Landscape of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife

Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) is a federal government-owned university that is located in the ancient city of Ile-Ife, Osun State,

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. The university was founded in 1961 and classes commenced in October 1962 as the University of Ife by the regional government of

Western Nigeria The former Western State of Nigeria was formed in 1967 when the Western Region was subdivided into the states of Lagos and Western State. Its capital was Ibadan, which was the capital of the old region. In 1976, the state was subdivided into thre ...

, which was led by

Samuel Ladoke Akintola Chief Samuel Ládòkè Akíntọ́lá, otherwise known as ''S.L.A.'' (6 July 1910 – 15 January 1966), was a Yoruba politician, aristocrat , orator, and a Yoruba Lawyer. He was one of the founding fathers of modern Nigeria, he served as ...

. It was renamed "Obafemi Awolowo University" on 12 May 1987 in honour of

Obafemi Awolowo Chief Obafemi Jeremiah Oyeniyi Awolowo (; 6 March 1909 – 9 May 1987) was a Yoruba nationalist and Nigerian statesman who played a key role in Nigeria's independence movement (1957-1960). Awolowo founded the Yoruba nationalist group Egbe O ...

(1909–1987), the first premier of the Western Region of Nigeria, whose idea the university was.

History

In 1951, with the adoption of a new

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When ...

, major changes were made to elected

legislator A legislator (also known as a deputy or lawmaker) is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are often elected by the people of the state. Legislatures may be supra-national (for ex ...

s and regional Premiers in the regions. The new regional governments prioritised expansion of primary and secondary education because they viewed education as an important agent of transformation and development. In 1959, the Federal Minister of Education created a commission to research the country's future manpower needs of university graduates between 1960 and 1980. The commission was headed by Cambridge lecturer Eric Ashby, master at

Clare College, Cambridge Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. It was refounded ...

, and also included labour economist

Frederick H. Harbison Frederick Harris Harbison (December 18, 1912 – April 5, 1976) was an American labor economist and Professor of Labor Economics at Princeton University. He was known for his 1959 study ''Management in the industrial world'' and other works on l ...

. The expectation of the commission's final report by the Western Region government was that

University of Ibadan The University of Ibadan (UI) is a public research university in Ibadan, Nigeria. The university was founded in 1948 as University College Ibadan, one of many colleges within the University of London. It became an independent university in 196 ...

would satisfy the needs of the Western region, a position on which the federal government disagreed. Before a final report was submitted in October 1960, the Western government began preparations for the establishment of a university in the region. The decision to establish the University of Ife) by the ruling Action Group party of the Western Region of Nigeria was in protest at the recommendations of the Ashby Report. The first Nigerian university was established in 1948 at

Ibadan Ibadan (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano, with a total population of 3,649,000 as of 2021, and over 6 million people within its me ...

in the Western Region as an external college of the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

. The needs of Nigeria (then a British colony), however, exceeded the productivity of the country's only university. In particular, the university of ibadan had no faculty of engineering or technology, law school, pharmacy school or management training abilities. The Ashby commission, which was set up by the British, was to review tertiary education needs of the soon-to-be-independent nation of Nigeria. The government of the Western Region did not want to rely on federal universities or those of other regions to admit its numerous secondary school leavers. The University at Ife was founded as a rebuttal to the perceived politicization of higher education opportunities in Nigeria and the Western Region and was designed to fill the gaps in the manpower needs. In October 1960, the Ashby commission recommended additional regional universities in the northern and eastern regions of Nigeria, and another federal university in the Lagos protectorate, but none in the more-educationally advanced Western Region, which had a "free and universal primary education" program. A minority report that was accepted by the government recommended a new university within the Western Region and facilities of the Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology, Ibadan, was provided to the region. In 1961, a vote establishing the Provisional Council of the university was passed by the Western Regional Assembly. The final site chosen, a of land, was donated by the people of Ile-Ife for the proposed university. The first financial grant provided for the university was £250,000 from the Western regional government.

Ibadan campus

On 22 September 1962, the university was opened to 244 students at its temporary facilities, the previous college of arts and sciences, Ibadan. Some of the new students were previously at the college of arts and sciences, and some staff were recruited from

University College, Ibadan The University of Ibadan (UI) is a public research university in Ibadan, Nigeria. The university was founded in 1948 as University College Ibadan, one of many colleges within the University of London. It became an independent university in 1962 ...

, and from abroad.

Oladele Ajose Oladele Adebayo Ajose (1907–1978) was a Lagos prince who was the Vice-Chancellor of the Obafemi Awolowo University. He was an early advocate of primary health care in Nigeria and the first tenured African professor at the University of Ibadan ...

