Integrating the Past with the Present 
for Efficient Administration of the

University System

A b e l  I d o w u  O l a y i n k a

Lecture Presented in Commemora t ion  of the

80th Birthday Anniversary of 
Professor Ephraim Olabode Lucas

The /SwtgnuhmU’ (bllcge
Interdisciplinary lltviearch Discourse 

(Special l/lilion)

25, February, 2025

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Integrating the Past with the Present for 
Efficient Administration of the 

University System

A b e l  I d o w u  O l a y i n k a

Lecture Presented in Commemorat ion  of the 
80th Birthday Anniversary of 

Professor Ephraim Olabode Lucas

25» F eb ruary  2025

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Integrating the Past with the Present for Efficient 
Administration of the University System

Lecture Presented in Commemoration o f the 80th Birthday Anniversary o f  
Professor Ephraim Olabode Lucas

Published by
University of Ibadan Publishing House

© Postgraduate College, University of Ibadan 
Ibadan, Nigeria

Website: http://www.pgcollege.ui.edu.ng

First Published 2025

All rights reserved
This book may not be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form 
or by any means: electronic, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior 

written consent of the copyright owners, except for brief 
quotations in reviews.

ISBN: 978-978-775-813-7 (Prints)
978-978-775-812-0 (Online)

Printed by:
Artsmostfare Prints

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Professor Ephraim Olabode Lucas
Former Head, Department of Agronomy 

Former Dean, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, 
Former Dean, Postgraduate School 

Former Member of Council, University of Ibadan

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Abstract

University education in Nigeria is about 78 years old. It is helpful to 
examine some of the features of the Nigerian University System (NUS) 
by comparing the past with the present with a view to repositioning the 
NUS. In this paper, copious comments are made from the experience 
at the University of Ibadan while equally considering the situation in 
other sister universities. There has been an expansion o f the academic 
programmes even though recruitment and retention o f competent 
staff have been a challenge, especially over the last 10 years. The 
situation is further compounded by the exit of experienced staff to 
foreign lands, in the search for greener pastures. Given the extremely 
low wages earned by University workers in Nigeria, the phenomenon 
of brain drain is likely to continue unabated, unless the government 
acts fast and decisively. To improve the NUS's public image and overall 
success, both internal and external factors need to be addressed. To 
strengthen university governance, Councils of Universities should 
enforce the Federal Ministry o f Education's requirement that the Vice- 
Chancellor o f a University 'Must be a Professor with at least 10 years 
o f experience'. The vexed and unsettled issue of the appointment of an 
Acting Vice-Chancellor whenever there is no Council in place should 
be streamlined and implemented going forward by giving a strong 
voice to the Senate o f each University in the true spirit of Autonomy.

Keywords: Nigerian University System, University administration, 
Vice-Chancellor, Acting Vice-Chancellor.

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Introduction

I am grateful to Professor Ephraim Olabode Lucas and the Postgraduate 
College of the University o f Ibadan for the invitation to deliver 
Professor Lucas's 80th birthday lecture. I do not take this privilege 
lightly. I have had the opportunity to relate with the honoree, Professor 
Lucas, on many fronts. First, we are both old students of Ilesa Grammar 
School, although we were many generations apart. As a matter of fact, 
he had entered the famous secondary school in January 1958, a few 
weeks before I was bom. As an undergraduate at the University of 
Ibadan, I knew him as one o f the senior faculty advisors to the Ilesa 
Grammar School Old Students Association, University o f Ibadan 
branch, where I served as the General Secretary. We looked up to them 
as role models and thankfully they have never disappointed us. He is 
an elder brother to one of my senior professional colleagues, the 
notable Ibadan Geologist and Professor o f Geology at the University 
o f Benin, Benin-City, Professor Adebayo Lucas. He is a younger 
brother to our highly respected Rev'd Canon Emeritus Professor 
Babajide Lucas of the Department of Wood Products Engineering. 
Moreover, the world-famous Professor of Public Health, Professor 
Adetokunbo Olawale Lucas (1930-2015), a Fellow of the University 
of Ibadan, of blessed memory was his cousin.

The past becomes a texture, an ambience to our present.
P a u l S c o t t

The presence ofthe past can lead us to broader
interpretations to involve contemporary history.
O n i g u O t it e

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The glory o f the future is better than the history o f
yesterday.
W in s t o n  C h u r c h il l  (Erstwhile British Prime Minister)

I was given the topic 'Integrating the Past with the Presentfor Efficient 
Administration o f  the University System'. This looks to me to be an 
attractive, albeit very broad topic as it would afford us an opportunity 
to interrogate the prospects and challenges faced by the Nigerian 
University System, from the humble beginning of university education 
in the country in 1948 till the current time, a period of some 77 years. 
For one, both Professor Olabode Lucas and my humble self have 
developed an interest in the evolution of the University of Ibadan over 
time.

During his tenure as Dean of the Postgraduate School at the University 
of Ibadan from 1994 to 1998, Professor Olabode Lucas established an 
ad-hoc committee to explore the creation of Postgraduate School 
Journals. This Committee was chaired by Professor Christopher O. 
Ikporukpo, a distinguished Professor of Geography who later served 
as Dean of the Faculty of the Social Sciences at the University of 
Ibadan, Ibadan and subsequently became the Vice-Chancellor of Niger 
Delta University, Amassoma, Bayelsa State. Professor Lucas graciously 
included me as a member of this Committee. The Ikporukpo Ad-Hoc 
Committee proposed the name 'Research Frontiers' for the Journal of 
the Postgraduate School. Those were heady days in Nigeria, especially 
in the southwestern part of the country following widespread protests 
of the annulment of the 12 June 1993 Presidential Elections won by 
Chief Moshood Kasimawo Olawale Abiola (1937-1988). There was 
so much instability in the academic calendar. Implementation of the 
decision of the Ad-Hoc Committee was slowed down. As at the time I 
became the Dean in 2002, the Management of the Postgraduate School 
resuscitated the idea behind Research Frontiers since administration

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is a continuum. Indeed, the Postgraduate School under my watch 
published four volumes of Research Frontiers (ISSN 0189-5923) 
from May 2004 till May 2006.

During his tenure as Dean, Professor Lucas organised two Seminars on 
Writing Grant-Winning Proposals, one for Humanities-based disciplines 
presented by Professor Adedoyin Soyibo of the Department of 
Economics and the other for Science-based disciplines delivered by 
Professor Mark Nwagwu of the Department of Zoology. I was able to 
attend only the Seminar presented by Professor Soyibo. A little while 
after the lecture, I approached Dean Lucas to give me a copy of 
Professor Soyibo's manuscript and he obliged me. As a candidate for 
the Dean of the Postgraduate School in early 2002,1 was determined 
to expand on the two-part Seminar idea of Professor Lucas into a 
major Workshop on the Planning and Writing o f  Grant-Oriented 
Research Proposals which was held in July 2003. A booklet with that 
same title was also published by the Postgraduate School. Both the 
Workshop, with participants drawn from all the academic departments 
in the university, and the associated publication were well received in 
the University o f Ibadan community. It is trite to state that one has 
been very lucky to be part of the University of Ibadan ecosystem by 
standing on the shoulders of giants such as the honoree o f today.

Before delving into the topic of this discourse, I crave your indulgence 
to give an abridged version of the profile o f our honoree of today in 
Section 2 of this lecture. The early years o f the University College 
Ibadan, from 1948 to 1967, are widely regarded as a period of 
remarkable success, often fondly recalled by stakeholders. Section 3 
of this work provides an overview of the Nigerian University System, 
examining the factors that contributed to its subsequent decline. The 
mandates of two government agencies that have far-reaching 
implications for the successes and failures o f Nigerian Universities 
namely the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and

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the National Universities Commission (NUC) are presented in Section 
4. Apart from teaching and research, members of the academic staff of 
all cadres are expected to carry out community service. A summary of 
such service activities is given in Section 5. The issue o f university 
autonomy in the appointment of the Vice-Chancellor and Acting Vice- 
Chancellor is discussed in Section 6. The exercise of the power o f the 
Senate in awarding honorary degrees is outlined in Section 7. A 
comparison of some features o f the Nigerian University system in the 
past and at present is given in the final section along with the 
concluding remarks.

Olabode Lucas as Scholar, Administrator, and Social Commentator
Professor Ephraim Olabode Olusegun Lucas was bom on Wednesday, 
27 February 1945. His father was the late Chief Ebenezer Olugeshin 
Lucas, a renowned educationist who came from Lagos to start Ilesa 
Grammar School in 1934. For this effort, he was installed Bajulaiye of 
Erin-Ijesha in 1964. His mother was Mrs. Felicia O. Lucas, a trader 
who died in 2009. The famous Professor Olatokunbo Lucas, a Fellow 
of the University of Ibadan, was his cousin. Both o f the Rev'd Canon 
Professor Emeritus Babajide Lucas of our Department o f Woods 
Products Engineering and Professor Adebayo Lucas of the Department 
of Geology, University o f Benin, Benin City are his older and younger 
brothers, respectively.

He was educated at St. John's Primary School, Iloro Ilesa (1950-1957), 
Ilesa Grammar School (1958-1962), Federal School of Science, 
Onikan Lagos (1963-1966), University of Ibadan, Ibadan (1966-1969), 
Wye College (University of London), where he obtained M.Sc. (1972) 
and Ph.D (1975) in Crop Physiology (Agronomy), and University of 
Wisconsin USA where he obtained a certificate in Agricultural 
Cooperatives in 1982.

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He began his working career with the Ministry of Lagos Affairs in 
1963; thereafter, he became a Research Officer in Training, Senior 
Research Officer, and Principal Research Officer at the Nigeria 
institutes for Oil Palm Research Benin-City (NIFOR) between 1969 
and 1978.

He joined the University of Ibadan, as a Research Fellow in Grade 1 in 
the Department of Agricultural Extension (1978-1981), and became 
Senior Research Fellow (1982-1983); he then relocated to the Department 
of Agronomy as Senior Lecturer, (1983-1986), Reader (1986-1989), 
Professor o f Agronomy (1989).

He was visiting Professor, the University of Fort Hare Alice South 
Africa from 1999-2001.
During his academic career, he won the following scholarships, prizes, 
and honours:

• Cocoa Marketing Board Scholarship, tenable at the University 
o f Ibadan(1966-1969)

• In- Service Training Fellowship ( NIFOR), tenable at Wye 
College (University of London) (1971-1975)

• International Atomic Energy, Vienna Fellowship, tenable at 
the University o f Western Australia (1987)

• Research Associate, Department of Crop Science, University 
of Guelph Ontario, Canada (1988-1989)

• FAO Consultant on Rural Development (1981)
• FAO Consultant on Sustainable Agriculture (1993)

He was an External Examiner to many Universities in Nigeria and 
Abroad.

Between 1984 and 2007, he held various public service appointments 
which included the following:

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• Chairman, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of 
Ibadan Practical Training Programme (1984 -1986).

• Chairman, Faculty o f Agriculture and Forestry Consultancy 
Committee (1988-1992)

• President, University o f Ibadan Staff Club (1990-1992)
• Member of Joint Council/ Senate Committee on the 

Appointment o f the Vice- Chancellor, University of Ibadan 
(1991).

