Ahmadu Bello University

Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) was established on 4 October 1962 as the University of Northern Nigeria, following the Northern Region's effort to create a university capable of addressing the educational and manpower needs of the region at the approach of Nigerian independence. The university was established through legislation passed by the Northern Region legislature in 1961 and was built partly by bringing together existing institutions, including the Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology at Samaru, the Institute of Administration at Zaria, the Samaru Agricultural Research Station and the Veterinary Research Institute at Vom. It opened with four faculties, 15 academic departments and 426 students.
ABU developed beyond its original regional mandate into a large national university with an unusually broad academic and research structure. Its expansion has included medicine, engineering, agriculture, veterinary medicine, pharmacy, law, administration and education, while institutions developed within its ecosystem subsequently contributed to the establishment of other Nigerian universities, including Bayero University, Kano and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi.