Education

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Unveiling The Essentials: Key Facts About Oau | Essential Oau Facts: What You Should Know

Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) is a federal university situated in Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. It was established in 1961 and started classes in October 1962 as the University of Ife, initiated by the regional government of Western Nigeria led by Samuel Ladoke Akintola. The university was later renamed "Obafemi Awolowo University" on May 12, 1987, in honor of Obafemi Awolowo, the first premier of the Western Region of Nigeria and the visionary behind the university.

History of Obafemi Awolowo University

In 1951, significant changes were made to elected legislators and regional Premiers in Nigeria's regions with the adoption of a new constitution. Prioritizing education as a catalyst for change, the new regional administrations focused on extending basic and secondary education. A commission, led by Cambridge lecturer Eric Ashby, was set up in 1959 to study the nation's projected needs for university graduates. The commission recommended additional regional universities, including one in the Western Region.

In response to the recommendations, the ruling Action Group party of the Western Region decided to establish the University of Ife, in protest against the Ashby Report. The University of Ibadan, the first Nigerian university, established in 1948, could not meet Nigeria's growing educational needs. The University at Ife aimed to fill these gaps and address the perceived politicization of higher education opportunities.

The university officially opened on September 22, 1962, to 244 students at its temporary facilities, the former College of Arts and Sciences in Ibadan. In February 1966, the university's relocation to the new campus at Ile-Ife began. The move was orchestrated by Lt-Col Francis Adekunle Fajuyi, the Visitor of the University of Ife and the first Military Governor of the Western Region. Hezekiah Oluwasanmi was appointed as the new Vice-Chancellor, and the university started with faculties such as agriculture, arts, economics and social studies, law, and science.

In 1975, the University of Ife became a Federal University under a new military government. Tragically, in 1999, members of the Black Axe Confraternity perpetrated the Obafemi Awolowo University massacre, resulting in the death of student activists.

Faculties and Courses Offered in Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU)

The Faculties in the Obafemi Awolowo University are:

1. Faculty of Arts

2. Faculty of Agriculture

3. Faculty of Basic Medical Science (BMS)

4. Faculty of Technology

5. Faculty of Environmental

6. Faculty of Law

7. Faculty of Design and Management

8. Faculty of Clinical Science

9. Faculty of Dentistry

10. Faculty of Education

11. Faculty of Sciences

12. Faculty of Social Science

13. Faculty of Pharmacy

14. Recommended: Subject combination for OAU courses

88 Courses Offered In OAU (Departments)

1. Agricultural Economics & Extension

2. Department of Linguistics and African Languages

3.  Agricultural Economics

4.  Agricultural and Environmental Engineering

5.  Agricultural Extension and Rural Sociology

6.  Anaesthesia and Intensive Care

7.  Anatomy and Cell Biology

8.  Animal Sciences

9.  Archeology

10.  Architecture

11.  Biochemistry

12.  Botany

13.  Building

14.  Business Law

15.  Chemical Engineering

16.  Chemical Pathology

17.  Chemistry

18.  Civil Engineering

19.  Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Administration

20.  Community Health and Nutrition

21.  Computer Science and Engineering

22.  Continuing Education

23.  Crop production

24.  Demography and Social Statistics

25.  Dermatology and Venerology

26.  Dramatic Arts

27.  Drug Research and Production Unit

28.  Economics

29.  Educational Administration and Planning

30.  Educational Foundation and Counseling

31.  Educational Technology

32.  Electronic and Electrical Engineering

33.  English Language

34.  Environmental Health and Epidemiology

35.  Estate Management

36.  Fine and Applied Arts

37.  Food Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

38.  Food Science and Technology

39.  Foreign Languages

40.  Geography

41.  Geology

42.  Haematology and Immunology

43.  History

44.  Institute of Education

45.  International Law

46.  International Relations

47.  Jurisprudence and Private Law

48.  Linguistics

49.  Local Government Studies

50.  Management and Accounting

51.  Mathematics

52.  Mechanical Engineering

53.  Medical Microbiology and Parasitology

54.  Medical Rehabilitation

55.  Medicine

56.  Mental Health

57.  Materials Science & Engineering

58.  Microbiology

59.  Medical Pharmacology and therapeutics

60.  Morbid Anatomy and Forensic Medicine

61.  Music

62.  Nursing

63.  Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Perimatology

64.  Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology

65.  Paediatrics and Child Health

66.  Pharmaceutical Chemistry

67.  Pharmaceutics

68.  Urban & Regional Planning

69.  Pharmacognosy

70.  Pharmacology

71.  Philosophy

72.  Physical and Health Education

73.  Physics

74.  Physiological Sciences

75.  Plant Science

76.  Political Science

77.  Psychology

78.  Public Administration

79.  Public Law

80.  Quantity Surveying

81.  Radiology

82.  Religious Studies

83.  Sociology and Anthropology

84.  Soil Science

85.  Special Education and Curriculum Studies

86.  Surgery

87.  Urban and Regional Planning

88.  Zoology

Library

The central library, named Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library, is at the heart of the campus. It has a seating capacity of 2,500, providing Internet access to a vast collection that includes over 300,000 titles, 762,000 volumes, government publications, theses, and audio-visual materials. The library's digitization efforts and the establishment of the e-library in July 2008 have enhanced accessibility for staff and students.

Halls of Residence

The Ile-Ife campus spans about 5,000 acres, with halls of residence that include Awolowo Hall, Angola Hall, Alumni Hall, Education Trust Fund (ETF) Hall, Adekunle Fajuyi Hall (FAJ), Ladoke Akintola Hall, Moremi Hall, Mozambique Hall (Moz), and Murtala Muhammed Post Graduate Hall. These halls accommodate both male and female students, with Murtala Muhammed Hall serving as a mixed hall for postgraduate students.

Important Things to know about University of Ibadan

• Official Website: www.oauife.edu.ng

• Vice-Chancellor:  Bamire Adebayo Simeon

• Estimated Students:  Over 35,000

• Location:  Obafemi Awolowo University, P.M.B. 13 Ile-Ife Osun 220282 Nigeria.