The thread on "Federal University, Otuoke" inspired me to open this thread.

All the top universities in Nigeria today did not look the way there are now when they were founded. Most of them took off from temporary sites, with less than 500 students, a handful of lecturers amongst others. Growing a university is a process not an event. You don't set up a university today and expect it to be like the UI, Ife, Nsuka and ABUs of this world.

With regular funding, give these universities another 15-20 years, there will be some positive difference. I will be posting the history of some selected Universities in Nigeria so you all can see that indeed "Rome was not built in a day"

1. University of Ibadan, UI
A Brief History of the University

The University of Ibadan started off as the University College, Ibadan (UCI) which was founded in 1948, occupying, at first, the old site at Eleyele. It later moved to the new site which covered over 2,550 acres of land. The site was generously leased by the chiefs and people of Ibadan for 999 years. The establishment of the University could be traced directly to the reports in 1945 of the Asquith and Elliot Commissions which were set up by the British Government in 1943. Equipment was transferred to the university from its sub-university status forerunners, the Yaba Higher College, (established in 1932 but formally opened in 1934), and the Yaba Medical School (established in 1930). There were 104 foundation students (including 49 students in teacher training and survey courses) who began their courses at Ibadan on 18 January 1948. The formal opening took place on 25 March, 1948.
Click the link below to read more.
http://www.ui.edu.ng/uihistory


2. University of Nigeria, Nsuka

The provisional council, authorized by the Eastern Nigeria Legislature, was appointed by the Governor in Council in April 1959, and given necessary financial and administrative powers to build a sound university. It reflected the spirit of international cooperation which has given birth to the institution. It consisted of Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chairman, Dr T. Olawale Elias and Dr Okechukwu Ikejiani from the Federation of Nigeria, J.S. Fulton from the United Kingdom, Dr Margueritue Cartwright and Dr Eldon Lee Johnson from the United States of America.

The University was formally opened on 7 October 1960, as the climax to the Nigerian independence celebrations in the Eastern Region. Her Royal Highness, Princess Alexandra of Kent, representing Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at the Nigerian independence celebrations, performed the opening ceremonies and laid the foundation stone of one of the University's early buildings. Lectures began on 17 October 1960 with an enrollment of 220 students and 13 members of the academic staff. The opening convocation addresses were delivered by the Chairman of the Provisional Council, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, the first President of the Federation of Nigeria, and by Dr John A. Hannah, President of Michigan State University, USA.

For more,
https://www.facebook.com/notes/university-of-nigeria/a-brief-history-of-university-of-nigeria-for-those-that-dont-know/116471118415044
http://unn.edu.ng/about/founding-university

3. Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife

The site selected for the University was Ile-Ife, a town about 65 kilometers north-east of Ibadan Oyo State. Ife is famous as the centre of an ancient civilization and the home of the Museum which contains the renowned Ife heads. It was intended that temporary buildings should be put on the site to enable teaching to commence in October 1962, while the permanent buildings were subsequently planned and erected. But when the Federal Government transferred the Ibadan Branch of the Nigeria College of Arts, Science and Technology, to the University, if was decided that it would be unnecessary to put up temporary buildings at Ife, and the University was temporary located on the site of the Ibadan Branch of the Nigerian College. Teaching began in October with an initial enrolment of 244 students. The teaching, administration and technical staff. Either transferred from the Nigerian College of Art, or were newly recruited from abroad, numbered about eighty.

For more,
http://www.oauife.edu.ng/administration/student-affairs/students-handbook/history/
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obafemi_Awolowo_University

4. Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria

At the opening on October 4, 1962, thanks in part to absorbing existing institutions, ABU claimed four faculties comprising 15 departments.[2] However, students in all programs numbered only 426. The challenges faced were enormous. Over 60 years of British colonial rule, education in the Northern Region had lagged far behind that of the two southern regions. Few students from the North had qualifications for university entrance, and fewer still northerners had qualifications for teaching appointments. Of the original student body, only 147 were from the North. ABU’s first vice chancellor (principal administrator and leader) was British, as were most of the professorial appointments. Only two Nigerians — Dr. Iya Abubakar (Mathematics) and Adamu Baikie (Education) — were among the earliest round of faculty appointments. Facilities on the main Samaru campus were inadequate, and the administration and integration of the physically separated pre-existing institutions was difficult.

