The University of Ibadan has approved the establishment of Nigeria’s first Faculty of Physiotherapy, marking a major institutional development in the training, research and clinical practice of the profession in the country.
The University Senate approved the transformation of the Department of Physiotherapy into a full-fledged Faculty at its meeting on Monday, August 31, 2026. The new Faculty will operate within the College of Medicine.
The development builds on the university’s longstanding role in physiotherapy education. The programme dates back to 1964, when the Senate approved a three-year degree programme, while the first two students were admitted in 1966. The programme initially operated with limited facilities and a single Associate Lecturer before gradually expanding into a major centre for physiotherapy education and research.
The Department attained full departmental status in 1981 and has since expanded its undergraduate and postgraduate offerings. Its academic programmes now include Bachelor of Physiotherapy and Doctor of Physiotherapy degrees, alongside Master’s and PhD programmes covering major areas of specialisation.
The department currently has 12 lecturers, including four professors, with its postgraduate training covering cardiopulmonary, musculoskeletal and orthopaedic, neurological, and sports and recreational physiotherapy.
Under the new structure, the Faculty will comprise departments covering Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapy, Musculoskeletal/Orthopaedic Physiotherapy, Neurological Physiotherapy, Sports and Recreational Physiotherapy, and Occupational Therapy.
The university said the transition from a department to a faculty is intended to provide a stronger structure for specialised teaching, advanced research, clinical training, curriculum development and interdisciplinary collaboration.
The Faculty is also expected to strengthen the university’s contribution to healthcare delivery and human-resource development while creating greater opportunities for research and innovation in physiotherapy.
The development represents a new phase in a journey that began nearly six decades ago, as the University of Ibadan seeks to build on its pioneering contribution to physiotherapy education in Nigeria and its wider influence across West Africa.
