University of Ibadan
Nigeria’s higher education system expanded rapidly after World War II and independence (1960). This article profiles the seven oldest universities and oldest higher institutions often listed alongside them, with founding years, short histories and quick facts.
1. University of Ibadan (UI) — 1948/1962
Founded as University College Ibadan in 1948 under a special relationship with the University of London, UI was Nigeria’s first degree-awarding institution (initially London degrees). After independence and a push for local autonomy, UI became a full-fledged independent university in the early 1960s (commonly cited as 1962–1963). UI’s campus was designed by Maxwell Fry & Jane Drew and became a model of tropical modernist campus planning.
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2. University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) — 1955 (law)/1960 (opening)
UNN Main Gate
UNN grew from Nnamdi Azikiwe’s vision for a national university in the Eastern Region. The legal groundwork dates to 1955; the university was formally opened on 7 October 1960 and began classes shortly after. UNN was the first fully autonomous Nigerian varsity founded by a regional government and played a major role in training professionals for a newly independent Nigeria.
3. Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU, formerly University of Ife) — 1961/1962
OBAFEMI AWOLOWO UNIVERSITY ILE-IFE
Created after the Ashby Commission recommendations on higher education, the University of Ife was founded in 1961 by the Western Region and admitted students in 1962. It later became Obafemi Awolowo University and is noted for thoughtful campus planning and modernist architecture by Arieh Sharon and others.
4. Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria — 1962
Opened on 4 October 1962 as the University of Northern Nigeria, ABU consolidated several colleges and became a major centre for research and learning in northern Nigeria. It later took the name Ahmadu Bello University in honour of the Sardauna of Sokoto.
5. University of Lagos (UNILAG) — 1962
Set up by the University of Lagos Act, UNILAG began in 1962 with a small number of faculties and ramped up quickly through the 1960s. It was one of the first post-independence federal universities created to build professional capacity in the new nation.
6. University of Benin (UNIBEN) — 1970 / 1971
Started as the Midwest Institute of Technology (opened 23 November 1970), it gained full university status in 1971 and later became a federal varsity. It now serves Edo State and the surrounding region with broad faculties and research programmes.
7. Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) — 1947 (technical institute)
Although not a university, Yaba College (dating to 1947) is Nigeria’s oldest tertiary technical institute and is often mentioned in lists of the oldest higher education institutions. It provided the nucleus of staff/students for early degree institutions and remains a leading polytechnic.