ON FIRST-GENERATION UNIVERSITIES CREATION IN NIGERIA [Re: [yorubas-community] Re: On State Creation in 1967 (fwd)]
Mobolaji E. Aluko
Dear All:
Let me attempt to clear the air on this issue of "my university was first
before yours", and "my university is more indigenous than yours", which,
to my mind, sometimes borders on the childish:
(1) The nearest indigenous approach to the modern-day university in
Nigeria was the Yaba Higher College (YHC), Lagos, which opened in
1930 and closed in 1947, after it transferred all its students to the
new University College, Ibadan. YHC was for many years Nigeria's
local source for teachers, medical assistants, assistant agricultural
officers, forest supervisors, surveyors and other administrators.
(2) The University College, Ibadan (UCI) began in January 1948 as a
FEDERAL university institution affiliated to the University of
London, which allowed UCI to prepare its students to receive UL
degrees. This was in the same tradition of British universities like
Exeter and Hull. UCI became simply the University of Ibadan (UI)
after cutting its "umbilical cord" with UL in October 1962, thereby
becoming a fully-fledged autonomous (ie self-degree-granting)
university. Its first Vice-Chancellor was Prof. Kenneth Mellanby.
(3) In 1960, the Ashby Commision on Post-School Certificate and Higher
Education in Nigeria released a report recommending the establishment
of three additional universities - in Lagos, in Zaria (on the site
of the Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology NCAST), and
the one (the University of Nigeria) being already planned in the
Eastern Region. They were recommended to be all autonomous.
The idea was that each of the existing regions (North, East, West)
would now have a university, with one in the center, Lagos.
(4) The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) began on October 7, 1960.
It was the FIRST REGIONAL university ever established, as well as the
FIRST fully-fledged autonomous university (attained by UI only in
1962). UNN's classes started October 10, with 220 students.
It had SIGNIFICANT American participation, particularly of Michigan
State University, East Lansing, Michingan, with its first two
Vice-Chancellors being American, and at times even its Registrar.
[Planning for the university in the Eastern Region had been
going on since 1955 during Dr. Azikiwe's premiership. Zik left the
East for Lagos-based Federal Legislature (leaving Dr. Okpara behind
as premier), became President of the Senate in January 1960 (?),
first indigenous Governor-General on November 16, 1960 in
preparation for when Nigeria became independent on October 1, 1960,
and President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria October 1, 1963.]
(5) Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria opened on NCAST, Zaria's campus in
October 1962 as a REGIONAL university with partial federal support.
The University of Lagos also opened in October 1962 (first
Vice-Chancellor: Prof. Eni Njoku), however as a fully-funded FEDERAL
university (second federal university to the University of Ibadan).
Note that the NCAST Enugu campus was turned over by the federal
government to UNN as its second campus, and not as a full-fledged
university.
(6) The University of Ife, though not proposed by the Ashby commission,
ALSO opened in October 1962, at the insistence (while premier) of
Chief Obafemi Awolowo's Action Group government, which had already
announced its intentions anyway in 1960. It went ahead in 1960 and
established a 59-member, all-Western-Nigeria-origin planning
committee, a university parliamentary committee to advise the Western
Nigerian minister of education. The Western Nigeria assembly passed
a law establishing the University of Ife in June 1961. With the
sound argument that the West would then be the only region without a
REGIONAL university, the Federal government yielded to Awo pressure,
and turned over NCAST, Ibadan campus to the University of Ife, rather
than turn it over to UI as originally planned. Ife was thus the
first Nigerian university to be established on the recommendation of
an all-Nigerian commitee, and can truly lay claim to be the first
INDIGENOUS Nigerian university in establishment and governance, for
whatever that claim is worth. Its first Vice-Chancellor was Prof.
Babatunde Ajose, followed by Prof. Hezekiah Oluwasanmi who oversaw
the movement of the university to its permanent Ile-Ife site in
January 1967 during the military regime of General Gowon. On Monday,
May 15, 1967, Chief Obafemi Awolowo was installed as the first
Chancellor of the University of Ife. [He had been in some confinement
or the other virtually throughout the life of the university he had
helped establish, more accurately from 22 September, 1962 when he
was served a house restriction order, to August 3, 1966 when he was
released from a ten-year imprisonment imposed on September 11, 1963!]
(7) By July 1965, when UI, ABU, UniLag and Unife were to turn out their
first crop of autonomous Nigerian university graduates, UNN had
turned out two sets of such graduates, grabbing that publicity and
distinction.
So that, my dear compatriots, is the truth, the whole truth and nothing
but the truth! All these first five universities have their distinctions,
none of which should be taken away from them or their motivators.