• Dean, Faculty ofAgriculture and Forestry, University of 
Ibadan(1992-1994)

• Dean, Postgraduate School (1994-1995)
• Member of University o f Ibadan Senate (1983-2010)
• Member of Appointments and Promotions Committee 

University of Ibadan (1990-1998)
• Head of Department o f Agronomy (2002-2005).
• Member of University o f Ibadan Governing Council (2003- 

2007).
He is a member of the following learned societies:

• Agriculture Society ofNigeria
• Institute of Biology
• American Society of Agronomy
• Association for the Advancement o f Agricultural Science in 

Africa (AAAS A).
He has over 100 publications in both local and international journals. 
He has also supervised 14 PhD students and produced the first female 
PhD holder in Agronomy in the whole o f the Southern part of Africa. 
He is widely travelled in Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, India, 
and several parts of Africa.
He likes to discuss current affairs both local and international and 
writes for newspapers (Nigerian Tribune, Guardian, Punch, Comet,

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and The Nation). He also likes to interact with people of diverse 
backgrounds.

Prof. Lucas aspires to be an author o f novels and he has produced a 
novel titled: Split Image and a book on contemporary issues in Nigeria 
and overseas titled 'Snapshots on some Nigerian and International

Events' (2016); IROYE— Stories from Childhood (2019); 'Dividends 
o f Greed -  a novel (2021).

He wants to be of more service to humanity and be regarded as a 
citizen o f the world who is not confined to any territorial boundary.

He is happily married to Mrs. Abeke Lucas, a retired secondary school 
principal and they are blessed with successful children.

Professor Olabode Lucas's ancestral home is at 10 Willoughby Street, 
Lagos at Lagos Island Local Government.

Partial Listing of Achievements as Dean of the Faculty of 
Agriculture and Forestry from 1992-1994
i. Chairman, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry Research Committee.
ii. Production ofFAO Manual on Sustainable Agriculture andTraining.
iii. Publication of Faculty o f Agriculture and Forestry Prospectus 

1992/94 (after 15 years break).
iv. Implementation of the Minimum Academic Standard for the 

Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry as approved by the National 
Universities Commission (NUC).

v. Introduction of Practical Year Agricultural Training Programme 
with emphasis on students' training for self-reliance.

vi. Administration o f scholarships and fellowships awarded to the 
students ofthe Faculty ofAgriculture andForestry.

vii. Member, Senate Research Grant Committee.

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Partial Listing of Achievements of Professor Lucas as Dean of the 
Postgraduate School, 1994 -1998
i. Chairman of Multidisciplinary Research Grant Scheme for 

Humanities-based and Science-based Faculties.

ii. Member, Senate Research Grant Committee.

iii. Initiation and Administration o f new Postgraduate Seminars for 
the whole University.

iv. Supervision of the introduction o f new postgraduate programmes 
in Faculties of Arts, Science, Medicine, Agriculture, Social Sciences, 
and Technology. The programmes are:

Masters in European Studies: 1995 
Masters in Economic Botany: 1998 
Masters & PhD Programmes in 
Computer Science: 1997 
Professional Masters Programmes in 
Agricultural Finance and Policy: 1998 
Professional Masters Programme in 
Managerial Psychology (MM)): 1996 
Professional Masters Programme in 
Geographical Information System 
(GIS): 1997
Masters and PhD Programmes in Civil 
Engineering: 1998.

Arts
Science

Agriculture

Social Sciences-

Technology

v. Publication o f Theses'Abstracts.

vi. Computerization of students' records.

vii. Attraction of Grants from Shell Petroleum Development Company, 
Agrip Company, Agip Oil Company Ltd., and Chevron Nigeria 
for Academic Programmes in the Postgraduate School.

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Sundry Community Services
Member of Joint Council/Senate Committee on the Appointment of 
the Vice-Chancellor o f the University of Ibadan (1991).

Member, Appointment and Promotion (A&P) Committee of the 
University of Ibadan (1990-1998).

Member and Hon. Treasurer, Committee of Deans, Faculties of 
Agriculture in Nigeria (1992-1994).

President, University o f Ibadan Staff Club (1989-1992).

Selected Publications on University Administration
ETTE, I.A.A. and LUCAS, E.O. (1998). Postgraduate Training at 
University of Ibadan. In: Ibadan at 50. A publication to mark the Golden 
Jubilee ofUniversity o f  Ibadan in 1998. Pages 200-224.
ISBN 978-121-269-1.

LUCAS, E. O. (2003): Global Trends in Postgraduate Education, 
Research and Training. In: Re-Engineering and Repositioning the 
Postgraduate School, University of Ibadan. Edited by A. Idowu Olayinka 
and Labode Popoola. El. Shaddai Global Ventures Ltd., Ibadan. 
ISBN 978-36969-1-2. Pages45-66.

OSOFISAN, F., LUCAS, B. andAKEN'OVA, M. 2008. University o f  
Ibadan: Sixty Landmarks. Lagos. Concept Publications.
ISBN 978-978-8406-01-3. 199 pages.

Overview of the Nigerian University System
When University education commenced in Nigeria in 1948, a total of 
104 students were admitted into the University College Ibadan. Some 
of these students were drawn from Yaba Higher College, earlier 
established in 1932. The Nigerian University system has since grown 
in leaps and bounds and as of 3rd February 2025, a total of 275

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Universities were listed on the website o f the National Universities 
Commission (NUC) (https://nuc.edu.ng'). This comprised 63 Federal 
Universities, 63 State Universities, and 149 Private Universities. The 
current total student enrolment should be in the region of two million 
for the entire Nigerian University System. The historical development 
of University education in Nigeria is shown in Figure 1.

The University of Ibadan's growth is evident in its expansion from 
three original faculties to 20. Six of these are now part o f the College of 
Medicine. The University also now includes a Postgraduate College 
and a School of Business. Despite being conservative with student 
enrolment on account of the limited carrying capacity, the total student 
population was 36,851 at the end of the 2022/2023 academic session 
comprising Postgraduate (full-time), Undergraduate (full-time), 
Postgraduate (part-time), Distance Learning Centre and Affiliated 
Institutions. The total graduate output, since inception, is in the region 
o f301,168 as o f November 2024. The academic staff strength is about 
1562, ofwhich about 30% are female.

As aptly noted by the 8th Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan 
(Adewoye, 2000), the history o f the University of Ibadan is, in a sense, 
inseparable from the history o f Nigeria after the Second World War. 
As reported by a distinguished alumnus and one-time Nigeria's 
Ambassador to the United Nations (Adefuye, 2010), from its 
establishment in 1948 as University College Ibadan, in affiliation 
with the University ofLondon, up till the late 1970s/early 1980s.

Lecturing at Ibadan was a status symbol that only the best o f the 
best merited and it was the aspiration o f many lecturers to have 
at least a sabbatical engagement at this citadel o f knowledge 
....The solid academic base o f UI produced world-class 
graduates whose certificates were automatic meal tickets.

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https://nuc.edu.ng


Professor Peter Okebukola, another eminent alumnus of the University 
o f Ibadan and a one-time Executive Secretary of the National 
Universities Commission, was asked the question: 'How was UI when 
you were there as an undergraduate?1 His reply is excerpted below:

I was in UI as an undergraduate between 1970 and 1973. Those 
were glorious days in terms of the quality o f education and 
student life. UI was a truly international university drawing staff 
from all over the world. Laboratories, libraries, and classrooms 
compared favourably with such facilities in universities in 
Europe and North America. Class sizes were small and social 
vices hardly recorded. Our halls o f residence were like 3-star 
hotels and we were treated like kings and queens. There were no 
interruptions to the academic calendar. A few weeks after the 
session was over, parents and students got copies of the 
examination results. Those were memorable years.

This was indeed the golden age o f tertiary education in the country 
when there was only one university (college) supplemented with three 
branches o f the Nigerian College o f Arts, Science and Technology. 
The University College Ibadan was a truly Nigerian institution.

’Okebukola, P. www.punchng.com; Saturday, 14 December, 2013

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http://www.punchng.com


Emergence of 
Private Universities 

(1999)

Emergence of 
State Universities 

(1979)

University Colleges at llorin, 
P/H, and Kano, all became 

full fledged Universities (1977)

University of Benin (1970) 
Regional Universities at Zaria, lle-lfe.and 

Nsukka taken over by FG 
Calabar, Jos ans Maiduguri University 
Colleges at llorin^P/H. & Kano (1975)

Universities of Lagos and Ife established, 
Ibadan attained autonomous status (1962)

University of Nigeria 
Nsukka 
(1960)196C

University College 
Ibadan (1948)

Yaba Higher 
College (1932)

Figure 1: Historical Development of University Education in Nigeria, 
1932-2025

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The following phases can be identified in the growth of the
University o f Ibadan from 1948 till date:
>  The University College Years, 1948-1962;
>  TheNascentNationalUniversity, 1962-1966;
>  TheTurbulentYears, 1967-1999;-(seeOnyeonoru,2008);
>  Revitalising the University, 2000-date.

University of Ibadan's Success Story: 1948-1966
The success story of the University of Ibadan in its golden era has been 
attributed to a number of factors including the following:

• The authorities made a conscious attempt to attract 
highcalibre academic, technical, and administrative sta ff .

• Sta ff composition was truly international, contributing to 
the rich academic and social culture of the university.

• A culture o f  research was built into the academic life of 
UCI/UI from the beginning. According to the first Principal 
o f the University College, Ibadan, Lord Prof. Mellanby 
who served from 1948-1955:

The provision o f teaching for our students and the prosecution 
o f original research by our staff were our most important duties.

(M e l l a n b y , 1958: 10)

• Student recruitment was stiffly competitive; the university 
admitted the very best students from all over the country.

• Physical and teaching/leaming facilities were o f high 
standards.

• Foreign institutions and foundations funded programmes 
and facilities and promoted staff development initiatives.

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• Staff development was taken seriously, including:
-  Attendance at conferences,
-  Research and travel grants, and
-  Sabbatical leave attachment with internationally 

acclaimed centres o f excellence.

The Decline of University of Ibadan: 1967-1999
Unfortunately, the period from then until the end of the 1990s saw a 
decline. This was driven by a combination of economic hardship and 
political instability. A general decline in standards plagued the institution 
during this period. This decline manifested in several ways, among 
which include inadequate funding, leading to acascade ofnegative effects. 
Student quality suffered, with a large proportion o f undergraduates 
facing withdrawal after their first year. Graduates faced bleak employment 
prospects, research output dwindled, and the institution experienced a 
significant loss o f academic, administrative, and technical staff, often 
due to better opportunities elsewhere. Furthermore, there were concerns 
about aging academic staff, deteriorating infrastructure, low academic 
standards, and inefficient administrative procedures. Increased demand 
and costs for municipal services further strained resources. The period 
was also marked by the rise of cultism and irregular academic calendars, 
frequently disrupted by conflicts between staff unions and the institution's 
proprietor.

The major features of the various eras in the life of the institution are 
summarised subsequently.

The civil war years, 1967-1970
• Exodus of academic and other staff of Igbo origin
• The departure of a large number o f non-Nigerian staff members 

because o f security threats.

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• The Vice-Chancellor resigned and the University Librarian 
was appointed the Acting Vice-Chancellor.

• Government funding dwindled because o f the pursuit of war 
efforts.

The immediate post-war years, 1970-1979
• The first direct confrontation between universities and the 

military authorities, marked the beginning of Ibadan's decline 
in quality and prestige.

• The number of universities increased exponentially without 
any sustainable strategy to allocate resources to run and manage 
these institutions.

• Ibadan began to lose its ground as a hub of knowledge sharing 
and debate.