, was nominated as the first Vice-Chancellor of the university, which began with faculties of agriculture, arts, economics and social studies, law and science. The style of administration of the university and faculties was similar to University College, Ibadan, and during its foundation, it established a relationship with

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

. Adverse political conditions within the region delayed the move from Ibadan to Ife. In February 1966, Lt-Col Francis

Adekunle Fajuyi Francis Adekunle Fajuyi (26 June 1926 – 29 July 1966) was a Nigerian soldier of Yoruba origin. and the first military governor of the former Western Region, Nigeria. Originally a teacher and clerk, Fajuyi of Ado Ekiti joined the army i ...

, the Visitor of the University of Ife and the first Military Governor of the Western Region, appointed Ezekiah Oluwasanmi as the new Vice-Chancellor, and Chief TT Solaru as the pro-chancellor, and gave them money and orders to relocate to the permanent campus by October 1966. Fajuyi was killed at Ibadan in the military mutiny of July 1966, and did not witness the movement he orchestrated. Fajuyi Hall, a residential hall, was named to honour his contributions.

Move to Ife

The university's move to the new campus at Ile-Ife began in January 1967. The campus at Ife had the first faculty of pharmacy in

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...

, the first department of chemical engineering, and the first faculty of electronics components and electrical engineering. Its medical school started with an integrated curriculum and community orientation, which was later adopted by the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...

, and a compulsory

baccalaureate Baccalaureate may refer to: * ''Baccalauréat'', a French national academic qualification * Bachelor's degree, or baccalaureate, an undergraduate academic degree * English Baccalaureate, a performance measure to assess secondary schools in England ...

(BSc honours) before entrance to the clinical school, but this was later abandoned.

Federal university

In 1975, a new military government effected decrees making University of Ife a federal university. On 10 July 1999, members of the Black Axe Confraternity murdered the secretary-general of the students' union George Iwilade and several other student activists in the Obafemi Awolowo University massacre. Education Minister

Tunde Adeniran Tunde Adeniran (born 29 September 1945) is a Nigerian scholar, politician, diplomat, and former minister of education. A former staff of United Nations, Tunde - before moving into politics in 1998 - retired as a political science lecturer at the ...

issued a statement acknowledging the incident and saying the ministry will treat the case with "utmost concern".

Land

Arieh Sharon Arieh Sharon ( he, אריה שרון; May 28, 1900 – July 24, 1984) was an Israeli architect and winner of the Israel Prize for Architecture in 1962. Sharon was a critical contributor to the early architecture in Israel and the leader of the fi ...

led the architectural planning of the university with a team that later included his son Eldar Sharon and

Augustine Akhuemokhan Egbor Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berbers, Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia (Roman pr ...

of Lagos. The initial plan was to build three communities. A central campus with a high density would host the academic and administrative structures, the staff quarters with residential structures were dispersed for privacy, and students residential halls were built.

Central campus

The road network within the university are numbered, the main entry to the university is the 2.5 km Road One which provides visibility to two rocky hills and a main core. The core is a quadrangle consisting of the university's public structures: Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library, Secretariat, University Bookshop, Oduduwa Hall, and the Faculties of Arts, Education, Law, Administration and Social Sciences. The first structure to be completed in January 1967 was three blacks of four floors, which became the humanities building; these blocks have interconnected walkways to the other faculties within the quad. Unpon completion, these structures resembled inverted pyramids or huge boats but the design was chosen because of the country's the humid

tropical climate Tropical climate is the first of the five major climate groups in the Köppen climate classification identified with the letter A. Tropical climates are defined by a monthly average temperature of 18 °C (64.4 °F) or higher in the cool ...

soeach floor provides protection to the one below. There are pedestrian walkways and pergolas around the campus, providing movement within offices around the quadrangle, and there are also piazzas, gardens and terraces. The quad is enclosed on each side by roads, beyond which are other faculty buildings. The inner road on the southern end (road two) or front of the main core provides access to the student union building. Along road two are the computer science building, and the faculties of pharmacy and health sciences. The outer road at the north-western end of the quad, (Road 5) provides access to the modern languages building and the African traditional-designed structure housing the African studies department, a museum and an exhibition hall.

Academics

Obafemi Awolowo University has 13 faculties and two colleges]—the Postgraduate College and the College of Health Sciences— which are administered in more than 60 departments. The university offers

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-lev ...

and

post-graduate Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and stru ...

programmes in fields of specialization spanning the humanities, arts, natural sciences, social sciences, medical sciences, engineering and technology. It was previously associated with Loma Linda University in California, US.

JUPEB Programme

Obafemi Awolowo University has been partner university to the Joint Universities Preliminary Examinations Board (JUPEB). JUPEB offers A-Level programs to students seeking admission into Obafemi Awolowo University via direct entry. OAU currently admit students into the JUPEB Program Yearly.