Finally, on a personal historical note, I started life as a son of an
Economics lecturer of NCAST, Ibadan (1959-62) - my father was a member of
the 59-man Unife planning committee - continued with the University of
Ife, Ibadan Branch (1962-1963), hopped with the family (after Akintola
dismissal of some university lecturers) to the University of Nigeria,
Nsukka (1964 - 1967). Family returned (just before Biafra/Nigeria civil
war) to the University of Ife, Ibadan branch in 1967, and then moved with
the university to Ile-Ife campus (1967 - 1978). During a period, I was a
Chemical Engineering student at the University of Ife from 1971-1976.
Great Ife!
Just thought I should declare my social assets, and establish my "locus
standi" without hiding my "realis identitas." :-) All spins are
completely unintended, and are the figment of the thinker's imagination.
:-)
Bolaji Aluko
Sources:
1. V.C. Ike: "University Development in Africa: The Nigerian Experience";
1976; Oxford University Press.
2. J. Aminu, "Quality & Stress In Nigerian Education", 1986; U. Maiduguri
and Northern Nigerian Publishing Company, Maiduguri and Zaria.
3. O. Awolowo, "Awo, an autobiography", 1960, Cambridge University Press
and "Adventures in Power, Book One: My March Through Prison" 1985,
Macmillan Press
4. J.O. Ojiako, "Nigeria: Yesterday, TOday and ?", 1981, Africana
Publishers.
5. M.E. Aluko, Personal knowledge, 1955 to date!
On Fri, 6 Oct 2000, Ekenlor Idi wrote:
> Dear Oladeinde:
>
> Awo started the first FREE (note the word Free) Universal Primary
> Education program in Nigeria. But Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe was the FIRST
> to introduce and implement the concept of UNIVERSAL PRIMARY
> EDUCATION. Not the absence of the word FREE. Awo was a
> non-practising socialist.
> The University of Nigeria, Nsukka, was the first indigenous
> university in Nigeria. It was established by Zik. Ife and ABU came
> later. The first university in Nigeria is the University of Ibadan.
> It was established by the colonial government. What does this mean?
> Zik WAS THE FIRST NIGERIAN LEADER TO ESTABLISH A UNIVERSITY! Never
> mind the first university of science and technology which was billed
> to take off in Port Harcourt in 1967 or 68.
>
> The achievements of the other regional premiers are often understated
> because no one bothers to ascertain the facts. For example, compare
> what Ahmadu Bello did in the North against what Awo did in the West
> and you will develop some respect for the man.
>
> okn
> +++
>
> --- JOD...@aol.com wrote:
> > In a message dated 10/4/00 5:24:15 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
> > mal...@scs.howard.edu writes:
> >
> > > aol
> > Dear Ekenlor Idi,
> >
> > One cannot just read and pass by, without wanting to make comment
> > about some
> > of the comments in this village. You wrote that Azikiwe was the
> > first person
> > to start universal primary education in Nigeria and that he was the
> > first
> > person to establish a University in Nigeria. Do we simply attach
> > novelty
> > with a person simply because he is from our side of the country or
> > we first
> > seek the truth before any statement that is supposed to establish
> > fact is
> > made? My history of universal primary education and first
> > university in
> > Nigeria indicates to me that the former was an Awolowo's life
> > project in the
> > then Western Nigeria while the later (Now known as University of
> > Ibadan was
> > heralded into Nigeria by Mr. Ransome Kuti of Abeokuta in the then
> > Western
> > Region of Nigeria. Where was your fact coming from? Somebody
> > should correct
> > me if I am wrong.
> >
> > However, Mr. Idi may have to read Pa Ajuluchukwu's interview of
> > about a week
> > ago.
> >
> > Dapo Oladeinde
>
>
> =====
> okn
> ------
> Let honesty and industry be thy constant companions, and spend one
> penny less than thy clear gains; then shall thy pocket begin to
> thrive; creditors will not insult, nor want oppress, nor hungerness bite,
> nor nakedness freeze thee. ----- Benjamin Franklin
>
> __________________________________________________
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>
Ekenlor Idi
-
>
> (3) In 1960, the Ashby Commision on Post-School Certificate and
> Higher
> Education in Nigeria released a report recommending the
> establishment
> of three additional universities - in Lagos, in Zaria (on the
> site
> of the Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology
> NCAST), and
> the one (the University of Nigeria) being already planned in
> the
> Eastern Region. They were recommended to be all autonomous.
> The idea was that each of the existing regions (North, East,
> West)
> would now have a university, with one in the center, Lagos.
>
>
> (5) Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria opened on NCAST, Zaria's campus
> in
> October 1962 as a REGIONAL university with partial federal
> support.
>
Ogbeni Bolaji Aluko:
I "hands up" for you. You too musch dis taime. Well, so Ife (Great
Ife - never mind that circumstances developed in way such that I
could not accept her admission to read law :-)) is the first
INDIGENOUS ........ UNIFE must be proud of you, a true alum indeed
:-)))
Make I dodge before Gani and the UI gang come swin'g.
okn
+++