The Second Republic, 1979-1983
• UI lost many experienced academics and administrators to the 

newly established universities.
• Despite resource constraints, expansion continued with the 

creation o f new departments, especially in Arts, Education, 
the Social Sciences, Agriculture and Forestry, and Science.

The second era of military rule, 1983-1999.
• Proliferation of Universities by the Federal and State governments. 

University education was viewed by the government as almost 
exclusively a social amenity.

• Haphazard funding became the norm. The government was of 
the view that university education should be virtually free to its 
beneficiaries. Tuition was entirely abolished and accommodation 
in halls o f residence was pegged at N90 per annum, but almost 
at the same time, the government withdrew subsidies to the

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halls o f residence. The issue of the funding of the universities 
became increasingly acrimonious until it reached a full crisis 
in 1996.

• Subvention from the government barely covered staff salaries.
• Non-availability o f development, maintenance, and running 

costs; in particular, academic and research facilities became 
inadequate and of a poor standard.

• The collapse o f the value of the Naira, with a consequent 
deterioration in the standard of living of staff and students;

• Scholars from different disciplines emigrated in large numbers, 
especially to South Africa, Botswana, the Middle East, Europe, 
USA and Canada;

• Social and moral decline within the university community 
which was a reflection of the situation in the larger society;

• University autonomy was undermined, with the government 
effecting closure of Universities without recourse to the Senate 
o f the Universities;

• Rise in anti-social behaviour especially campus cultism by 
students;

• The morale of the university community was greatly affected 
so that our commitment to academic advancement and excellence 
also declined;

• Inefficient administrative procedures;
• No systematic implementation ofVision;
• Emergence of counterproductive cultures;
• Research output was in steep decline.

Revitalizing the University, 2000- date
Happily, there has been a re-emergence of Ibadan after the restoration 
of civilian rule in the country in 1999 (Materu et al., 2010, Falase,

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2018, Banjo, 2013). Under the successive administrations of Professors 
Ayodele O. Falase, Olufemi A. Bamiro, and Isaac F. Adewole, giant 
efforts have been made to reposition the institution to its pre-eminent 
position in Africa and the rest of the world. There is an urgent need to 
consolidate the renaissance of our University which commenced in 
the last 25 years.

Every generation needs a new revolution 
-  Thomas Jefferson

There was a new lease of academic life in the Nigerian University 
System, with the return to civilian democratic dispensation in May 
1999. Major aspects of this at the University o f Ibadan involved the 
following:

Vision and Mission for the 20th Century.
John D. and Catherine T. Mac Arthur Foundation Grants 
Strategic Plan, 2009-2014 
Internationalisation Strategic Plan.

The Strategic Plan, 2009-2014
The Vision of the University o f Ibadan as stated earlier was produced 
as part of the five-year Strategic Plan, 2009-2014. The need to sustain 
the old glory of the University, as aptly demonstrated by the revitalization 
o f the last 25 years, is o f paramount importance. A schematic 
representation of the various phases that the University o f Ibadan has 
gone through from 1948 till date, as outlined above, is showninFigure2.

The main thrust o f the vision of the University of Ibadan for the 21 st 
Century is the desire to be a world-class institution.

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THE UCI ERA

REVITALISING THE 
I-  UNIVERSITY

New lease of 
academ ic life

International 
Staff and 
Student mix 

A very solid 
foundation 
and culture 
of research

! STEADY FALUN NATIONAL 
! AND INTERNATIONAL PRESTIGE

1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2022

Figure 2: Schematic representation of the different eras of the University 
of Ibadan, 1948 till date

A brief description of two main government agencies whose activities 
affect the operations o f universities is outlined in the next section.

Two government agencies: NUC and JAMB 
National Universities Commission (NUC)
The National Universities Commission (NUC) was established in 
1962 as an advisory agency in the Cabinet Office. However, in 1974, it 
became a statutory body. It is a parastatal under the Federal Ministry 
o f Education (FME). The main functions of the NUC include the 
following:

i. Approving all academic programmes run in Nigerian 
universities;

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ii. Approving the establishment o f all higher educational 
institutions offering degree programmes in Nigerian 
universities;

iii. Ensuring quality assurance o f all academic programmes 
offered inNigerian universities; and

iv. Channelling all external support to Nigerian universities.

Section 10 (1) of the Education (National Minimum Standards and 
Establishment of Institutions) Act, Cap E3, Laws o f the Federation of 
Nigeria 2004, empowers the National Universities Commission to lay 
down minimum standards for all universities and other degree awarding 
institutions of higher learning in the Federation and the accreditation 
o f their degrees and other academic awards.

The implementation of this legal framework within the Nigerian 
University System (NUS) began in 1989. This followed collaborative 
work between the Commission andNigerian Universities, resulting in 
the development of Minimum Academic Standards (MAS) for all 
university programmes inNigeria.

The MAS documents were subsequently approved by the Federal 
Government for use as a major instrument for quality assurance in the 
Nigerian University System (NUS). The documents were employed 
in the accreditation of programmes in the NUS for over a decade.

In 2001, the Commission initiated a process to revise the documents 
because the said MAS documents were essentially content-based and 
merely prescriptive. In 2004, the Commission developed outcome- 
based benchmark statements for all the programmes through a workshop 
that allowed for exhaustive deliberations by relevant stakeholders.

Following comments and feedback from the universities to the effect 
that the Benchmark-style Statements were too sketchy to meaningfully

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guide the development o f curriculum and inadequate for the purpose 
o f accreditation, the Commission, in 2007 put in place a mechanism 
for the merger of the Benchmark-style Statements and the revised 
Minimum Academic Standards, which birthed the Benchmark Minimum 
Academic Standards (BMAS).

The resulting BMAS, combining outcome-based benchmarks and 
content-based minimum academic standards, clearly define the 
expected learning outcomes and competencies for graduates of each 
Nigerian university programme. This framework achieves a balance, 
providing necessary guidance without excessive prescription, while 
also allowing for institutional flexibility and innovation.

To ensure Nigerian university education remains relevant to societal 
needs, the National Universities Commission (NUC) began restructuring 
the BMAS in 2018. This led to the introduction of the Core Curriculum 
and Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS), designed to reflect 
21st-century realities across both existing and new disciplines and 
programmes within the Nigerian University System.

The 2021 CCMAS documents are structured to provide for 70% of 
core courses for each programme, while giving universities the 
flexibility to utilise the remaining 30% for other innovative courses in 
their peculiar areas o f focus. In addition to the overall Learning 
Outcomes for each discipline, there are also Learning Outcomes for 
each programme and course. In general, programmes are typically 
structured such that a student does not carry less than 30 credit units or 
more than 48 credit units per session.

The NUC has produced 17 CCMAS documents for the following 
academic disciplines in the Nigerian University System:

1. Administration and Management
2. Agriculture

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3. Allied Health Sciences
4. Architecture
5. Arts
6. Basic Medical Sciences
7. Computing
8. Communication and Media Studies
9. Education
10. Engineering and Technology
11. Environmental Sciences
12. Law
13. Medicine and Dentistry
14. Pharmaceutical Science
15. Sciences
16. Social Sciences
17. Veterinary Medicine

The University o f Ibadan's Senate has consistently demonstrated a 
commitment to addressing Nigeria's current and future manpower 
needs. Over the past decade, this has resulted in the creation o f new 
academic departments and the or unbundling o f existing ones, often 
driven by NUC accreditation requirements. The newly established 
Faculties are:

• Renewable Natural Resources (by excising Forestry from the 
former Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, while simultaneously 
splitting the two former Departments o f Forest Resources 
Management, and Wildlife and Fisheries Management into 
four, namely Forest Production and Products; Social and 
Environmental Forestry; Aquaculture and Fisheries Management; 
and Wildlife and Ecotourism Management).

• Economics and Management Sciences with new Departments 
of Banking and Finance, Accounting, Marketing and Consumer 
Studies.

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• Environmental Design and Management, with new Departments 
o f Architecture, Estate Management, Quantity Surveying, and 
introduction of undergraduate programme in Urban and Regional 
Planning.

• Multidisciplinary Studies incorporating the Departments of 
Data and Information Science; Peace, Security and Humanitarian 
Studies; Sustainability Studies; Petroleum, Energy Economics 
and Law; and Bio-Ethics and Medical Humanities.

• Basic Clinical Sciences (excised from the Faculty of Basic 
Medical Sciences)

• Nursing (excised from the Faculty o f Clinical Sciences).
• Computing (forthcoming, with the approval by the Senate at 

the end of January 2024 of new undergraduate programmes in 
Information and Communication Technology; Software 
Engineering; Cybersecurity; and Data Science in the Department 
of Computer Science, along the lines recommended by the 
NUC in its 2021CCMAS document).

Two new Departments, namely Automobile Engineering and 
Biochemical Engineering were established in the Faculty ofTechnology.

The expansion of academic programmes should be accompanied by 
the recruitment of additional academic staff for the new programmes 
to take off seamlessly, be on a strong footing, and ensure quality 
assurance.

Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB)
The legal instrument establishing the Joint Admissions and 
Matriculation Board (Board) was promulgated by the Act (No. 2 of 
1978) o f the Federal Military Government on 13 February 1978. By 
August 1988, the Federal Executive Council amended Decree No. 2 
o f 1978. The amendments have since been codified into Decree No.

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33 of 1989, which took effect on 7 December 1989. Decree No. 2 of 
1978 (amended by Decree No. 33 o f 1989) empowered the Joint 
Admissions and Matriculation Board to:

(a) conduct Matriculation Examination for entry into all Universities, 
Polytechnics, and Colleges o f Education (by whatever name 
called) in Nigeria.

(b) appoint Examiners, Moderators, Invigilators, members of the 
Subject Panels and committees, and other persons with respect to 
matriculation examinations and any other matters incidental thereto 
or connected therewith.

(c) place suitably qualified candidates in tertiary institutions after 
having taken into account:
(i) the vacancies available in each tertiary institution; (ii) the 

guidelines approved for each tertiary institution by its proprietors 
or other competent authorities; (iii) the preference expressed 
or otherwise indicated by the candidates for certain tertiary 
institutions and courses; (iv) such other matters as the Board 
may be directed by the Honorable Minister to consider or the 
Board itself may consider appropriate in the circumstances.

(d) collate and disseminate information on all matters relating to 
admissions into tertiary institutions or any other matter relevant to 
the discharge of functions o f the board.

(e) carry out other activities as are necessary or expedient for the full 
discharge of all or any o f the functions conferred on it under or 
pursuant to this Decree.

For admission into the Universities, all the prospective candidates 
must have scored at least 200 out o f the maximum o f400 marks at the 
UTME, translating to 50%. All those who meet this condition are 
invited for the Post-UTME Screening and they must again score at

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least 50%. A simple average o f the performance at the UTME and 
Post-UTME is then employed as the basis for the final selection of 
candidates. The cut-off marks would depend on the total number of 
candidates seeking admission into a particular course of study and the 
number of available slots (the admission quota). Competition for 
admission is usually very keen. As can be seen from Table 1, the merit 
cut-off-marks for the 2024/2025 admission exercise ranged from 
78.125% for Medicine and Surgery to 50%.