Library

The central library, known as Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library, (named after the second Vice-Chancellor, Professor Hezekiah Olusawanmi) consists of two multi-storey wings in the centre of the campus. It has a seating capacity of 2,500 with the availability of Internet access to books and journals. It is a depository for the publications of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

and its agencies including

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

ILO The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and ol ...

and ECA. The library collection includes over 300,000 titles and 762,000 volumes of monographs, government publications, theses and audio-visual material, in addition to the subscription of over 1,000 journals in hard format. The library collection is accessible to users through

Online Public Access Catalogue The online public access catalog (OPAC), now frequently synonymous with ''library catalog'', is an online database of materials held by a library or group of libraries. Online catalogs have largely replaced the analog card catalogs previously u ...

(OPAC) and the library's circulation services are fully computerized. 297,352 records have been converted to electronic format and the digitization of its newspaper collection has been done by online Computers Library Corporation, Inc. of Ohio, US.The university library also enjoyed financial support from the

Carnegie Corporation The Carnegie Corporation of New York is a philanthropic fund established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to support education programs across the United States, and later the world. Carnegie Corporation has endowed or otherwise helped to establis ...

for computerization of the library, this gave birth to the opening of the e-library in July 2008 for the use of staff and students of the University. Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library, Ile-Ife

Information Technology and Communications Unit

Obafemi Awolowo University has a well-developed Information and Communication Technology (ICT) system with its own V-SAT access to the Internet and an efficient Intranet. Virtually every building in the central campus is connected and cybercafés are available in parts of the campus. The internet access bandwidth has been increased from 39Mbit/s as at October 2011 to 183Mbit/s. The increase also led to the expansion of the internet facilities to all the halls of residence on campus. The Information Technology and Communications Unit (INTECU) is responsible for developing Obafemi Awolowo University into Nigeria's leading ICT University with a campus-wide network consisting of a fibre optic backbone, 23 intra-networked subnets and wireless access clouds (

WiFi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols, based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by radio wa ...

) distributed across the site.

Medical and health facilities

The medical and health centre provides hazardous primary healthcare services to the community, the poor, and children and adults whose lives are endangered, and provides health education services on demand. It operates a 24-hour service and has 16 bed spaces for admitted patients. Extreme cases are referred to the nearby teaching hospital for intensive care. The health centre is divided into nine functional units.

Research

The medical research facilities are located in the teaching hospital, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, comprising the Ife State Hospital, the Wesley Guild Hospital Ilesha, and Comprehensive Health Centres, and the multidisciplinary laboratories at the main University Campus. The University Teaching Hospitals is consistently cited has a highly reputable teaching hospital based on his numerous records. It has served as a training site for Nigerian foreign-trained doctors, who are required to pass the medical licensing examination organized by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria. The operation for the first Siamese twins to be separated in sub-Saharan Africa was carried out at its teaching hospital, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital. Consequently, the separation of Siamese twins has been successfully carried out on different occasions, while successful cochlear implantation has been performed repeatedly in the

otorhinolaryngology Otorhinolaryngology ( , abbreviated ORL and also known as otolaryngology, otolaryngology–head and neck surgery (ORL–H&N or OHNS), or ear, nose, and throat (ENT)) is a surgical subspeciality within medicine that deals with the surgical a ...

unit. The university pioneered the resuscitation and modernization of the traditional bronze-casting technology. It also pioneered the introduction of entrepreneurship education at the undergraduate level and this has now been adopted nationally and by the

National Universities Commission The National Universities Commission (NUC) is a government commission for promoting quality higher education in Nigeria. Situated in Abuja, it was established in 1962 as an advisory agency in the cabinet office. In 1974, it became a statutory b ...

(NUC). It is the leading ICT University with a bandwidth of 113 Mbit/s as well as a pioneer in iLab. The first iLab in Africa, south of Sahara was developed and established in OAU in collaboration with

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...

Vice-chancellors

The first vice-chancellor of the university was Professor

(MD, PhD), a

Glasgow University , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

graduate and Nigeria's first professor of public health, who was recruited from the

. He served from 1962 to 1966 until political upheavals and military coups led him to be replaced. The second vice-chancellor was Professor H. A. Oluwasanmi, who served from 1966 to 1975. Anthony Adebolu Elujoba, a professor of pharmacognosy, became the Acting Vice-Chancellor of the university in July 1975. The University Council's announcement of Professor Ayobami Taofeek Salami on 6 June as the University Vice-Chancellor was greeted with violence and rejection. The council was eventually dissolved by the Federal Government and Salami was removed from the post. Prof. Elujoba was given the responsibility of stabilizing the system. The university's staff has included one Nobel Laureate and six Nigerian National Merit Award winners, and has pioneered

kidney transplant Kidney transplant or renal transplant is the organ transplant of a kidney into a patient with end-stage kidney disease (ESRD). Kidney transplant is typically classified as deceased-donor (formerly known as cadaveric) or living-donor transplantati ...

