UI Names Postgraduate College Administrative Building After Late Professor Sanya Onabamiro

The University of Ibadan (UI) has named its Postgraduate College Administrative Building after the renowned scholar, parasitologist, and statesman, Late Professor Sanya Dojo Onabamiro.

Speaking at the naming ceremony, Vice-Chancellor Professor Kayode O. Adebowale, mni, FAS, described the tribute as a symbolic and enduring recognition of Professor Onabamiro’s towering legacy in science, education, and public service. He said the decision to immortalize Onabamiro was rooted in the university’s commitment to honouring foundational figures who helped shape its academic prestige.

“Professor Onabamiro was not just an academic colossus but a titan of knowledge, a trailblazer in parasitology, a visionary educator, and a devoted public servant,” Adebowale remarked. “This building now bears his name as a reminder to generations to come of his passion for excellence and the indelible contributions he made to academia and nation-building.”

The ceremony, held at the university’s campus in Ibadan, was attended by several dignitaries, including former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR, who served as Chairman of the occasion, and former Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun.

In his address, Chief Obasanjo extolled the late Professor Onabamiro as a diligent, righteous, and erudite scholar whose influence transcended disciplines. He commended the University of Ibadan for what he called “a well-deserved and thoughtful honour,” emphasizing the late professor’s pioneering role in education and science.

“Professor Onabamiro was one of the finest minds this nation has produced,” Obasanjo said. “This recognition is not only a tribute to his memory but a call to emulate his virtues of knowledge, service, and nationhood.”

The Vice-Chancellor also expressed gratitude to the Onabamiro family for sharing their patriarch with the world, noting that the professor’s influence went beyond academic publications to the many lives he mentored and institutions he fortified.

Senator Amosun, in his goodwill message, lauded the University for recognising “a true giant of Ogun State and Africa,” describing the late professor’s life as one that symbolised commitment, sacrifice, and excellence.

“He was the first African to earn a Ph.D. from any British colonial university in Africa,” Amosun noted. “His research in parasitology was so significant that a parasite was named after him — Dracunculus onabamiroi— in international scientific literature.”

Amosun emphasized that Onabamiro’s legacy must inspire future generations, especially in an era where education is the bedrock of national development.

Also speaking at the event, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Professor Idowu Olayinka, praised the Postgraduate College as the gold standard for advanced education in Nigeria and expressed delight that such an icon was being honoured appropriately.

The climax of the ceremony was the formal unveiling of the building signage by Chief Obasanjo and Professor Adebowale, supported by other principal officers of the university and special guests.

The event also preceded a 40-year memorial lecture in honour of Professor Onabamiro — a revered figure whose life, as speakers affirmed, continues to shine as a beacon of academic integrity, national service, and pan-African leadership.