Table 1: The cut-off marks for admission into its various courses 
for the 2024/2025 academic session at the University of 
Ibadan, Ibadan

F a c u lty P ro g ra m m e s M e rit C a tc h m e n t E L D S 2

A griculture

A gricultural E conom ics 50.375 50.375 50.375
A gricultural Extension  and Rural 
D evelopm ent. 50 50 50
Crop and H orticultural Sciences 50 50 50
Soil R esources M anagem ent 50 50 50
A nim al Science 50 50 50
Crop Protection  and 
Environm ental B iology 50 50 50

A rts

A nthropology 50 50 50

A rabic Language and L iterature 56.5 56.5 56.5

A rchaeology 50 50 50

C lassical Studies 50 50 50
C om m unication and Language 
Arts 61.875 61.875 58

European Studies -  French 50 50 50

European Studies -G e rm a n 50 50 50

European Studies -R u s s ia n 50 50 50

English 57.125 57.125 55.25

H istory 50 50 50

Islam ic Studies 50 50 50

2ELDS: Educationally Less Developed States

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F a c u lty P ro g ra m m e s M e rit C a tc h m e n t E L D S

Linguistics 58.125 58.125 51.625

L inguistics -  Igbo 50 50 50
Linguistics -  Yoruba 50 50 50
M usic 50 50 50
Philosophy 50 50 50
R elig ious Studies 50 50 50
Theatre Arts 55.75 55.75 53.125

C ollege o f  
M edicine

B iochem istry 56.125 56.125 51

D entistry 69.125 69.125 63.625
E nvironm ental H ealth  Science 52 52 52

H um an N utrition and D ietetics 57.125 57.125 53.125

M edical Laboratory  Science 65 65 58.75

M edicine and Surgery 78.125 78.125 76.25

N ursing  Science 71.875 71.875 63.375

Physiology 60.375 60.375 54.25

Physiotherapy 64.75 64.75 61.125

E conom ics & M gt 
Science

Econom ics 58.5 58.5 52.375
A ccounting 65.25 65.25 59.5
B anking and Finance 52 52 52
M arketing and C onsum er 
Studies 51.75 51.75 51.75

Education

A dult Education 50 50 50
B usiness Education 50 50 50
Early C hildhood E ducation 50 50 50
Education  and Arabic Studies 50 50 50
Education and B iology 50 50 50
Education  and C hem istry 50 50 50
Education  and C hristian 
R eligious Studies 50 50 50
Education  and C om m unication 
and L ang Arts 50 50 50
Education  and Econom ics 50 50 50
Education and English 57.75 57.75 52.375
Education and French 50 50 50

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F a c u lty P ro g ra m m e s M e rit C a tc h m e n t E L D S
Education Education  and G eography 50 50 50

Education  and H istory 50 50 50
E ducation  and Islam ic Studies 50 50 50
Education  and M athem atics 50 50 50
Education  and Physics 50 50 50
Education  and Political Science 50 50 50
Education  and Yoruba 50 50 50
Educational M anagem ent 50 50 50
G uidance and C ounselling 50 50 50
H ealth  E ducation 50 50 50
H um an K inetics 50 50 50
Library, A rchival and 
Inform ation Studies 50 50 50
Special E ducation 50 50 50

E nvironm ental
D esign
M anagem ent

A rchitecture 51 51 51

E state M anagem ent 50 50 50
U rban and R egional P lanning 50 50 50

Q uantity  Surveying 50 50 50
Law Law 67.25 67.25 66.75

Pharm acy Pharm acy 68 68 65.625

R enew able N atural 
R esources

A quaculture and Fisheries 
M anagem ent 50 50 50
F orest R esources M anagem ent 50 50 50
W ildlife &  Ecotourism  
M anagem ent 50 50 50
Social and Environm ental 
Forestry 50 50 50

Science

A nthropology 50 50 50
A rchaeology 50 50 50
B otany 50 50 50
C hem istry 50 50 50
C om puter Science 71 71 60.875
G eography 50 50 50

G eology 51 51 51

Industrial C hem istry 50 50 50

M athem atics 52 52 52

M icrobiology 52.75 52.75 52.125

Physics 51 51 51

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F a c u lty P ro g ra m m e s M e rit C a tc h m e n t E L D S

Statistics 50 50 50
Z oology 50 50 50

Social Sciences

G eography 50 50 50
Political Science 55.875 55.875 55.375

Psychology 53.75 53.75 53.75
Sociology 50.5 50.5 50.5

Technology

A gricultural and Environm ental 
Engineering 50 50 50
C ivil Engineering 61.625 61.625 53.625
E lectrical and E lectronics 
Engineering 67 67 50.25

Food Technology 51 51 51
Industrial and Production 
Engineering 50.25 50.25 50.25

M echanical Engineering 68 68 55.125

Petro leum  Engineering 61.25 61.25 53.625

W ood Products Engineering 50 50 50
A utom otive Engineering 54.125 54.125 54.125

Veterinary Medicine V eterinary M edicine 60 60 60

It can be seen that there has been a general increase in the total student 
enrolment at the University o f Ibadan from about 18,000 in 2002/2003 
to a peak of 46,031 in 2017/2018 according to data published by the 
Academic Planning Unit in the Officeofthe Vice-Chancellor (Figure 3).

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Total Student Enrolm ent, Ul (2002-2023)

-----------------------------------------  46031

-r ^  ^  ^  ô> ^  #• #  #  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^

Figure 3: Total Student enrolment at the University of Ibadan, 
2002 to 2023

However, the academic staff strength has not increased in the same 
proportion (Figure 4). This places a significant burden on the remaining 
staff, as government policy has hindered the systematic replacement 
of retiring or resigning staff. With student numbers more than doubling 
while academic staff strength has only increased by roughly one-third, 
the resulting unfavourable teacher-student ratio threatens the quality 
o f teaching and learning.

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Figure 4: Total number of Academic Staff at the University of Ibadan, 
2002-2023

Assessment of Community Service, Administrative Duties, and 
Teaching Effectiveness for Academic Staff
The Regulations and Guidelines for Promotion of Academic Staff at 
the University o f Ibadan make copious references for academic staff 
to participate in Community Service and Administrative Duties. 
Sections 8 (i) and 8 (ii) specifically state as follows:

i. Assessment of Community Service

(a) Community service refers to all forms of knowledge application 
and provision of service by which an academic member of staff 
impacts the University community and/or the larger society. Such 
activities include the delivery o f public lectures, the leadership of 
academic or professional societies, being on the editorial boards 
o f recognised journals, and organising symposia and workshops.

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Academic members of staff who undertake them should be duly 
rewarded during appointment and promotion exercises.

b. Community service is to be scored on a scale o f 0-5 points.

c. A maximum of one (1) point is to be assigned for each community 
service since a candidate's last promotion or appointment, with 
five (5) as the maximum number o f community services that can 
be scored.

ii. Assessment of Administrative Duties

a. Deans, Acting Deans, Sub-Deans, Acting Heads of Department, 
Hall Wardens, Assistant Hall Wardens, Examination Officers, 
Programme Coordinators, Level Advisers, Staff Advisers to student 
organisations, members of Departmental and Faculty Committees, 
and all others holding administrative positions recognised by the 
University who are not professors should be rewarded for engaging 
in administrative duties.

b. Amaximum of 2.5 points is to be assigned to each administrative 
position held since a candidate's last promotion or appointment is 
subject to a maximum of 5 points for candidates seeking promotion 
to cadres up to Senior Lectureship and 10 points for candidates 
seeking promotion to the Professorial Cadre.

c. Administrative duties are to be scored on a scale of 0-5 points for 
candidates seeking promotion to cadres up to Senior Lectureship 
and on a scale of 0-10 points for candidates seeking promotion to 
the Professorial Cadre.

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Table 2: Allotment of Points for Community Service and Administrative 
Duties

S/N C ases C om m u n ity  
S erv ice  (P oin ts  

A llotted )

A d m in istra tive  
D u ties (P oin ts  

A llotted )

M axim u m
Score

O b ta in ab le
1 . Part I P rom otion  C ases 0-5 po in ts 0-5 po in ts 10 po in ts
2. P art II P ro m o tio n  C ases 0-5 po in ts 0 -10  po in ts 15 po in ts

ili. Assessment of Teaching Effectiveness
The components o f teaching effectiveness include students' 
assessment o f academic staff, teaching load (i.e. course unit and 
class size), and departmental assessment o f academic staff, 

a. The maximum score for teaching effectiveness o f academic staff 
seeking promotion is twenty (20) points. The twenty (20) points 
are to be allocated as indicated in Table 3:

How not to assess your students was the title o f a Facebook message I 
posted on my page on 19 January 2024.1 have always held that it is not 
right for a lecturer to claim that no student can score an A in their 
courses. That C is fo r  the intelligent student] B is fo r  the genius, and A 
is fo r  God. From the reactions to my Facebook post, one could observe 
that this is a view widely held by many current and former undergraduate 
students in Nigeria.

I suffered from such negative actions as an undergraduate. One o f my 
undergraduate lecturers told me point blank that no student could 
score up to 70% in his course. In retrospect, he was not trained as a 
teacher, and to that extent, it was perhaps none of his priority to 
implement a student-centric examination assessment system.

It behooves those o f us who teach in higher educational institutions to 
change such mindsets. This I have championed throughout my 
academic career (See Olayinka, 2014). A lecturer is a guide on the side 
to his/her students and not an all-knowing sage on the stage. He/she 
has a duty to bring out the best in his/her students while mentoring

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them. It serves no useful purpose to mark down your students by 
ensuring they score a poorer grade than they deserve. This is without 
prejudice to those lecturers who inflate examination grades which is 
indefensible and unsustainable.

By the way, I scored 64% (B) in the course; which by the classification 
scheme of my erstwhile lecturer he had reserved for Geniuses. I am 
smiling now, knowing fully well that I am not a genius. I once narrated 
my experience with a colleague at the University of Ibadan, Professor 
Ayodele Oluleye, former Dean of Technology. He said what my 
lecturer had done inadvertently was to score everyone in my class over 
70! I agree with him. Sixty-four marks out of a maximum of 70 under 
the Nigerian/British examination system would certainly translate to 
a grade A.

Table 3: Allotment of Points for Teaching Effectiveness
S/N Sub-Components of 

Teaching Effectiveness
Points
Allotted

Remarks

1 Students’ Assessment 0-5 points Based on Assessment Forms 
completed by students

2 Class Size 0-5 points a. One (1) point per regular 
class size b. 1.5 points per 
large class size

3 Course Unit 0-5 points One (1) point for each course 
unit

4 Departmental
Assessment

0-5 points Based on Departmental 
Assessment

MAXIMUM POINTS 
OBTAINABLE

20 points

Departmental assessment of teaching competence must be both 
qualitative and quantitative. The sub-components o f the assessment 
and the points attached to them are given in Table 4.

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Table 4: Allotment of Points for Assessment of Teaching Effectiveness 
Experience

S/N Sub-Components of 
Departmental Assessment

Criteria Points
Allotted

1 Teaching Effectiveness Departmental Opinion 0-3 points
2 Teaching Experience Years 

of Teaching since Last 
Promotion/Appointment 
( in case of first-time 
promotion candidates)

3 Years and Above 
Less than 3 years

2 points 
1 point

MAXIMUM POINTS 
OBTAINABLE

5 points

d. Prima facie  cases should not be made for candidates who fail to 
score at least 50% ofthe maximum points for teaching effectiveness.

e. Obtaining the minimum required score for teaching effectiveness, 
community service, and administrative duties is a precondition 
for the consideration o f a candidate for promotion.

f. The minimum promotion requirements for academic staff, as 
indicated in Table 5 should be adopted.