s in Nigeria. Nigeria's only

Nobel prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

-winner in literature and the first African laureate,

Wole Soyinka Akinwande Oluwole Babatunde Soyinka (Yoruba: ''Akínwándé Olúwọlé Babátúndé Ṣóyíinká''; born 13 July 1934), known as Wole Soyinka (), is a Nigerian playwright, novelist, poet, and essayist in the English language. He was awarded t ...

, served as Professor of Comparative Literature at the University of Ife from 1975 to 1999. In 1999, he was appointed an Emeritus Professor of Dramatic Arts at the university.

Stephen Adebanji Akintoye Stephen Adebanji Akintoye, also known as S. Banji Akintoye (born 1935), is a Nigerian-born academic, historian and writer. He attended Christ's School Ado Ekiti, Nigeria from 1951–1955, and studied history at the University College (Overseas Co ...

served as Director of the Institute of African Studies from 1974 to 1977.

List of Vice-chancellors

(1962–66) * Hezekiah Adedunmola Oluwasanmi (1966–75) *Ojetunji Aboyade (1975–78) *

Cyril Agodi Onwumechili Cyril Agodi Onwumechili (20 January 1932 – 16 May 2023) was a Nigerian physicist, academic administrator, and professor of geophysics at the University of Ibadan and later University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He was the fourth Vice Chancellor of th ...

(1979–82) *

Wande Abimbola Chief Ògúnwán̄dé "Wán̄dé" Abím̄bọ́lá (born 24 December 1932) is a Nigerian academician, a professor of Yoruba language and literature, and a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University). He has ...

(1982–89) *C. Adeniyi Osuntogun (1990–91) *Wale Omole (1991–99) *Roger Makanjuola (1999–2006) * Micheal Oladimeji Faborode (2006–11) * Idowu Bamitale Omole (2011–16) * Anthony Elujoba (as acting from 2016 to 2017) * Eyitope Ogungbenro Ogunbodede (2017–2022) * Adebayo Simeon Bamire (2022–present)

Halls of Residence

Ile-Ife campus is built on about on a site comprising of university-owned land. Its halls of residence include: *Awolowo Hall *Angola Hall *Alumni Hall *Education Trust Fund Hall *Fajuyi Hall *Ladoke Akintola Hall *Moremi Hall *Mozambique Hall *Murtala Muhammed Post Graduate Hall The Male halls are Awolowo Hall, Angola Hall, ETF Hall and Fajuyi Hall. The female halls are Alumni Hall, Ladoke Akintola Hall, Moremi Hall, Mozambique Hall. The postgraduate hall, Murtala Muhammed Hall, is a mixed hall.

Students' Unionism

Obafemi Awolowo University is known as the "Jerusalem" of Aluta because of the antecedents of her students in vibrant and radical unionism over the years. However, in the last few years, the radicalism of the union is gradually becoming history. The union has produced vibrant unionists and political leaders, including but not limited to the famous lawyer,

Femi Falana Femi Falana, SAN (born 20 May 1958)In the town of Ilawe, Ekiti State He is a Nigerian lawyer and Human right activist.He is also the father to Folarin Falana popularly known as Falz. Femi Falana is a well-known activist for human rights, always ...

, Paul Agbaje, Olurunwa Adeleke, and many others. Recently, a case of fraud came to light by the former president of the union, Dr. Ibk, who was remanded by the court of law after stealing 700,000 shortly after the swearing-in of the new executives. The new executives came in shortly after the Electoral Commission led by Ajayi Oluwafemi (Efem Castro) from the Faculty of Social Sciences as the Chairman, where Akinbinu Foyin from Nursing served as the General Secretary, Olalekan Olatunbosun Onaopemipo (The Catalyst) from the Faculty of Education served as the Public Relations Officer and Osatoyinbo Opemidimeji from the Faculty of Sciences served as the Financial Secretary, with nine other commissioners from other faculties.

Sports

The sports center is located in the central campus, and provides indoor and outdoor sports. The center is equipped with modern facilities and the students participate in competitive sports such as those organized by the

Nigerian University Games Association The Nigerian University Games Association (NUGA) organizes university-level sports events in Nigeria. It hosts an interuniversity sports competition called the University Games. The first NUGA games were held at the University of Ibadan in 1966. 36 ...

(NUGA) and

West African University's Games West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sunset, Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic languages, German ...

