The Governing Council of the University of Ibadan has approved the appointment of Mariam Adetoun Zakariyah as the 10th and first female Bursar of the University.
The appointment was approved at the council’s meeting on Wednesday 09 July, 2026.
According to the approval, her five year-tenure begins on 20 September, 2026.
The new Bursar joined the Bursary Department on 29 August, 2000 as a Higher Executive Officer (Accounts) in the Loans and Advances Section. From there, she rose through the ranks, serving as a Finance Officer across Faculties and the Postgraduate College to the level of Chief Accountant (Treasury Office) until she became a Deputy Bursar in the Bursary Department in 2019.
She oversaw financial operations across several faculties, institutes, and departments, ensuring effective financial control, reporting, and service delivery. Each step on her career path was earned through a dint of hard work and professionalism.
Each role came with new responsibilities and she always proved her worth in the fulfillment of those responsibilities.
In an era in which public institutions are often criticized for inefficiency, she chose to build systems. She digitized the Receivable Unit with an e-receipt system that cut paper use by 80% and blocked revenue leakages; she coordinated the clearing of financial statement backlogs from 2016 to 2019 and institutionalized tax compliance, which grossly reduced regulatory queries.
Through proactive GIFMIS monitoring, she ensured staff salaries were paid within 48 hours of fund release and she navigated the complex NELFUND refund issue and facilitated the procurement of West Africa’s only JOEL JEM 1400 Flash Transmission Electron Microscope, saving the University millions of naira.
Mrs. Zakariyah has actively contributed to institutional decision-making at the University of Ibadan through membership and representation in key committees such as Bursary Management Committee; University Finance Management Committee; Postgraduate School Procurement Committee; Finance Management Committee of the Board of the Postgraduate School; among others.
She has been an active contributor to high-level financial governance and institutional decision-making through participation in Council and management committees such as Budget Monitoring Committee of Council; Finance and General-Purpose Committee of Council; Council Sub-Committee on Audit Matters; and Final Accounts Stakeholders’ Meetings.
The new Bursar was a recipient of the Overall Best Graduating Student (Accountancy) award at The Polytechnic Ibadan in 1998, and recipient of the Best Graduating Female Accounting Student Award of the Society for Women Accountants of Nigeria (SWAN) in 1998.
She was also a recipient of the Best Student Award of the National Association of Polytechnic Accountancy Students (NAPAS), The Polytechnic Ibadan Chapter, also in 1998.
She became an Associate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) in 2002 and Fellow, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) in 2014. She was a recipient of the Society for Women Accountants of Nigeria (SWAN) Award for Woman of Excellence in 2020.
Typical of financial experts of her class, she has attended professional conferences, locally and globally and has delivered papers at many conferences and workshops.
She approaches her responsibilities with diligence, integrity, and a strong sense of accountability. Over the years, she has developed a working style that combines professional ethics with emotional intelligence, enabling effective collaboration and consistent delivery of results within set timelines.
Mrs. Zakariyah maintains a disciplined and respectful approach to work, with a continuous focus on improving financial processes, strengthening institutional controls, and supporting the overall integrity of the University’s financial management system.
Mariam Zakariyah (nee Adegbite) hails from Abeokuta South, Ogun State and was born on 19 October, 1975 in Ibadan, Oyo State. She started elementary school at Alafia Nursery and Primary School, Ibadan where she obtained a Primary School Leaving Certificate in 1986. Her secondary education was at Saint Louis Girls’ Grammar School, Ibadan from 1986 – 1992.
She obtained a National Diploma (ND) in Accountancy from The Polytechnic Ibadan in 1996; a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Accountancy, also from The Polytechnic Ibadan in 1998, and a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Economics from Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma in 2007. She was also awarded a Master of Business Administration (2014) and a Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Accounting, (2021), both by the University of Ibadan. She also possesses an academic Diploma in Information Technology from HiiT Plc, Ibadan.
Mrs. Zakariyah, a devout Muslim, is happily married with children.