Table 5: Minimum Required Scores from Teaching Competence, 
Administrative Duties, and Community Service

S /N
A c a d e m ic  S ta f f  C ad re

A llo tted  P o in ts  fo r  T each in g  
C o m p ete n c e , A d m in is tra tiv e  
D u ties a n d  C o m m u n ity  S erv ice

M in im u m M ax im u m
1 L ec tu re r  G rad e  II to  L ec tu re r  G rad e  I 15 p o in ts 30  p o in ts
2 L e c tu re r  G rad e  I to  S e n io r L ec tu resh ip 2 0  po in ts 30  p o in ts
3 S en io r L ec tu re sh ip  to  R ead e rsh ip 20  p o in ts 35 p o in ts
4 R e ad e rsh ip  to  P ro fesso rsh ip 20  p o in ts 35 p o in ts

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Assessment of Candidates Seeking Promotion to the grade of 
Reader or Professor
Over the past five years, I have served as an External Assessor for 
candidates seeking promotion to the grade of Reader or Professor in 
several Universities in Nigeria, including Obafemi Awolowo University, 
Ile-Ife; Federal University of Technology, Akure; Nnamdi Azikiwe 
University, Awka, Olabisi Onabanjo University Ago-Iwoye; and 
Covenant University, Ota. One can confirm that it is standard practice 
in these universities to assess contribution o f their candidates to 
community service and administrative duties as part o f the primafacie 
qualification.

Beyond using community service and administrative duties for 
promotion, members o f the academic staff who have attained the 
professorial rank are expected to provide leadership in the university 
as follows:
(a) Lead in the development and implementation o f the university 

research strategy and coordinate research activity within his/her 
specific subj ect and contribute to the new frontier of knowledge.

(b) Lead/participate in research and collaborative partnerships 
with other educational institutions or other bodies.

(c) Provide mentorship to junior faculty.
(d) Contribute to the publication profile of the University by 

publishing inreputablejoumals.
(e) Conduct research with social and community relevance.
(f) Attend and present papers at national and international 

conferences or similar events to disseminate information and 
contribute to the body of knowledge.

(g) Challenge teaching, foster debates and develop the ability of 
the students to engage in critical decision and rational thinking.

(h) Supervise student's field trips and, where appropriate, placement 
o f work.

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(i)
G)

Set, administer, and mark student examinations.
Ensure teaching content and delivery methods are up to date in 
relation to the requirements of the industry.

(k) Participate in the smooth running o f the Department/Unit.
(l) Attend and contribute to discussions at Senate and Congregation 

meetings.
(m) Present Inaugural lectures when called upon
(n) Foster interdisciplinary team working spirit among lecturers 

to enhance synergy
(o) Act as a mentor, coach, and role model to students and other 

staff.
(p) Adhere to policies o f the University in teaching, research, and 

community service.
(q) Assist and provide general guidance to students in the preparation 

o f manuscripts for journal publications.
(r) Act as an ambassador of the University through their work in 

research and development and thus enhance the image of the 
University.

(s) Attend all departmental and faculty meetings.
(t) Facilitate participation o f external and visiting professors in 

the department.
(u) Ensure the smooth conduct of examination and timely processing 

o f results.
(v) Serve as External Examiner to sister universities
(w) Serve as External Assessor for candidates in sister Universities 

seeking promotion.

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Appointment of Vice-Chancellor and Acting Vice-Chancellor, 
and Exercise of Power by Senate and Council
The Visitor is no longer involved in the selection process of VCs in 
Nigerian Federal Universities going by law. Instead, the selection of the 
Vice-Chancellor is the responsibility of the Council. There is a Joint 
and Senate Selection Board consisting o f -  (a) the Pro-Chancellor, as 
chairman; (b) two members o f the Council, not being members of the 
Senate; (c) two members o f the Senate who are Professors, but who 
are not members of the Search Team. The Selection Board is expected 
to recommend to the Council three candidates for further consideration. 
The Council then selects and appoints one candidate from among the 
three recommended and informs the Visitor, who is the President. 
These are the provisions of the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) 
Act No. 11, 1993 as amended by The Universities (Miscellaneous 
Provisions) (Amendment) Act No. 55 o f 1993; The Universities 
(Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Act No. 25 of 1996; The 
Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Act 2003, 
otherwise called The Universities Autonomy Act No. 1,2007 and The 
Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Act 2012. In 
other words, the process for the appointment o f a Vice Chancellor in 
Nigerian federal universities should be the statutory responsibility of 
the Governing Council of each university. Once an appointment is 
made, it should be legally binding and effective without any input from 
the President/Visitor. The law only requires the Council to inform the 
President of the appointment. The President is not even empowered to 
approve or disapprove.

This new template was adopted by the Council o f the University of 
Ibadan for the appointment o f the 11th, 12th and 13th Vice-Chancellor of 
the University in September 2010, September 2015, and October 
2021, respectively. It must be pointed out that in these three cases, it is 
to the credit o f the respective Councils of the University of Ibadan

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under the Pro-Chancellorship/Chairman of Council of Chief Wole 
Olanipekun, Dr. Umar Mustapha, and Chief John Odigie Oyegun, 
respectively. The candidates who came first at the Joint Council/Senate 
Selection Board were picked as Vice-Chancellor by the Council. A 
similar scenario has been reported from the University of Lagos and 
Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife. As shown in Table 6, this has 
not always been the case in some other Universities where there have 
been instances of candidates who came either second or third at the 
Selection Board and finally emerged as Vice-Chancellor.

Table 6: Mode of appointment adopted in selecting Vice-Chancellors
from the recommendation of the Joint Council/Senate Selection 
Board in selected Federal Universities in Nigeria (2010 -2024)

A p poin tm ent 
procedure  
adopted  by  
the C ouncil

Year o f  
A p p oin tm en t

P osition  o f  
C andidate  
A p poin ted  by  
C ou n cil on the  
list from  the  
Selection  
B oard

P roced ure adopted  
by C ouncil

N am e o f  the  
person
A p p oin ted  the  
V ice-
C h ancellor

U niversity  o f  
Ibadan

2010 1st T he m erit lis t from  
the  S e lec tion  B oard  
w as fo llow ed  strictly.

P ro fesso r Isaac
Folorunso
A dew ole

2015 1st T he m erit lis t from  
the Selec tion  B oard  
w as fo llow ed  strictly.

P ro fesso r A bel
Idow u
O lay inka

2021 1st T he m erit lis t from  
the Selec tion  B oard  
w as fo llow ed  strictly.

P rofessor
K ayode
O yebode
A debow ale

U niversity  o f  
L agos

2010 1st The m erit list from  
the Selec tion  B oard  
w as fo llow ed  strictly.

Professor
Babatunde
A detokunbo
Sofoluw e

2012 1st The m erit list from  
the Selec tion  B oard  
w as fo llow ed  strictly.

Prof. R ahm on 
A de B ello

2017 1st The m erit list from  
the  Selec tion  B oard  
w as fo llow ed  strictly.

Prof.
O luw atoy in
O gundipe

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202 2 1st T h e  m e rit lis t from  
th e  S e lec tio n  B o ard  
w a s  fo llo w e d  stric tly .

P ro fT o lu lo p e
O g u n so la

O bafem i
A w olow o
U niversity ,
Ile -Ife

2006 T h e  m e rit lis t from  
th e  S e lec tio n  B o ard  
w a s  fo llo w ed  s tric tly

P ro fe sso r
M ich ae l
F a b o ro d e

2011 F T h e  m e rit lis t from  
the  S e lec tio n  B oard  
w a s  fo llo w ed  stric tly

P ro fe sso r
B am ita le
O m o le

2017 I s* T h e  m e rit lis t from  
th e  S e lec tio n  B oard  
w a s  fo llo w e d  s tric tly

P ro fe sso r
T em itope
O g u n b o d ed e

U n iv e rs ity  o f  
U yo

2010 3rd V oting  w as 
co n d u c ted  on  the  
th ree  nam es  p ro p o sed  
b y  th e  S e lec tion  
B oard .

P r o f  C o m fo rt 
E kpo

2015 i st V oting  w as 
c o n d u c ted  in  tw o  
stages . F irst, th e  
C o u n c il vo ted  to  
d ec id e  w h e th e r there  
sh o u ld  b e  v o tin g  o r 
ju s t  p ic k  th e  h ig h est 
scorer. S econd , the  
C o u n cil th en  v o ted , i f  
it  w a s  th e  w ish  o f  the  
m a jo rity  th a t the  
V C  sh o u ld  b e  
se lec ted  th ro u g h  
v o tin g . So, m em b ers  
o f  th e  C o u n c il h a d  to  
v o te  a g a in  fo r  the  
th ree  can d id ate s  
re c o m m e n d ed  b y  the  
S e lec tio n  B oard .

P r o f  E n e fio k  
E ssien

20 2 0 2 nd V C  o n ly  em erged  
a fte r  V oting. H e 
sco red  9 o u t o f  the  
to ta l 13 vo tes. T he 
p e rso n  w h o  c am e  firs t 
o n  th e  S e lec tion  
B o ard  h ad  the  
re m a in in g  4  v o tes.

P r o f  N y au d o h  
N d a ey o

M o d ib b o
A d am a
U niversity ,
Y ola

2014 2nd C o u n c il v o ted  on  the  
lis t from  th e  S e lec tio n  
B oard .

P ro fK y a r i
M o h am m ed

U n iv e rs ity  o f  
P o r t H a rco u rt

20 1 4 2 nd C o u n c il v o te d  o n  th e  
lis t fro m  th e  S e lec tion  
B oard

P r o f  N d o w a  
L e la

F ed e ra l 
U n iv e rs ity  o f  
T echno logy  
A kure

2022 2 nd C o u n c il v o ted  on  the 
lis t from  th e  S e lec tion  
B oard

P rof. A d en ik e  
A d ed iji

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Appointment of Acting Vice-Chancellor
There should be a standard procedure for the appointment o f an Acting 
Vice-Chancellor in cases where a Vice-Chancellor is completing his/her 
tenure and the process for the appointment o f a successor is not yet 
concluded. At the University of Ibadan wherever this scenario it was 
usual practice for the next in rank in the governance organogram to 
take over from the outgoing Vice-Chancellor in an acting capacity 
pending the appointment of a substantive Vice-Chancellor. On many 
occasions, a Deputy Vice-Chancellor had become Acting Vice-Chancellor 
in this manner (1967/1968; 1971/1972; 1983/1984; 1995/1996; 2000; 
2005). In 1995, when the Vice-Chancellor completed his tenure and 
both Deputy Vice-Chancellors too were simultaneously completing 
their respective tenures, the mantle fell on the officer next in rank, the 
Provost of the College of Medicine, who was then appointed the Acting 
Vice-Chancellor.

A novel arrangement was foisted on the University o f Ibadan in 
November 2020 when the process for appointment of a new Vice- 
Chancellor could not be completed before the expiration of the tenure 
of the outgoing Vice-Chancellor. The University Senate was directed 
by the Federal Ministry of Education to conduct an election for the 
appointment o f an Acting Vice-Chancellor. In the process, the sitting 
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) emerged but not until after 
contesting with four other Professors.

As part of a last-ditch effort to resolve the impasse that trailed the 
appointment of the 13 th Vice-Chancellor of the University o f Ibadan in 
November 2020, the Minister o f Education directed the University 
Senate to convene a special meeting of the Senate for the purpose of 
selecting one o f its members who was not a candidate in the then on­
going process for the selection of a new Vice-chancellor, for 
recommendation to the Governing Council for appointment as Acting

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Vice-chancellor for a period of not more than six months as stipulated 
in section 3(13) and (14) o f the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) 
(Amendment) Act 2003.