(WAUG). Recreational facilities including basketball courts and table tennis in each of the halls of residence. The Staff Club, with its swimming pool, is available for registered staff members and their guests. The university's sports centre has hosted

(NUGA) championships in 1970, 1984 and 2013. The sports centre is equipped with an IAAD-compliant swimming-pool, tartan track, volleyball court, tennis court, squash court, hockey pitch, two football pitches (including one with a covered pavilion), gymnasium and an indoor multipurpose sports court.

Notable alumni

Government and politics

* Adebayo Adelabu, Deputy Governor

Central Bank of Nigeria The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is the central bank and apex monetary authority of Nigeria established by the CBN Act of 1958 and commenced operations on 1 July 1959. The major regulatory objectives of the bank as stated in the CBN Act are ...

since 2014. * Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, co-founder African Women's Development Fund (AWDF) *

Akinwumi Adesina Akinwumi "Akin" Adesina is a Nigerian economist, who is currently serving as the President of the African Development Bank. He previously served as Nigeria's Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. Until his appointment as Minister in 2010 ...

, President of

African Development Bank The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) or (BAD) is a multilateral development finance institution headquartered in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, since September 2014. The AfDB is a financial provider to African governments and private companies ...

& former Nigerian Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development *

Femi Adesina Femi Adesina OON is a Nigerian journalist who served as the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari. Education Adesina attended Obafemi Awolowo University Osun, State and t ...

, Special Adviser to President Buhari on media and publicity *

Oladapo Afolabi Professor Oladapo Afolabi CFR, (born 3 October 1953) is a former academic who was sworn in as Head of Service of the Federation of Nigeria by President Goodluck Jonathan on 18 November 2010. In this position, he is responsible for the Nigerian Ci ...

, former Head of Nigerian Civil Service *

Jimi Agbaje Olujimi Kolawole Agbaje (popularly known as Jimi Agbaje or JK; born 2 March 1957), is a Nigerian Pharmacist, and Politician. He was the 2015 PDP's Lagos State Governorship candidate, but he lost out to the eventual winner Akinwunmi Ambode. He ...

Lagos State Lagos State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Èkó) is a States of Nigeria, state in South West (Nigeria), southwestern Nigeria. Of the 36 States of Nigeria, states, it is both the List of Nigerian states by population, most populous and List of Nigerian state ...

Governorship candidate *

Alexander Akinyele Alexander Babatunde Akinyele, CBE (5 September 1875 – 1 October 1968) was the first Anglican Diocesan Bishop of Ibadan, Nigeria. He was the first indigene of Ibadan to obtain a university degree, and the founder of the first secondary school ...

, former Nigerian Minister of Information *

Sarah Alade Sarah Alade was the acting governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria during the suspension of Lamido Sanusi until his tenure ended. She was appointed to the post by President Goodluck Jonathan on 20 February 2014. Alade was appointed acting gover ...

, former Deputy Governor

Christopher Omoworare Babajide Babajide Christopher Omoworare (born 31 October 1968) is a Nigerian politician who was elected Senator for the Osun East constituency of Osun State, Nigeria in April 2011, He ran on the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) platform. He was re-elected ...

, Senator of

Osun State Osun State (; yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Ọ̀ṣun), occasionally known as the State of Osun by the state government, is a state in southwestern Nigeria; bounded to the east by Ekiti and Ondo states, to the north by Kwara State, to the south by Og ...

, Nigeria *

Babalola Borishade Abraham Babalola Borishade (7 March 1946 – 26 April 2017) was a Nigerian politician. He was a four time Federal Minister in Nigeria, between 1999-2011. He was known as an electrical engineer, teacher and political strategist. Early life Borishad ...

, former Nigeria Minister of Aviation *

Abike Dabiri Abike Kafayat Oluwatoyin Dabiri-Erewa (born 10 October 1962 ) is a Nigerian politician and former member of the Nigeria Federal House of Representatives representing Ikorodu Constituency in Lagos State. She was the Chairman of the House Committee ...

, former Member of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

Kayode Fayemi John Olukayode Fayemi (born 9 February 1965) is a Nigerian politician who served as Governor of Ekiti State from 2018 to 2022. He previously served in office between 2010 and 2014 before losing re-election to Ayo Fayose, Ayodele Fayose. He was ...

, former Governor of

Ekiti State Ekiti State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Èkìtì) is a state in southwestern Nigeria, bordered to the north by Kwara State, to the northeast by Kogi State, to the south and southeast by Ondo State, and to the west by Osun State. Named for the Ekiti peo ...

Olusegun Mimiko Olusegun Rahman Mimiko ( yo, Olúṣẹ́gun Mímikò ; born 3 October 1954), is a Nigerian doctor and politician, he was the senatorial candidate of the Zenith Labour Party for Ondo Central District in the 2019 Senate elections. He served as ...

