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:
Faculty of Arts
Faculty of Agriculture
Faculty of Basic Medical Science (BMS)
Faculty of Technology
Faculty of Environmental
Faculty of Law
Faculty of Design and Management
Faculty of Clinical Science
Faculty of Dentistry
Faculty of Education
Faculty of Sciences
Faculty of Social Science
Faculty of Pharmacy
Recommended: Subject combination for OAU courses
88 Courses Offered In OAU (Departments)
Agricultural Economics & Extension
Department of Linguistics and African Languages
Agricultural Economics
Agricultural and Environmental Engineering
Agricultural Extension and Rural Sociology
Anaesthesia and Intensive Care
Anatomy and Cell Biology
Animal Sciences
Archeology
Architecture
Biochemistry
Botany
Building
Business Law
Chemical Engineering
Chemical Pathology
Chemistry
Civil Engineering
Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Administration
Community Health and Nutrition
Computer Science and Engineering
Continuing Education
Crop production
Demography and Social Statistics
Dermatology and Venerology
Dramatic Arts
Drug Research and Production Unit
Economics
Educational Administration and Planning
Educational Foundation and Counseling
Educational Technology
Electronic and Electrical Engineering
English Language
Environmental Health and Epidemiology
Estate Management
Fine and Applied Arts
Food Nutrition and Consumer Sciences
Food Science and Technology
Foreign Languages
Geography
Geology
Haematology and Immunology
History
Institute of Education
International Law
International Relations
Jurisprudence and Private Law
Linguistics
Local Government Studies
Management and Accounting
Mathematics
Mechanical Engineering
Medical Microbiology and Parasitology
Medical Rehabilitation
Medicine
Mental Health
Materials Science & Engineering
Microbiology
Medical Pharmacology and therapeutics
Morbid Anatomy and Forensic Medicine
Music
Nursing
Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Perimatology
Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology
Paediatrics and Child Health
Pharmaceutical Chemistry
Pharmaceutics
Urban & Regional Planning
Pharmacognosy
Pharmacology
Philosophy
Physical and Health Education
Physics
Physiological Sciences
Plant Science
Political Science
Psychology
Public Administration
Public Law
Quantity Surveying
Radiology
Religious Studies
Sociology and Anthropology
Soil Science
Special Education and Curriculum Studies
Surgery
Urban and Regional Planning
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.