It would be recalled that in electing an Acting Vice-Chancellor on 30 
November 2020, the Senate set aside the provisions of the Act of the 
University. Indeed, two positions were canvassed on the floor of the 
Senate meeting.

One group supported following the dictates of the Act which would 
have seen a Deputy Vice-Chancellor being appointed the Acting Vice- 
Chancellor without going through any election. On the four earlier 
occasions where the University of Ibadan had an Acting Vice- 
Chancellor, it had always been by following the Order o f Precedence 
in the hierarchy.

The second group maintained that the Act be set aside and an election 
conducted as proposed by the letter from the Honourable Minister of 
Education. This intervention in itself has no place in the law and is 
clearly a breach of the autonomy of the University.

To give peace a chance, the first group conceded to the demands o f the 
secondgroup. Invariablythere were fivevalidnominationsforthe position 
of Acting Vice-Chancellor, with the sitting Deputy Vice-Chancellor 
(Academic) Professor A. B. Ekanola winning overwhelmingly, by 
polling 69.3% of the total votes. There is a Yoruba Proverb that states 
thus: Bi a ba ran ni ise bi eru, a f i  ti omo je  (Translation: If you were 
sent on an errand as if  you were a slave, you should proceed to deliver 
the message as a true bom). In the instant case, the majority group in 
the Senate had its way even while it had succeeded in implementing 
the directive from the Ministry o f Education.

For the records, the six earlier instances where the University of Ibadan 
had an Acting Vice-Chancellor are stated subsequently.

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First, the first Vice-Chancellor for an independent University of Ibadan, 
Professor Kenneth Dike resigned his appointment in January 1967. 
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (John Harris) was appointed Acting 
Vice-Chancellor.

Second, when Professor Adeoye Lambo resigned his appointment as 
Vice-Chancellor in 1971 in the aftermath of the unfortunate incident 
involving the killing of a student by Police during a protest, the Deputy 
Vice-Chancellor, Professor G. M. Edington, took over as the Acting 
Vice-Chancellor.

Third, when the process for the appointment o f a new Vice-Chancellor 
could not be concluded at the end of the four-year tenure of the 5th 
Vice-Chancellor, Professor Samson Olajuwon Olayide (1979-1983), 
the sitting Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ayo Banjo, was appointed 
Acting Vice-Chancellor. Prof Ayo Banjo served in the capacity of 
Acting Vice-Chancellor from 1 December 1983 till 30 November 
1984 after which he emerged as the 6th substantive Vice-Chancellor.

Fourth, when the process for appointing a Vice-Chancellor was not 
concluded at the end of the tenure of Prof A.B.O.O. Oyediran as the 
7th Vice-Chancellor, the two positions of Deputy Vice-Chancellor 
were vacant. Nonetheless, there was an orderly succession with the 
Provost College of Medicine, Professor Oladosu Ojengbede, being 
appointed the Acting Vice-Chancellor and he served in that capacity 
from December 1995 till March 1996.

Fifth, by the time Professor Omoniyi Adewoye was completing his 
tenure as the 8th Vice-Chancellor, the process for the appointment of 
his successor was yet to be completed. Prof. Olufunso Olorunsogo, up 
till then the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) was appointed 
Acting Vice-Chancellor and he served from March to September 
2000.

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Sixth, by the time Professor Ayodele Falase was completing his tenure 
as the 9th Vice-Chancellor, the process for appointing his successor 
was not yet completed. Prof O. A. Bamiro up till then the Deputy Vice- 
Chancellor (Administration) and a very strong contender for the position 
o f Vice-Chancellor was appointed the Acting Vice-Chancellor and he 
served in that capacity from 25 September 2005 till 30 November 
2005. It should be noted that although Professor Bamiro was vying as 
a candidate for the position of the Vice-Chancellor, that fact was not 
used in disqualifying him from being appointed the Acting Vice- 
Chancellor. That was the right decision by the then Council in our opinion. 
Professor Bamiro subsequently emerged as the 10th substantive Vice- 
Chancellor and he served from 1 December 2005 till 30 November 
2010.

The above has been the norm and precedent at the University of Ibadan 
from 1983 to 2005.

By deciding to vote for candidates for the position of Acting Vice- 
Chancellor as caused by the Emergency situation on 30 November 
2020, the Senate had put in abeyance the provisions of the Act as 
strongly canvassed by many members o f the Senate. Senate had thus 
deliberately invoked the Doctrine of Necessity and the Doctrine of 
Expediency.

The appointment of an Acting Vice-Chancellor on 30 November 2020 
was ordinarily supposed to be for six months. However, the Council 
was dissolved in February 2021 and a new Council which was expected 
to either continue with the inchoate process or start anew was not put 
in place until April 2021, nearly five months into the tenure o f the 
Acting Vice-Chancellor.

The new Council at its meeting on Wednesday 05 May 2021 noted that 
the process o f appointing a substantive Vice-Chancellor could not be 
concluded due to the dissolution of the former Governing Council.

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Given the circumstances, a vacuum cannot be created in the office of 
the Vice-Chancellor o f the University in that if the appointment o f a 
substantive Vice-Chancellor cannot be concluded before 31 May 2021, 
the position of the Ag. Vice-Chancellor shall lapse.

Therefore, the Council advised that the Senate should consider the 
above matter and make its recommendation to the Council.

It was rather curious that the group of members of the Senate that 
canvassed vigorously for the University Act to be set aside on 30 
November 2020 suddenly agitated for a return to the same Act. The 
majority group, however, insisted that academics who seek the truth 
should observe the maxim "He Who Comes into Equity Must Come 
With Clean Hands". In the circumstance, the tenure of the Acting 
Vice-Chancellor was extended beyond the intended six months until a 
substantive Vice-Chancellor was appointed by the Council in October 
2021 and he resumed office on 1 November 2021. Invariably the 
Acting Vice-Chancellor had stayed in office in that capacity for a total 
of 11 months.

An overview of the appointment o f Acting Vice-Chancellor in some 
Federal Universities in Nigeria is given in Table 7. It would seem that 
the appointment of an Acting rather than a substantive Vice-Chancellor 
in a University is indirectly a sign of instability in the system. Apart 
from the internal issues that come up now and then within each 
university, government actions and inactions often inadvertently 
instigate instability in the running of Federal Universities. At the 
University of Ibadan for example, None of the Council at the University 
of Ibadan over the last 25 years has had a smooth four-year stint. In 
1999/2000, the non-constitution o f a new Council delayed the process 
for the appointment of a new Vice-Chancellor following the expiration 
of the tenure of the out-going Vice-Chancellor. The Deputy Vice- 
Chancellor (Administration) was appointed Acting VC and he served 
in that capacity from March till September 2000.

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Five years later, a delay in constituting the Council led to an inability 
to conclude the process for appointing the 10th Vice-Chancellor. The 
sitting Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) was named Acting 
VC and he served in that capacity for two months before he was 
appointed the substantive 10th VC effective 1 December 2005 by the 
Visitor.

Deacon Gamaliel Onosode (1933-2015), the board room guru, was 
appointed as Pro-Chancellor at the University o f Ibadan, in 2005. He 
had previously served in the same capacity at another Federal University 
(Uyo). He was not allowed to complete his tenure at Ibadan when the 
Councils o f all Federal Universities, including Ibadan, were dissolved 
in 2008. After the University o f Ibadan, he was appointed as Pro- 
Chancellor at the University o f Lagos and in the process led the 
Federal Government negotiation team with the Academic Staff Union 
of Universities (ASUU) that produced the Federal Government -  
ASUU Agreement in 2009.

Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, CFR was appointed Pro-Chancellor in 
February 2009; However, the Council was dissolved in October 2011, 
along with those of other Federal Universities. This delayed the process 
for the appointment o f a new Registrar following the expiration o f the 
term of the incumbent at the end o f December 2011. Mr. Victor 
Adebomi Adegoroye (1952-2020), the most senior Deputy Registrar 
was appointed the Acting Registrar effective January 2012 following 
the end of the tenure o f the substantive Registrar. The dissolved 
Council was reinstated in February 2012 and it appointed Mr. Olujimi 
Iretola Olukoya as the substantive Registrar effective March 2012. 
Pro-Chancellor Olanipekun was able to serve out the uncompleted 
part o f the term till early 2013.

Anew Chairman of the Council led by the late Major General Robert 
Adeyinka Adebayo (1928-2017) was inaugurated in 2013; he was

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replaced mid-way into his tenure in 2015 by another Chairman Dr 
Umar Mustapha. Dr. Mustapha's Council was dissolved along with 
the Councils of other Federal Universities on 16 July 2015 by the 
seven-week-old new Federal Government of President Muhammadu 
Buhari. This action interrupted the appointment of a new Vice- 
Chancellor at the University o f Ibadan and Bayero University Kano, 
among others. The Councils were later re-instated after about a month 
o f interregnum. The UI Council was able to complete the appointment 
of the 12th Vice-Chancellor in September 2015.

Next came Nde Joshua Mutka Waklek as the Pro-Chancellor & 
Chairman of the Council in May 2017. The University Council's activities 
were suspended indefinitely in February 2021, and the Council was 
subsequently disbanded amidst the controversy surrounding the 
appointment of the University's 13 th Vice-Chancellor.

Chief John E. K. Odigie-Oyegun was appointed Chairman o f the 
Council in April 2021. The Council was dissolved along with those of 
other Federal Universities in June 2023 by the new Federal Government 
under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, after spending barely 
two years in office.

The current Chairman of the Council, Chief Bisi Akande, CFR, was 
appointed in June 2024. We look forward to his Council being able to 
break a25-year-oldjinx.

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Table 7: Appointment of Acting Vice-Chancellor at the University of 
Ibadan and selected Federal Universities in Nigeria

U n iv e r s ity  
o f  I b a d a n

Y ea r M o d e  o f  
A p p o in tm e n t  o f  
A c t in g  V ic e -  
C h a n c e llo r

P o s it io n
o c c u p ie d  a t  p o in t  
o f  a p p o in tm e n t  
a s  A c t in g  V ic e -  
C h a n c e llo r

N a m e  o f
p e r s o n
A p p o in te d

L e n g th  o f  
te n u r e

1966/67
and
1967/1968

T he p o litica l c ris is  in 
the coun try  w hich  
fo llow ed  the  m ilitary  
coup  and  the co u n te r­
coup  o f  January  and 
Ju ly  1966,
respectively , affec ted  
the  U n iversity  
adversely . A s the 
crisis  deepened , the 
V C  w ho  w as on  leave 
o rig inally  until 
O c to b er 1966 b u t la ter 
ex tended  to  January  
1967 re s ig n ed  his 
appo in tm en t w ith  
e ffec t from  the 
te rm in a tio n  o f  h is  
leave  on  27  January  
1967.

T he p e rson  nex t 
in h ie ra rchy  as 
specified  in the 
A ct, w as 
appo in ted  the 
A cting  V C .

John  H arris 
(till then  the 
D epu ty  V ice- 
C hancello r)

13 m onths

1971/1972 F o llow ing  the 
unfo rtunate  studen t 
c ris is  in  w hich  an  
underg radua te  student, 
K un le  A depeju , w as 
k illed  o n  1“  February  
1971, V C A d e o y e  
L am bo  res igned  h is  
appo in tm en t w ith  
effec t from  the  end  o f  
the  session . H e had  
ju s t  b een  in o ffice  fo r 
th ree  years.