, former Governor of

Ondo State Ondo State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Oǹdó) is a state in southwestern Nigeria. It was created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. It borders Ekiti State to the north, Kogi State to the northeast, Edo State to the east, Delta State to t ...

, Nigeria *

Lai Mohammed Layiwola "Lai" Mohammed (born 6 December 1951) is a Nigerian lawyer and politician. He is currently the Minister of Information and Culture, a position he has held since November 2015. He is also the former National publicity secretary of the ...

, Nigerian Minister of Information and Culture *

Babafemi Ojudu Babafemi Ojudu (born 27 March 1961) is a Nigerian journalist who was elected Senator for the Ekiti Central constituency of Ekiti State, Nigeria, in the April 2011 national elections. He ran on the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) platform. Early ...

, Senator of

, Nigeria * Olatunde Ojo, Clerk to the

national assembly of Nigeria National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

Dominic Oneya Dominic Obukadata Oneya (26 May 1948 – 4 August 2021) was Administrator of Kano State, Nigeria from August 1996 to August 1998 during the military regime of General Sani Abacha, then Administrator of Benue State from August 1998 to May 1999 du ...

, former Governor

Kano State Kano State (Hausa: ''Jihar Kano''جىِهَر كَنوُ) (Fula: Leydi Kano 𞤤𞤫𞤴𞤣𞤭 𞤳𞤢𞤲𞤮𞥅 ) is one of the 36 states of Nigeria, located in the northern region of the country. According to the national census done in ...

, Nigeria *

Olusegun Oni Olusegun Oni (born 5 September 1954) is a Nigerian politician who served as governor of Ekiti State from 29 May 2007 to 14 October 2010. He was a member of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In 2014 he defected from the PDP and joined ...

, former Governor of

, Nigeria *

Fidelis Oyakhilome Fidelis Oyakhilome (born 13 April 1939) was Nigerians, Nigerian military governor of Rivers State from January 1984 until August 1986 during the administrations of Generals Muhammadu Buhari and Ibrahim Babangida. Birth and education Oyakhilome w ...

, former Governor

Rivers State Rivers State, also known as Rivers, is a state in the Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria (Old Eastern Region). Formed in 1967, when it was split from the former Eastern Region, Rivers State borders include: Imo to the north, Abia and Akwa Ib ...

, Nigeria *

Olagunsoye Oyinlola Ọlagunsoye Oyinlọla (born 3 February 1951) is a retired Nigerian general, he became governor of Osun State in Nigeria in May 2003, and was reelected in 2007. He was a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP). On 26 November 2010 ...

, former Governor of

, and former military governor of

, Nigeria * Amal Pepple, former Nigerian Minister of Lands, Housing & Urban Development and former Head of Nigerian Civil Service * Abdur-Raheem Adebayo Shittu, Former Minister of Communication *

Oluremi Tinubu Oluremi Tinubu (born 21 September 1960) is a Nigerian politician who served as the first lady of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007 and is currently a senator representing Lagos Central Senatorial District at the Nigerian National Assembly. She is a ...

, former First Lady and Senator of

, Nigeria *

Lucky Irabor General Lucky Eluonye Onyenuchea Irabor (born 5 October 1965) is a Nigerian army general and the current Chief of Defence Staff of Nigeria. He was appointed by Muhammadu Buhari on 26 January 2021. Background Irabor was born on 5 October 1965 ...

, Chief of Defence Staff of Nigeria

Business

* Olajumoke Adenowo, Nigerian architect and businesswoman * Demola Aladekomo, computer engineer, technology expert, entrepreneur and philanthropist * Ibukun Awosika, chairman, First Bank Nigeria * Yemisi Edun, first female MD/CEO of

First City Monument Bank First City Monument Bank (FCMB), a member of FCMB Group Plc, is a financial services holding company headquartered in Lagos. FCMB Group Plc has nine subsidiaries divided among three business groups: commercial and retail banking, investment ban ...

* Abisoye Fagade, Nigerian professional marketer *

Jimoh Ibrahim Jimoh Ibrahim (born 24 February 1967) is a Nigerian lawyer, politician, businessman and philanthropist. He is the chairman and chief executive officer of Global Fleet Group, a diversified conglomerate based in Nigeria, with business interests an ...

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

, Nigerian billionaire *

Dele Momodu Chief Dele Momodu (born Ayòbámidélé Àbáyòmí Ojútelégàn Àjàní Momodu; 16 May 1960) is a Nigerian journalist/publisher, businessman, and motivational speaker. He is the CEO and publisher of ''Ovation International'', a magazine tha ...