For more,
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmadu_Bello_University
http://www.abu.edu.ng/about/history.php

University of Lagos
For the first academic session, 1962/1963, the University admitted 46 students for the Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration and 26 for the Faculty of Law. These students received their first lectures on 22 October 1962 at the temporary site in a secondary school at Idi-Araba, adjacent to the Medical School and the Teaching Hospital. 28 medical students had already commenced lectures three weeks earlier on 3 October, 1962. The University moved from its temporary location in Idi-Araba to the Akoka main campus in September 1965. The direction of the University’s future development was consolidated with the promulgation of the University of Lagos Decree in 1967 (Decree No. 3 of 1967). The new constitution created an integrated and more structurally coherent institution by establishing a single Council for the whole university. The previous arrangement had two separate Councils, one for the University and the other for the Medical School.

For more,
http://www.unilag.edu.ng/pages.php?page=our-history

The University of Benin was formerly an institute of technology established in 1970

The university of Ilorin started as a university college affiliated to the University of Ibadan, established in 1975.

Bayero University Kano Established in 1977 was founded as part of schools for Arabic studies in 1960 and was Later a university college affiliated to the Ahmadu Bello University.

With time, with the right leaders and scholars who share in the vision of these new universities, they will grow to compete with the older schools and most importantly fill the void created by our ever growing population.

Nice thread OP...

Good to see it is on FP.

Re. Funding.....I think that we should make our Universities public private....while redirecting the Education Ministry's budget to Primary and Secondary education....and removing the fuel subsidy to fund technical education.

A

Wow! I feel honoured to be a product of the first universtity in Nigeria!(UNN) #TEAM_SUPERLION!

How about Igbinedion University?

Hw about Unijos? Stop leaving that skul bhind o

very informative

Okay

Intellectually stimulating and worthwhile.

Op, you are very correct

Lady: hello!!!good evening, thanks for calling
Airtel
customer care service, my name is Judith,
what's
your name and where are you calling from?
Me: hi!!!evening, my name is shegsky, and i'm
calling
from ib(ibadan)
Lady: How may i help you, shegsky?
Me:I'm looking for a wife to marry
Lady: is that why you called this customer
care
service?
Me: Yes, and i think i'm already in love
with
You...you know you have a very nice voice.
Lady:
Hellooo, please, we only attend to issues
about your
Airtel line, okay?
Me: yes 0... This is an issue about my Airtel
line
too...because i spend much credit calling so
many
girls asking their hands in marriage.
Lady: please, I would have to put an end to
this call...
Me: Baby don't talk like that now. I promise to
make
you happy...you would be happy with me. can
I have
your number?
Lady: *raises her voice* come, mr man, I
think
something is wrong with you.
Me: *cut in*... Hey, hold it there... I hope you
can
now feel how frustrating it is to receive a call
and
hear rubbish? From today, warn yourself and
every
other staff of yours over there,let nobody call
me
with a funny
number only for it to be an advert or send me
those
silly messages.you guys disturb my phone
daily like
say am dating Airtel...

Great Ife!!!

Of the greatest akokaites - University of first choice.

There are only two Universities in Nigeria: Unilag and others.

Click LIKE if you are repping.

Hmmmmm what about university of nairaland UN

Nice one OP.

And so

promisechild:
A

chykmoni:
.

Vicjustice:
W

sophtaf:
.

olaxco2f:
K

Alumni of the Ancient and Esteemed University Of Space Booker of Nairaland.

oau

.

unical nkor?

#probitasdoctrina#... we are better by far

who knows what the school fees of these universities was like those days?

History wey no get sustenance . Make I hear word abeg

Following

All these APC e - diots we never understand Rome was not built in a day

Even if you channel the federal budget for education into these new federal universities they can't be like uniben over night.


Development is a process with time this universities will be world class institution

bushdoc9919:






Alumni of the Ancient and Esteemed University Of Space Booker of Nairaland.

baba join the train o. Or no FP for you till ur days of Nl will expire. Lol

OP that was then.
But now, we see private concerns building standard Universities in one swoop, why can't the Federal government?
Government needs to set its Priorities right & stop all the wastage..

Abu zaria na for MEN....am a proud abusite

bushdoc9919:

Alumni of the Ancient and Esteemed University Of Space Booker of Nairaland.

Lol, you don catch me

I rep Oba Awon University
OAU

I rep GREAT IFE!!!!