University of Ado Ekiti - Brief History

Brief History

1.0 Introduction: Creation of the University in March, 1982 at Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria

On January 14, 1981, Chief Adekunle Ajasin led civilian government of the Ondo State announced its intent to establish a Multi-Campus University in the state and a 16 member planning committee was set up. The outcome of the exercise led to the founding of the University in March, 1982, when the State Government created a University named Obafemi Awolowo University, Ado-Ekiti and appointed Late Prof. I.O. Oladapo as the First Vice-Chancellor of the University with the composition of the first council headed by the late Chief B.A. Ajayi on 28 March 1982.

The University started off in a modest way from an old catering Rest House in Akure and moved to a temporary site in Ado-Ekiti where lectures started soon after with 136 students spread in the Faculties of Arts, Science and Social Sciences while during the 1983/84 session, new courses were established to strengthen the existing faculties and they were Geology, Biology, Chemistry, French, Yoruba Studies, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Political Science and Psychology. A fourth Faculty – Faculty of Education was established and the student population increased to 724 in 1983/84 session. In the 1985/86 session, the Faculty of Engineering with three initial Departments of Civil, Mechanical and Electrical and a Department of Banking and Finance while the Faculty of Law was established during the 1991/92 session and the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences was established in 2001, bringing the Faculties to 8 in number and the student population of 10,000. The student population is in excess of 25,000 today in various academic programmes

Today the University has grown to a number of Faculties and academic programmes including Faculties of Arts, Agricultural Sciences, Education, Engineering, Law, Management Science, Science, The Social Science and the College of Medicine, apart from the School of Postgraduate Studies, Directorate of Continuing Education, Directorate of Part Time Programme, Directorate of Sandwich Education Degree Programme, Affiliate Colleges, Institute of Education, Institute of Science Laboratory Technology, Directorate of Pre-Degree Programmes, General Studies Unit, Centre for Entrepreneurial Studies and the Centre for Research and Development, among others.

2.0 Change of Name of the University in 1985

In 1984, the ownership of the University came under the military administration of Ondo State since the governance of the country came under the military junta. In 1985, the Government as proprietor of the University cancelled the multi-campus and non-residential policy of the University and also changed the name of the University from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ado-Ekiti to Ondo State University, Ado-Ekiti. (The change of the University’s name did not affect the site/location of the campus at Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. Reference can be made in records of National Universities Commission (Nigeria), Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) and other public records on these facts).

3.0 Political Changes in Nigeria and Creation of More States - Creation of Ekiti State out of Old Ondo State and its impact on the University ownership/name

In 1996, the Federal Military Government of Nigeria created 6 additional new States to the existing 30 States of the Nigerian Federation. Ekiti State of Nigeria was one of the 6 new States and it was carved out of the Ondo State which was created earlier in 1976 out of defunct Western State of Nigeria. Due to the State creation, economic assets, institutions and establishments previously owned by the Ondo State were shared with the newly created Ekiti State. Hence, the ownership and proprietorship of the Ondo State University, Ado-Ekiti came under joint administration of the Governments of Ekiti State and the Ondo State respectively.

In 1998, due to a collapse of agreements on asset sharing and running of the Ondo State University, Ado-Ekiti between the Governments of Ondo and Ekiti States, the Government of Ondo State created a new University named Ondo State University at Akungba Akoko, in Ondo State (The Ondo State University, Akungba Akoko was later renamed Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko while Ondo State Government also created Ondo State University of Science and Technology at Okitipupa in 2003).

In view of the policy decisions taken by Ondo State Government, the Government of Ekiti State took over the ownership, full administrative control and funding of the Ondo State University at Ado-Ekiti and enacted a law to rename the University as University of Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. The Ekiti State Government also took steps to ensure that all records and properties of the University remain intact. By law, Ekiti State Government transferred all assets, liabilities and records of Ondo State University, Ado-Ekiti to University of Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria and the National Universities Commission (Nigeria) was informed of the change and it was approved accordingly.

4.0 Political Developments in Ekiti State (2007–2011) and its impact on Educational Policy Change and Merging of State Universities

In year 2007, a new civilian Government took over the helm of affairs in Ekiti State. The Government established 2 new state owned Universities, in addition to the existing University of Ado-Ekiti. The names of the two Universities were The University of Education, Ikere-Ekiti and The University of Science and Technology, Ifaki-Ekiti. These two Universities were concurrently funded with public treasury along with the existing University of Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria and it had a great toll on the public purse and polarization of the educational system.

In year 2010, there was a change of Government in Ekiti State and the new Government convened a State-wide Education Summit in 2011 to consider the best ways to sustain tertiary education and to fund public institutions owned by the Government of Ekiti State. Part of the decisions taken at the Summit was to merge the three State owned Universities as a single public institution. The Ekiti State Government by law merged The University of Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria; The University of Education, Ikere-Ekiti and the University of Science and Technology, Ifaki-Ekiti as a new University and renamed it as: EKITI STATE UNIVERSITY, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. Subsequently, the National Universities Commission, Abuja (Nigeria) licensed the University and all the assets and records of the three Universities were consolidated, integrated and merged as one institution.