, Nigerian Journalist and Businessman and CEO of Ovation International Magazine * Oscar N. Onyema, currently CEO of the

Nigerian Stock Exchange The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) now Nigerian Exchange Group is a Nigerian stock exchange founded in 1961 in Lagos. As of November 2019, it has a total of 161 listed companies, with 8 domestic companies on the premium board, 144 companies on the ...

* Funke Opeke, MD Main One *

Funke Osibodu Olufunke Iyabo Osibodu or Funke Osibodu is a Nigerian banker who led Ecobank Nigeria and the Union Bank of Nigeria. Life Funke Osibodu was born in January 1959. She attended the University of Ife and the Harvard Business School.< ...

, ex-CEO of Union and Eco Banks *

Femi Otedola Femi Otedola (born 4 November 1962) is a Nigerian businessman, philanthropist, and former chairman of Forte Oil PLC, an importer of fuel products. Otedola is the founder of Zenon Petroleum and Gas Ltd, and the owner of a number of other busin ...

, Nigerian Oil Billionaire

Law

Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu (born 21 July 1956) is a Nigerian lawyer and politician who is currently the Governor of Ondo State, in office since 24 February 2017. His adopted prefix is "Arakunrin", while his nickname is "Aketi". He is a Seni ...

, current Governor of Ondo State * Yusuf Olaolu Ali, lawyer,

Senior Advocate of Nigeria Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) is a title that may be conferred on legal practitioners in Nigeria of not less than ten years' standing and who have distinguished themselves in the legal profession. It is the equivalent of the rank of Queen's Coun ...

Fatou Bensouda Fatou Bom Bensouda (; ; born 31 January 1961) is a Gambian lawyer and former Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC). She served as Prosecutor from June 2012 to June 2021, after having ...

, Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in the Hague *

, Nigerian Human Rights Lawyer * Nkemdilim Izuako, Nigerian Judge and member of the

United Nations Dispute Tribunal The United Nations Dispute Tribunal (UNDT) is the court of first instance in the internal justice system of the United Nations. It became operational on 1 July 2009. The UNDT "hears and decides cases" filed by current and former staff members "app ...

* Toki Mabogunje, Nigerian lawyer *

Nwali Sylvester Ngwuta Nwali Sylvester Ngwuta, CFR (30 March 1951 – 7 March 2021) was a Nigerian jurist and Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. He served on the Supreme Court from 2011 until his death in 2021. Early life Justice Sylvester was born in 1951 i ...

, CFR, Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria * Helen Prest-Ajayi, Nigerian lawyer, writer and former beauty queen.

Arts and media

* 2Baba, Nigerian artist. He was given an honorary degree during his Fellowship award from Department of Music * Aderounmu Adejumoke, Nigerian actor and filmmaker *

Olusegun Adeniyi Olusegun Adeniyi (born 6 November 1965) is a Nigerian journalist, current chair of the editorial board of ThisDay newspapers and a former presidential spokesman to the late President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua. Early life and education Adeniyi was born ...

, former presidential spokesman for the late President

Umaru Musa Yar'Adua Umaru Musa Yar'Adua (16 August 19515 May 2010) was a Nigerian politician who, was the President of Nigeria from 2007 to 2010. He was declared the winner of the Nigerian presidential election held on 21 April 2007, and was sworn in on 29 May 2 ...

and chairman of the editorial board, Thisday Newspaper * Kunle Adewale, Nigerian artist and International Advocate For persons living Sickle Cell Anemia. *

Toyin Adewale-Gabriel Toyin Adewale-Gabriel (born 1969) is a Nigerian writer. She writes poetry and has worked as a literary critic for ''The Guardian'', ''Post Express'' and ''The Daily Times''. Adewale-Gabriel writes in both English and in German. Biography Born ...

, Nigerian literary critic, poet and writer *

Roseline Adewuyi Roseline Adebimpe Adewuyi is a Nigerian social educator, gender advocate and feminist. In 2020, she was among the sixty women profiled by Business Day (Nigeria), BusinessDay Women’s Hub in celebration of Nigeria’s 60th independence and a 2018 ...

, Nigerian French translator and gender advocate. *

Funso Aiyejina Funso Aiyejina (born 1949) is a Nigerian poet, short story writer, playwright and academic. He is the former Dean of Humanities and Education (until his retirement in 2014) and current Professor Emeritus at the University of the West Indies. His ...

, Nigerian poet, short story writer and playwright, Dean of Humanities and Education University of West Indies * Ibiyinka Alao, artist * Woli Arole, Nigerian Comedian *

MC Lively Michael Sani Amanesi, known by his stage name MC Lively (born August 14, 1992) is a Nigerian comedian and actor from Agenebode, Edo State, Nigeria. Early life and education MC Lively was born in Osun State. He attended Ideal Nursery and Pri ...

