University of Ibadan

The University of Ibadan is Nigeria's oldest university, founded in 1948 on a sprawling campus of colonial-era buildings surrounded by tropical gardens. It has produced an extraordinary roll call of African intellectuals, including Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, and remains one of the most important academic institutions in West Africa.

The campus is open to visitors and worth exploring on foot. The Kenneth Dike Library is the main library and one of the finest research collections in Africa. The Institute of African Studies houses a museum of bronze carvings, Yoruba artifacts, carved door panels, and ceremonial objects that gives a good introduction to the region's artistic traditions. The university's small zoological garden is pleasant for a stroll, with animals including lions and monkeys in modest but well-maintained enclosures. Visit on a weekday when the campus is active and you can see the institution functioning as a living intellectual centre.

things to do sight
A story
The University of Ibadan opened in 1948 as University College, Ibadan, affiliated with the University of London. Among its early students was Wole Soyinka, who would go on to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986 — the first African to do so. Soyinka wrote extensively about his time in Ibadan, and the university remains embedded in his work and autobiographies. The campus has barely changed from the era he describes.