T he person  nex t 
in the  h ie ra rchy  as 
spec ified  in  the 
A ct (i.e. D epu ty  
V ice-C hancello r) 
w as appo in ted  the  
A cting  V C  and 
served  in  tha t 
capac ity  fo r the 
1971/1972 session  
u n til a  substan tive  
V C , 3P ro fesso r 
H oratio  
O ritse jo lom i- 
T hom as w as 
appo in ted  in July 
1972.

P ro f  G . M . 
E d ing ton  (till 
th en  the 
D epu ty  V ice- 
C hancello r)

12 m onths

3H ew as removed from office on Founders 'D ay on 17 November 1975 by the Visitor. He w as the Trustee of 
Asaboro, a wealthy rubber magnate, being a brother o f his wife. In doing his job as a Trustee, one o f the 
members o f Asaboro fam ily wrote a petition against Professor Thomas. This petition w as taken up and 
magnified by some Professors at Ul Senate by saying that he had brought the name o f the University into 
disrepute. Unfortunately, they did this w ithout proper investigation into the fam ily feud. The Mohammed 
administration w ithout any caution acted on this action by some members o f Ul Senate and he was retired. 
Unfortunately, it happened on the day he conducted a graduation ceremony. It was a heinous m iscarriage 
o f justice because his retirement had nothing to do with his activities as the VC  o f the University which he did 
excellently well. The premature and unjust retirement hastened his death. The University should do 
something to  rehabilitate his name and give him justice.

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1983 The process for re­
appointing the out-going 
VC Olajuwon Olayide or 
appointing a new person 
as VC was incomplete. 
The person next in the 
hierarchy as specified in 
the Act was asked to  take 
over.

Deputy Vice- 
Chancellor

Prof. Ayo Banjo One year

1995/1996 The process for appointing 
a new  VC following the 
expiration o f  the tenure o f 
VC ABOO O yediran was 
yet to be concluded. The 
next officer in the 
hierarchy as specified in 
the Act.

The two Deputy 
Vice-Chancellors had 
completed their 
tenure. The Officer 
next in the hierarchy 
was the Provost, 
College o f  Medicine 
and he was appointed 
the Acting Vice - 
Chancellor.

Prof. Oladosu 
Ojengbede

About 4 
months

2000 The process for appointing 
a new VC following the 
expiration o f  tenure o f  VC 
Omoniyi Adewoye was 
yet to  be completed. The 
next officer in the 
hierarchy as specified in 
the Act was asked to take 
over.

Deputy Vice-
Chancellor
(Administration)

Prof. O. O. 
Olorunsogo

6 months

2020/2021 Provisions o f  the Act were 
set aside on the order o f  
the Federal Government; 
the Doctrine o f  Necessity 
invoked; five professors 
indicated an interest in 
serving as A cting Vice- 
Chancellor at an 
Extraordinary M eeting o f  
the Senate on the last day 
in office o f  the outgoing 
Vice-Chancellor. An 
election was conducted 
and the candidate with the 
highest number o f  votes 
was declared the winner 
and later affirmed by the 
Governing Council.

D eputy Vice- 
Chancellor 
(Academic) emerged 
the Acting Vice - 
Chancellor. The 
appointment was for 
a period o f  six 
months. His 
appointment was re­
affirmed at the end o f 
the initial tenure and 
he was mandated to 
stay in office till a 
substantive Vice- 
Chancellor was 
appointed.

Prof. Adebola B. 
Ekanola

11 months

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O bafem i
A w olow o
U nivers ity
Ile-Ife

1991 T he c ris is  led  to  the  
rem oval o f  the  V ice- 
C hancello r, P ro f  
A den iy i O sun togun , 
b y  th e  Federa l 
M ilita ry  G overnm ent.

D epu ty  V ice- 
C hance llo r

P ro f  O lufem i 
O desanm i

4 m onths

1999 T here w as an  
organ ized  death  squad  
o f  som e 40  m em bers 
o f  the  B lack  A xe 
C onfra tern ity , a 
d readed  s tu d en ts ’ 
cu ltis t g roup  tha t 
invaded the  A w olow o 
H all o f  R esidence  in 
the early  hours o f  10 
Ju ly  1999, c lad  in 
b lack  trousers  and 
b lack  T -sh irts , th e ir 
faces h idden  by  
m asks; they  carried  
and used  sho tguns and 
hatchets  again st 
students. T h is resu lted  
in the  death  o f  five 
peop le  and  left 11 
o thers in ju red , a ll o f  
w hom  w ere  students 
o f  the  O bafem i 
A w olow o U niversity . 
The V ice-C hancello r, 
P ro f  W ale  O m ole , had  
been  o u t o f  the 
coun try  on  the  day  o f  
the attack . H is 
suspension  w as 
announced  b y  the 
Federa l G overnm ent 
on 14th Ju ly  1999.

F o rm er C h ie f
M edical D irector,
O bafem i
A w olow o
T eaching
H osp itals
C om plex .

P ro f  R oger 
M akan juo la  
w as nam ed  
A c tin g  V ice- 
C h an ce llo r on 
18 Ju ly  1999.

1 y e ar 10 
m onths

2006 D elay  in  the  
con firm ation  o f  
appo in tm ent o f  V ice- 
C hance llo r b y  the  
Visitor.

D epu ty  V ice-
C hance llo r
(A cadem ic)

P ro f  A b iodun  
A ded iran

2 m onths

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2016 In A pril 2016  O bafem i Prof. A n thony Prof. A nthony A bou t 1
A w olow o U niversity E lu joba, w on  the E lujoba, year
w as en gu lfed  in  crisis Senate  e lection fo rm er D ean
as con flic ting  in terests w ith  201 vo tes o f  Pharm acy
w ith in  th e  institu tion , ahead  o f  Prof.
s lugged  it ou t ov e r L am ikanra , also
w ho  occup ies  the  seat from  the  F acu lty
o f  V ice-C hancello r. o f  Pharm acy, w ho
T here  w ere  end less 
p ro tes ts  b y  the  N on- 
A cadem ic  S ta ff  U nion  
(N A S U ) o f  the 
university . In  a  le tte r 
ad d ressed  to  the 
E xecu tive  Secre tary  
o f  the  N ationa l 
U n iversities 
C om m ission , 
P resid en t B uhari 
d irec ted  the  Sena te

had  5 votes.

n o t to co n sid er  any  
o f  the  cand ida tes  
w ho ea rlier  co n tested

f o r  th e  position . In  
com p liance  w ith  the 
d irec tive  o f  the
G overnm en t, an  
e lec tion  w as 
co n ducted  in the  
Senate  afte r 
invok ing  the 
D oc trine  o f
N ecessity  on 
21 Ju ly  2016.

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U niversity  
o f  Lagos

2000 T he incum ben t V ice- 
C hancello r, P rof. Jelili 
O m oto la , SA N  w as 
rem oved  from  office 
fo llow ing  som e 
d isag reem en ts  h e  had  
w ith  th e  C ouncil.

T he D epu ty  V ice- 
C hance llo r 
(A cadem ic) w as 
ap po in ted  A cting  
V ice-C hance llo r 
and  h e  served  
from  S ep tem ber 
2000  till A pril 
2002

Prof. O yew usi 
Ib idapo-O be

1 y e ar 8 
m onths

2012 T h e  incum ben t V ice- 
C h ance llo r Prof. 
B aba tunde
A detokunbo  Sofo luw e 
p assed  o n  in  M ay 
2012. T h e  o ffice r n ex t 
in  the  h ie ra rchy  took  
ov e r in  an  acting  
capacity .

D epu ty  V ice-
C hance llo r
(A dm in istration)

Prof. R ahm on 
A de  B ello

A bou t 6 
m onths

2020 F o llow ing  the  illegal, 
p u rpo rted  rem oval o f  
the  V ice-C h an ce llo r 
a n d  a  un ila tera l 
appo in tm en t o f  an 
A c tin g  V ice- 
C h an ce llo r by  the 
C ouncil, the  D octrine  
o f  N ecessity  w as 
invoked  and  an 
e lec tion  w as he ld  by  
the  Senate  fo r the  
ap po in tm en t o f  an 
A c tin g  V ice- 
C h ance llo r by  the 
Senate.

D epu ty  V ice- 
C hance llo r 
(D eve lopm en t 
Serv ices)

Prof. F o lasade  
O gunso la

3 m onths, 
a fte r w h ich  
the
suspended  
V ice- 
C hancello r 
w as  re ­
in s ta ted  by  
th e  new  
C ouncil

U nivers ity  
o f  Port 
H arcourt

2020 Incum ben t V ice- 
C hance llo r adv ised  to 
h and  o v e r to  the 
D epu ty  V ice- 
C hancello r 
(A dm in istration ) to 
com plete  his 
unexp ired  te rm  four 
w eeks befo re  the  end 
o f  h is  tenure . T hen  a 
new  A c tin g  V ice  - 
C h ance llo r w as 
appo in ted  by  the 
Federa l M in istry  o f  
E ducation .

P ro fesso r o f  
S ocio logy

Prof. S tephen
A goch i
O kodudu

1 y ear

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Nnamdi 2024 Due to the crisis The D eputy Vice- Prof. Joseph Appointed
Azikiwe associated with the Chancellor who Ifeanyichukwu three
University, appointment o f  a had earlier been Ikechebelu. months ago
Awka substantive Vice- shoved aside by (November

Chancellor after the the Council was 2024); still
expiration o f  the appointed the in the
tenure o f  Professor Acting Vice- saddle as at
Charles Esimone, the Chancellor. the time o f
Visitor removed the 
Vice-Chancellor 
appointed by the 
Council who it was 
alleged was a Reader 
and not yet a full 
Professor; and 
dissolved the Council

writing.

led by Ambassador 
Gregory Mbadiwe.

University 2024/2025 Protests trailed the The entire Professor The new
o f Abuja appointment o f  a Council, led by Patricia Acting VC

substantive Vice- Retired A ir Vice - Manko Lar was
Chancellor o f  the M arshal Saddiq from the appointed
University o f  Abuja in Ismaila Kaita, as University o f on 6
the middle o f  2024. Pro-Chancellor, Jos was named February
The criteria used by was dissolved by Acting Vice- 2025, with
the Governing Council the Visitor and the Chancellor. immediate
for shortlisting the VC was removed, effect. And
candidates was alleged barely five weeks for a period
to be opaque. It was after she was o f  six
maintained that she appointed. months.
was promoted to With a
Professor barely three A new  Pro- caveat ‘that
years earlier as against Chancellor and she will not
10 years Chairman o f  the be eligible
recommended by the Council was to apply for
Federal M inistry o f named for the the
Education as far back University o f substantive
as 2012/2013. Some Abuja in person Vice-
members o f  the Joint o f  Senator Lanre Chancellor
Council/Senate Tejuoso; he was position
Selection Board previously Pro- whenever it
walked out o f  the Chancellor and is
proceedings. Chairman o f  the advertised
Nonetheless, the Council at the by the
erstwhile Acting Vice - U niversity o f Governing
Chancelor Professor Agriculture, Council’.
Aisha Sani Maikudi, 
was nam ed the new 
VC towards the end o f 
D ecem ber 2024. 
Protests and 
demonstrations by 
some concerned 
members o f  the 
University Senate 
continued unabated, 
with a  call on the 
Federal Government 
to dissolve the 
Council.

Makurdi.

