Veteran Journalist Babafemi Ojudu laments decay at University of Ibadan

December 13, 2024

By Adedoja Adesoji

Nigerian Veteran journalist and former Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Political Matters, Babafemi Ojudu, has expressed alarm over the severe neglect and decay at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria’s oldest and most prestigious institution.

In a Facebook post, Ojudu described the current state of the university, highlighting the widespread “grime and decay” across its hostels, faculties, lecture halls, administrative buildings, and toilets.

“Would you believe where I found this? Not in Oshodi or Mushin in Lagos, not in Sabo, Agbeni, or Oje in Ibadan, but right at the heart of the University of Ibadan—the first higher institution in Nigeria,” Ojudu wrote.

“The grime and decay in this once-proud institution are nothing short of horrifying. From the hostels to the faculties, lecture theatres, administrative buildings, toilets and the surrounding environment, the very essence of the university—a place of beauty, enlightenment, and inspiration—has all disappeared.”

Ojudu questioned how the university, traditionally seen as a sanctuary of hope and a beacon for the future, could fall into such a state.

“One would have thought that if every other space in the country were despoiled, the university, as a noble environment, would somehow withstand the rot.”

He expressed shock that an institution meant to symbolize the nation’s intellectual pride has instead become a “desolate shell of neglect and disrepair.”

“The idea of a university transcends learning, teaching, and research; it is a sanctuary of all that is good and beautiful, a beacon of hope, and a symbol of the future. Yet here, at what should be the pinnacle of Nigeria’s intellectual pride, that ideal has taken flight, leaving behind a desolate shell of neglect and disrepair.

“Who, for God’s sake, is responsible for this place? How did it come to this?” He mentioned.