By Debbiemuse
The University of Ibadan (UI) Senate has approved the upgrade of the Department of Physiotherapy, College of Medicine, to a full-fledged Faculty of Physiotherapy, making the university home to Nigeria’s first faculty dedicated to the discipline. The approval was given at the Senate meeting held on Monday, August 31, 2026, according to the University’s College of Medicine.
This development marks a new phase in the university’s physiotherapy programme, which dates back to the 1960s. The foundation for physiotherapy training in Nigeria was laid in October 1957 when the Nigerian Government invited Miss S. M. Evans, then Vice-Chairman of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy in London, to assess facilities for physiotherapy training in the country and make recommendations.
Following the assessment, the University of Ibadan Senate approved a three-year degree programme in Physiotherapy in May 1964. The programme admitted its first two students in October 1966 and initially operated with one Associate Lecturer and without dedicated facilities, with classes held in makeshift classrooms within the University College Hospital.
The programme subsequently passed through several administrative arrangements. It was administered through the Dean’s Office from 1966 to 1971 before becoming part of the Orthopaedic Unit of the Department of Surgery. From 1977, it operated as a Physiotherapy Unit within the Department of Surgery until it attained full departmental status in 1981.
Over the years, the department expanded its academic programmes from the Bachelor of Science in Physiotherapy to the Bachelor of Physiotherapy and, more recently, the Doctor of Physiotherapy. Its postgraduate programmes include Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees.
The department currently has 12 lecturers, including four professors, with all but two members of the academic staff holding doctoral degrees. Its areas of specialisation include cardiopulmonary physiotherapy, musculoskeletal and orthopaedic physiotherapy, neurological physiotherapy, and sports and recreational physiotherapy.
Under the new faculty structure, five departments will be established: Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapy; Musculoskeletal/Orthopaedic Physiotherapy; Neurological Physiotherapy; Sports and Recreational Physiotherapy; and Occupational Therapy.
The university said the restructuring is intended to provide a stronger academic framework for specialised teaching, research, curriculum development, clinical training and interdisciplinary collaboration as the profession continues to expand.
The upgrade also builds on the department’s longstanding role in physiotherapy education. The University describes its programme as the oldest university-based physiotherapy training programme in the West African sub-region, with undergraduate training beginning in 1966 and postgraduate training introduced in 1997.
With the Senate’s approval, the Department of Physiotherapy will now transition into a faculty within the College of Medicine, opening a new chapter in the university’s nearly seven-decade history of physiotherapy education and training.
This also follows on the back of the creation of Faculties like the Faculty of Multidisciplinary Studies, Faculty of Nursing Sciences, and Faculty of Computing over the last 6 year period.
UI’s recent creation of new faculties might reflect a shift toward specialisation and professionalisation, as disciplines that have grown substantially are being given greater administrative autonomy to develop programmes, research and infrastructure.