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No sooner had Dr Bernard Odoh been appointed Vice-Chancellor of 
Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, by the Governing Council led by 
Ambassador Gregory Mbadiwe than his appointment became a subject 
o f controversy. Although Dr Odoh indicated that he served as a 
Visiting Professor at the Federal University Gusau (FUGUS), Zamfara 
State, between July 2015 and October 2017, both FUGUS and the 
university's chapter o f the Academic Staff Union of Universities 
(ASUU), refuted his claims. Three days after his emergence, the Federal 
Ministry of Education, through a memo dated 1 November2024, nullified 
the appointment, accusing the Council o f making the appointment 
"without representatives of the ministry, the internal council members 
and other stakeholders."

Similarly, the following was reported about the Vice-Chancellorship 
crisis at the University o f Abuja, by Erunke (2024) in the Vanguard 
newspaper on 31 December 2024:

A group of 67 professors submitted a protest letter to the 
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, calling for the 
dissolution of the Governing Council and a fresh start to the 
selection process. The professors accused the Chairman of 
rejecting over 87 applications (27 internal and 60 external), 
inviting only three candidates, and allegedly favoring the 
Acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Aisha Maikudi, despite claims 
that she lacks the required qualifications. The petitioners 
further alleged that internal council members were 
handpicked by the immediate past Vice-Chancellor, Prof.
Abdul RasheedNa'Allah, during anASUU strike.

It is to be noted that the new Acting Vice-Chancellor appointed for the 
University o f Abuja was up until then on the staff o f the University of 
Jos. In the most recent action taken by the Federal Ministry of 
Education on 6th February 2025, a new Acting Vice-Chancellor, 
Professor Oguejiofu T. Ujam until then the Dean of Students, was

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appointed for the University of Nigeria Nsukka, for six months; he 
was to take over from the Acting Vice-Chancellor whose tenure 
expires in a few days. The Pro-Chancellor General Ike Nwachukwu, 
was reassigned as Pro-Chancellor at the University of Uyo while a 
new Pro-Chancellor, Engineer Akin Ojo, was moved from Federal 
University Lokoj a to Nsukka.

The University Senate in asserting its independence
The Senate of the University o f Ibadan has demonstrated its 
independence on many occasions. In one famous case, the Senate 
refused to carry out a request through the Chairman o f the University 
Council, Sir Samuel Manuwa, from the Visitor to the University and 
Military Head o f State, General Yakubu Gowon, to confer a doctor of 
letters (honoris causa) on Emperor Haile Selassie (1892 to 1975) of 
Ethiopia who was on a State visit to Nigeria as a guest o f the Federal 
Military Government. Professor Thomas Adeoye Lambo was the 
Vice-Chancellor and Chairman of the Senate. As reported by Mosobalaje 
Oyawoye (2018) in his autobiography, Path o f  Destiny, the Senate 
declined to grant the request on the grounds that it could not justify 
such a decision through an honest citation. The Emperor had done 
nothing to improve the lives of his subjects who were suffering under 
one of the worst conditions of poverty in Africa. The decision of 
Senate was communicated to the Chairman o f the Council who was 
embarrassed with the turn of events. He requested a Joint Meeting of 
the Council and Senate, but at the joint meeting, all the pleading from 
the Chairman and members of the Council failed to persuade the 
Senate to shift from its stand. Senate members argued that a citation of 
the distinguished candidate would not be free of false statements and 
would be damaging to the image of the University. This was reported 
back by the Chairman o f Council, to the Visitor.

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At another time during the Military regime of General Sanni Abacha 
the Senate o f the University o f Ibadan refused to confer an honorary 
degree on the sitting Secretary to the Government o f the Federation, 
Alhaji Gidado Idris (1935-2017) despite a very strong recommendation 
by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Omoniyi Adewoye. The argument 
was that an honorary degree should not be conferred on a serving 
public official.

I must state that there was no pressure on the University o f Ibadan for 
conferment on honorary degrees on any person during my stint as 
Vice-Chancellor. The appropriate Committee made its recommendations 
to both Senate and Council and approvals were given as required. The 
only problem we had to contend with was that Ibadan being a relatively 
old University there were usually too many qualified candidates to 
choose from. About half of the number of awardees were academics 
while the remaining half comprised entrepreneurs, philanthropists, 
and friends o f the University.

Discussion and Conclusion
The University of Ibadan has been in existence for about 78 years now, 
although as a College of the University o f London for the first 14 years 
period from 1948-1962. It would seem reasonable to claim that there 
could not have been a sharp dividing line between the past and the 
present. There has always been a passing o f the button from the first 
generation o f scholars and administrators to the next and succeeding 
generations. Change is the only constant thing in life, even for a 
conservative institution like a University. The Senate as the highest 
academic body has tried to live up to expectations and it has always 
had a smooth working relationship with the Council. It is important to 
point out a simple truth that nine out of the 17 members of the Council 
(52.9%) are also members of the University Senate. This includes the 
Vice-Chancellor, three Deputy Vice-Chancellors, four representatives

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of the Senate, and one representative of the Congregation. The second 
representative of the Congregation on the Council is also a member of 
staff o f the University, although not an Academic Staff.

In his memoirs, Afonja (2017), a candidate for the position of Vice- 
Chancellor o f the University o f Ibadan in 1983/1984 wrote as follows:

Vice-Chancellorship was not an elective position. You just 
put yourself up or you were sponsored by your colleagues 
for the position. At this time in 1984 about 12 candidates 
were under consideration. The process was a multi-stage 
one: nomination, screening/shortlisting/interview by a 
Joint Committee of the University Council and Senate; 
then consideration of the shortlisted candidates by the 
Council. The latter would then recommend three names to 
the Head of State who would select one person for 
appointment. My feelers at the Dodan Barracks, the seat of 
the Head of state at that time, had suggested the possibility 
of my making it if only my name could get that far. 
Fortunately, or unfortunately, my name never went as far as 
the Dodan Barracks. Grapevine information revealed that 
five of the twelve candidates scaled past the first hurdle. I 
was reportedly scored sixth or so, just missing getting to 
the second stage. For me, that was the end o f the race. The 
lucky winner was Professor Ayo Banjo who turned out to 
be the longest-serving Vice-Chancellor that Ibadan ever 
had.

In contemporary times, vacancy for the position of Vice-Chancellor is 
advertised in national newspapers. Moreover, under the extant rules, 
the appointment o f the Vice-Chancellor in all Federal Universities in 
Nigeria is made by the Governing Council while the Visitor is only 
informed of the conclusion of the process. Lobbying and competition 
are now most fierce in the Council. In the quotation above, it is

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gratifying that Professor Afonja showed grace and sportsmanship by 
stating that the appointment of the Vice-Chancellor was the end of the 
race as far as he was concerned. On the other hand, the last three 
contests for Vice-Chancellorship in 2010, 2015 and 2020/2021, 
respectively, had been highly contentious. A mob invaded the venue 
o f the meeting of the Joint Council/Senate Selection Board in 2020 
and attacked one of the candidates who was the incumbent Deputy 
Vice-Chancellor (Administration).

The Federal Ministry of Education published a document titled 
'Appointment o f Vice-Chancellors, Rectors and Provosts' in 2013 
detailing the enabling laws governing the appointment o f the chief 
executive officers in Federal Universities, Polytechnics, and Colleges 
of Education. The document has provided the detailed procedure to be 
followed from advertising the vacancy to making the appointment and 
thereafter informing the Visitor (i.e., the President). Under Assessment 
Criteria, the FME stated that for Vice-Chancellorship, the candidate 
'Must be a Professor o f at least 10 years experience'. This has turned 
out to be controversial by the Governing Councils in some Federal 
Universities. Indeed the document does not have a force of law, it not 
being part of the enabling laws. It is gratifying to state that many 
Federal Universities have adopted this into the procedure for appointing 
their Vice-Chancellors. The number o f Professors in the Nigerian 
University System keeps growing and one finds it so difficult why all 
Federal Universities in the country cannot adopt the guideline. Even 
the Governing Councils in many State and Private Universities have 
started incorporating the 10-year minimum professorial experience as 
a condition in their advertorial of vacancy for the Vice-Chancellorship 
position.

Moreover, the specification o f a minimum of 10 years' experience for 
a professor applying for Vice-Chancellor is in agreement with 
international best practice. For example, Clause 7.3 of the Universities

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Grants Commission (UGC) Regulations, 2018 in India states as 
follows:

A person possessing the highest level o f competence, 
integrity, morals, and institutional commitment is to 
be appointed as Vice-Chancellor. The person to be 
appointed as a Vice-Chancellor should be a 
distinguished academician, with a minimum of ten 
years of experience as a Professor in a University or 
ten years o f experience in a reputed research and/or 
academic administrative organization with proof of 
having demonstrated academic leadership.

A comparison of features of the Nigerian public university system in 
the past and the present times is presented in Table 8, which comprises 
16 main items.

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Table 8: A comparison of some features of the Nigerian University 
system in the past and at present

S. No Item Description In the past C o n te m p o r a r y /E x ta n t
1 . Admission of

Undergraduate
Students

Each University 
had the 
opportunity to 
conduct the 
admission of its 
students into 
undergraduate 
programmes.

JAMB took up the 
responsibility of conducting 
Matriculation Examinations 
into the Universities in 1978.

Following complaints by a 
number of Universities on the 
low quality of students admitted 
through JAMB, Universities 
were given an optional 
opportunity to conduct post- 
UTME screening since 2005.

2. Students
Accommodation

UCI/UI is 
designed as a fully 
residential 
University.

Experimented with off-campus 
accommodation for some 
students in response to the gap 
between demand and supply of 
accommodation in the Halls in 
the 1970s.

There are now private Halls of 
Residence on the 
Campus. Many students live 
off-campus.

3. Curriculum
Issues

No accreditation 
of courses up until 
the late 1980s. The 
Senate had sole 
responsibility to 
determine the 
Curriculum. 
Development 
Committee of the 
Senate ensured an 
orderly growth of 
the University.

The National Universities 
Commission (NUC) introduced 
Minimum Academic Standards 
(MAS) in 1989, the Benchmark 
Minimum Academic Standards 
(BMAS) in 2007 and the Core 
Curriculum Minimum 
Academic Standards (CCMAS) 
in 2021.

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4 Accreditation of 
courses by 
Professional 
Bodies

No accreditation 
of courses in 
Universities in the 
past.

In addition to the accreditation 
of academic programmes by the 
NUC, various professional 
bodies now conduct separate 
accreditation programmes. This 
adds to the financial burden of 
universities.

5. Employment of 
New Academic 
Staff

Great flexibility 
for the temporary 
appointment of 
academic staff 
based on a 
favourable 
recommendation 
by the Head of 
Department. An 
interview would 
then be conducted 
soon after 
resumption.

This dispensation has been 
practically withdrawn. Now the 
VC has to make many trips to 
numerous offices in Abuja to 
get approval for the 
appointment of new Faculty.

Attracting and retaining quality 
staff is increasingly difficult. 
Wages are poor and there is a 
massive brain drain resulting in 
the loss of experienced hands. 
This is referred to as the ‘J a p a ' 
Syndrom e  (Olayinka, 2023).

6. Teaching
Effectiveness
including
examination

No assessment of 
the teaching 
effectiveness of 
lecturers by

Through the Directorate of 
Quality Assurance, students 
now routinely assess the 
teaching effectiveness of

assessment students lecturers
7 Teaching and 

learning
Conventional 
face-to-face 
method of 
teaching

Hybrid mode of teaching is now 
commonplace, especially since 
the COVID-19 pandemic.

8 Student
Assessment

Mainly through 
the end of the 
session
examination (then 
referred to by the 
earlier generation 
of students as ‘The 
A