From faculty to faculty, drums will rumble and grumble so thunderously as the campus of the University of Ibadan (UI), will be kept agog with all manner of festivities involving dancing, singing, acting – all in celebration of the Nigeria’s premier university, the University of Ibadan which turns 70 years this November. In marking the milestone, however, the management of the university, headed by Prof. Abel Idowu Olayinka has declared a year-long ceremony, beginning from October this year to November 2019 in order to fully commemorate a university that has remarkably imparted the world.
Established in 1948, UI which is admirably tagged “the First and Best,” could be described as a relatively young university when compared with some prestigious universities across the globe. For instance, a 70-year old UI can’t be compared with the University of Cambridge in England which is 809 years old this year, neither can UI at 70 match the record of Harvard University, which marked its 382 years this year. Again, Oxford University is 922 years in existence this year while Yale University which was founded in 1701 is 317 years old as of today. There are many others which are well above a thousand years! This is, perhaps, where those who are quick to condemn Nigerian universities because of poor world ranking need to be a bit cautious before throwing away the baby with the bath water. Obviously, there is still a long distance to destination!