Engr Humphrey C. N. Adibe broke the glass ceiling at the Students’ Union Executive Committee of West Ham College of Technology – University of London (now University of East London) when he emerged as the President for the 1959/1960 session. With that, he became the first African to emerge as the Students’ Union President of the ancient college. Suffice it to say that he achieved this feat at a time that the population of African students was low at the college.

Founded in 1898, West Ham College of Technology was a college under the University of London. The college gained full university status in 1992 and became known as University of East London. West Ham College of Technology did not have a formal Students’ Union President until the 1941/1942 session when Miss C.M. Burcham emerged. She was succeeded by mostly British students (except for an Indian) until the emergence of Humphrey Adibe who became the African (and indeed the first black) to serve as the president. The list of the Students’ Union Presidents from the first until Adibe can be found below.

Engr Humphrey Adibe was also the first Students’ Union President to produce a Students’ Union Handbook at the college. This fact is established from his “PRESIDENT’S FORWARD” published in the handbook. The Principal of the college at the time, Dr. G. Bulmer wrote the FORWARD. The handbook was published in 1959 by Plaistow Press, 3 New Plaistow Road, London E.15.

Below is his President’s Forward and List of Presidents.

Continue scrolling down to see the full students’ union handbook and enjoy this piece of preserved history.