Professor Kayode Samuel Assumes Office as Provost of UI Postgraduate College

Professor Kayode Michael Samuel, a distinguished Nigerian musicologist, administrator and scholar of African musical arts, has assumed office as the Provost of the Postgraduate College, University of Ibadan (UI).

Professor Samuel’s career reflects a sustained commitment to academic excellence, leadership and the advancement of African musicology.

His educational journey began with a Diploma in Law from the former Kwara State College of Technology, Ilorin, in 1986. He subsequently obtained the Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music Certificate, London, and a Diploma in Music from The Polytechnic, Ibadan, where he won the faculty prize in 1988.

He later earned a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) degree in Music from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, graduating as the best student in Music in 1992.

Following his National Youth Service Corps programme, Professor Samuel joined St. Andrew’s College of Education, later Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo, where he taught for more than 16 years and rose to the rank of Principal Lecturer.

In 2010, he joined the University of Ibadan, where he served as the Head of the Music Unit, Institute of African Studies. He steadily rose through the academic ranks and was promoted to the position of Professor of Musicology and Musical Arts Education in 2022.

Professor Samuel’s scholarly achievements have earned him several prestigious fellowships and international grants, including:

• SEMPRE/International Society for Music Education Fellowship, Malaysia, 2006

• African Humanities Program Postdoctoral Fellowship of the American Council of Learned Societies, 2013–2014

• Pan African Society for Musical Arts Education Fellowship, Seychelles, 2019

• Research Fellowship of the Institute of African Studies, University of Bayreuth, Germany, 2024

He is an active member of several leading professional associations, including:

• Association of Nigerian Musicologists

• International Society for Music Education

• Pan African Society for Musical Arts Education, where he served two terms as Secretary General from 2009 to 2013

• Society of Music Educators of Nigeria

Professor Samuel’s research focuses on African musicology, music education, indigenous knowledge systems and Yoruba musical traditions.

His scholarship explores the musicality, sociality and performativity of African musical practices, with particular emphasis on Yoruba drum traditions, philosophy, gender, performance and cultural transmission.

At the University of Ibadan, Professor Samuel has held numerous academic and administrative positions. Before his election as Provost of the Postgraduate College, he served as the Deputy Provost (Academic) of the College.

He assumed office as Provost of the Postgraduate College, University of Ibadan, on August 1, 2026.