The histological findings in renal biopsy specimens obtained from 41 children with the nephrotic syndrome in Ibadan, Nigeria, between July, 1989 and June, 1996 are presented. The patients consisted of 26 male and 15 female children and their ages ranged from 2-13 years. The predominant histological type was membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) which occurred in 21 (51.2%). Membranous nephropathy and minimal change nephropathy (MCN) accounted for 4 (9.8%) patients each. The prevalence of MPGN was 33.3% in children less than 5 years of age compared with 56.2% amongst children who were > or = 5 years. All the three patients with MCN who were treated with a course of prednisolone had complete remission of the disease. It is concluded that MPGN is the predominant histological lesion seen in childhood nephrotic syndrome in Ibadan and that MCN remains an uncommon lesion. Therefore, renal biopsy is recommended as a prelude to a trial of steroid therapy in these patients since MCN (which is generally associated with steroid-responsiveness) is an uncommon finding among them.