Mariam Zakariyah becomes UI’s first female Bursar

By Isa Isawade

The University of Ibadan (UI) has appointed its first female Bursar, Mrs. Mariam Adetoun Zakariyah (née Adegbite), FCA, as its 10th Bursar.

By this appointment, Zakariyah has made history as the first woman to head the institution’s Bursary Department in its 78 years of existence.

Her appointment was approved on July 9, 2026.

A product of the university staff community at Abadina, Zakariyah joined the University’s Bursary Department on August 29, year 2000, as an officer in the Loans and Advances Unit.

Over the past 24 years, she rose through the ranks, serving in various capacities, including Senior Accountant, Finance Officer in faculties and the Postgraduate School, Chief Accountant and, most recently, Deputy Bursar in charge of Treasury.

Her career has been marked by several financial management reforms aimed at strengthening accountability and improving operational efficiency.

Among her notable achievements are the introduction of a merit-based receipt system that significantly reduced paper usage and blocked revenue leakages, the clearance of longstanding backlogs in financial statements and treasury tax compliance, and improved salary processing through effective monitoring of the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS).

She also played a key role in the university’s handling of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) refund process and contributed to the acquisition of the JOEL JEM 1400 Transmission Electron Microscope.