here are the five oldest universities in Nigeria who are still standing till today:

1. The University of Ibadan, Ibadan: This is the oldest University in Nigeria. It has its origins in Yaba Higher College, Lagos which was founded in 1932 and transferred to Ibadan in 1948 to start officially as the University of Ibadan. This university can be regarded as the mother of all universities in Nigeria and it still currently ranks as the best university in the whole of Nigeria. Ibadan is the city of many firsts, but UI is number one on the list as the Premier University.

2. The University of Nigeria, Nsukka: Established in the year of independence, University of Nigeria became the first university in the eastern part of Nigeria and is Nigeria’s first autonomous and full-fledged indigenous university. Exactly seven days after Nigeria’s independence, the university was officially opened by Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra of Kent who represented Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at the independence celebrations. The university has three campuses- Nsukka, Enugu and Ituku Ozalla campuses.

3. Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife: Formerly known as the University of Ife, this university was founded in 1962. It was renamed Obafemi Awolowo University in 1987 because of the innumerable efforts of Chief Obafemi Awolowo in establishing it. It served as an alternative to the University of Ibadan and catered for the high numbers of secondary school leavers at that time and the university still stands strong until today.

4. Ahmadu Bello University Zaria: This University was firstly known as the School of Arabic Studies that was located in Kano. It was then upgraded to a full university and shifted to Zaria in 1962. It served as the major higher institution for students in the northern part of Nigeria and was renamed after Alhaji Sir Ahmadu Bello who was the region’s dominant political leader.

5. University of Lagos: Commonly referred to as UNILAG, the university was founded in 1962 and served as the third Federal university in the western region of Nigeria. As at the time of its establishment, Lagos was still the Federal Capital of Nigeria, so the growth and development of the university was very fast compared to others who maintained a steady pace.