Mr. KOLAWOLE A. OYEYEMI
Head of Department
BACKGROUND
The University College Hospital, Ibadan was established in response to the need to provide a suitable facility to be used for the clinical training of students of the Faculty of Medicine of the then University College Ibadan. The Hospital was officially commissioned on the 20thof November, 1957. The Hospital was established by the Act of Parliament No. 26 of 1952 which was later amended by the Decree No.10 of 1985.
From the onset, the Hospital was autonomous and was run by a Board of Management while the day-to-day administration was carried out by a Secretariat made up of the House Governor, his Deputy, Assistants and the Matron. The first House governor was Brigadier N.B. Brading. The House Governor was assisted the Governor in the discharge of his duties by some Committees within the Hospital.
Transition from the position of House Governor to Director of Administration
During the regime of Lt-General Olusegun Obasanjo as the Head of State in 1976, the Federal Executive Council of the then Military Administration directed the change of nomenclature of the Chief Executive of the Hospital from ‘House Governor’ to Director of Administration. In line with this, the Board of Management at its meeting of Thursday 26th February, 1976 noted the above directive and complied accordingly. Thus, the post of House Governor was subsequently re-designated to the Director of Administration and Chief Executive Officer.
However, during the era of Major-General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, the Decree No. 10 of 1985 was promulgated and this made provision for the establishment of the position of the Chief Medical Director, in which the power of the Chief Executive was subsequently vested.
S/N | Name | Period | |
Past House Governors | |||
1. | Brigadier N.B. Brading | 1956-1958 | |
2. | Mr. C. Parker | 1958-1964 | |
3. | Col. J.B. Robertson | 1965-1967 | |
4. | Mr. S.A. Ladeinde | 1967-1973 | |
5. | Mr. F.G.A. Cole | 1975-1976 | |
Past Directors of Administration | |||
1. | Mr. F.G.A. Cole | 1976-1986 | |
2. | Mrs. M.P.I. Shenjobi | 1986-1995 | |
3. | Mr. E.O. Salako | 1995-2002 | |
4. | Mrs. I.G. Owosekun | 2002-2007 | |
5. | Mrs. O.M. Adepoju | 2007-2015 | |
6. | Mr. P.O. Olaosun | 2015-2016 | |
7. | Mr. A.K. Shiyanbola | 2016-2020 | |
8. | Mr. Stephen Olubusayo Oladejo | 2020-2023 |
Past Military Commandant: Colonel S.S. Simikaiye – 1985
House Governors/Directors of Administration have contributed immensely to the establishment and development of the University College Hospital, Ibadan from inception through times. Being the pioneer Teaching Hospital in Nigeria, the University College Hospital, Ibadan was founded in the tradition of hospitals in Britain such as St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, Guy’s Hospital, the St. Mary’s Hospital and the King’s College Hospital (UCH., Ibadan 40 years on:7). From the foregoing, it is not surprising that the concept, policy and structure of the Hospital followed much after the British tradition. This informed the decision of having the Hospital headed by the House Governor (a personnel who had been trained in Hospital Management and General Administration) at inception. In such circumstance, the Hospital was greatly privileged to have had the leadership of two House Governors, Mr. S.W. Barnes and Colonel W. Parker both of whom acted as Consultants to the Hospital in its early days of policy formulation and implementation. Mr. Barnes who then was the House Governor of the King’s College Hospital, London was released for three months by the authorities of his Hospital to come to UCH. He was accompanied by Colonel Parker, a former House Governor of St. Mary’s Hospital and Secretary of the Teaching Hospitals Association. Both served on the Ad hoc Committee for the UCH and on their advice, the authorities devised a ‘Master Plan’ which was strictly adhered to by the Board of Management (UCH, Ibadan 40 years on:8). Subsequently, Brigadier N.B. Brading was appointed as the first Executive House Governor having resumed in 1953 and was also elected Secretary to the Board of Management at its first meeting.
Considering the foregoing, it is significant to state that the painstaking efforts/ground work of the founding fathers provided a solid foundation and sound footing for the take-off and sustenance of the Hospital over the years. It is not an overstatement to assert that the structures and policies instituted at the inception of the Hospital have formed the basis on which subsequent innovations and policies stood and that despite the age of the Hospital, the existing foundational physical structures are still comparable with what obtains in contemporary world class health institutions.
While some may argue that the above accomplishments were made possible because the country was still under the rule of the British Government, it is pertinent to state that human beings irrespective of race or colour are endowed with the ability to accomplish great feats which will ultimately lead to outstanding progress in the society. It is therefore not surprising that during the tenure of Mr. F.G.A. Cole, (who was the second Nigerian to serve as a House Governor and Chief Executive Officer), several landmark achievements were recorded. Prominent among these was the taking over of the Second Acquisition land which had become a relevant focal point for the expansion of Hospital facilities in recent times. This and many other accomplishments have proven his foresightedness and indeed the contemporary generation of personnel and students of the Hospital are benefiting immensely from these investments.
In the current dispensation (i.e. with the chief executive power vested in the office of the Chief Medical Director), Directors of Administration within the Hospital have continued to play a very supportive role in ensuring the successful administration of the Hospital.