, Nigerian Comedian *

Biyi Bandele Biyi Bandele (born Biyi Bandele-Thomas; 13 October 1967 – 7 August 2022Micah L. Issitt Contemporary Black Biography, 2009. Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 12 October 2015.) was a Nigerian novelist, playwright and filmmaker. He was the author of s ...

, Nigerian novelist and playwright *

Blaqbonez Emeka Akumefule, known professionally as Blaqbonez, is a Nigerian rapper signed to Chocolate City. Blaqbonez is popularly known for his distinct rap style as well as his creative ingenuity. In 2019, he was profiled by ''The New York Times'' as ...

, Nigerian rapper *

Femi Branch Femi Branch (born May 14, 1970) is a Nigerians, Nigerian actor, Film director, director and Film producer, producer. Early life Branch was born on May 14, 1970. His parents were teachers in Sagamu, Nigeria. He attended Satellite Town Primary Sch ...

, Nigerian actor * Chinko Ekun, Nigerian singer and rapper *

Femi Euba Femi Euba (born April 1939) is a Nigerian actor, writer, and dramatist, who has published numerous works of drama, theory, and fiction. His work as a theatre practitioner encompasses acting, playwriting, and directing. Among the topics of his pla ...

, Nigerian actor and dramatist *

Dizzy K Falola Dizzy K Falola (born Kunle Falola) is a London-based Nigerian singer, currently performing as a gospel artiste, but is perhaps best known as a former 1980s pop star, famed for the hit "Baby Kilode". Early life and pop career Falola, whose parents d ...

, UK-based Nigerian singer *

Peter Fatomilola Chief Peter Fatomilola (born 16 January 1946) is a Nigerian dramatist, film actor, poet and prolific playwright. Early life Fatomilola was born on 16 January 1946 in the town of Ifisin-Ekiti in Ido-Osi Local Government area of Ekiti State, Nigeri ...

, actor and playwright * Fireboy DML, Nigerian singer and songwriter signed to

YBNL Nation Yahoo Boy No Laptop Nation, popularly known as YBNL Nation or simply YBNL, is an independent record label founded by Olamide in 2012. History On 19 February 2020, YBNL Nation signed a distribution, and publishing deal with Empire Distribution ...

Tade Ipadeola Tade Ipadeola (born September 1970 in Fiditi, Oyo State) is a Nigerian poet who writes in English and Yoruba. He is a practising lawyer. In 2013 his poetry collection ''The Sahara Testaments'' won the prestigious Nigeria Prize for Literature instit ...

, lawyer, prize-winning poet and author. President of PEN Nigeria *

Lagbaja Bisade Ologunde (in Lagos, 1960) is a Nigerian afrobeat musician, singer-songwriter and percussionist. Widely known as Lágbájá for his signature use of mask which covers his identity. He believes in social reform through music. Early life and ...

, Nigerian artist *

Sam Nda-Isaiah Samuel Ndanusa Isaiah (1 May 1962 – 11 December 2020), commonly known as Sam Nda-Isaiah, was a Nigerian political columnist, pharmacist, entrepreneur and journalist. He was the founder and chairman of the Leadership Newspaper. Background ...

, chairman and publisher at

Leadership (newspaper) ''Leadership'' is a Nigerian daily national newspaper. It was established in October 2004 by Sam Nda-Isaiah, a pharmacist cum businessman and politician, and is published by Leadership Newspaper Group based in Abuja, Nigeria. On its website, th ...

, Nigeria. * Wole Oguntokun, lawyer, Nigerian playwright, stage and film director, theatre administrator and newspaper columnist * Steph-Nora Okere, Nigerian actress. * Osonye Tess Onwueme, Nigerian playwright, poet and Professor of Global letters * Adesuwa Onyenokwe * Seun Osewa, founder of Nairaland *

Muraina Oyelami Chief Muraina Oyelami (born 21 February 1940) is a Nigerian painter and drummer of Yoruba descent. He was among the first generation of artists to come out of the Osogbo School of Art in the 1960s. He was a drummer and actor with the theatre com ...

, painter, drummer and actor *

Afeez Oyetoro Afeez Oyetoro (born 20 August 1963) is a Nigerian comic actor, popularly known as "Saka". Early life and education Afeez Oyetoro was born on 20 August 1963, in Iseyin Local Government Area of Oyo State southwestern Nigeria. Afeez obtained a B ...

, actor and comedian * Yemi Shodimu, Nigerian actor and Director

Academia

* Adenike Akinsemolu, Environmental sustainability advocate, educator, author, a social entrepreneur, lecturer at Obafemi Awolowo University (Adeyemi College Campus) *

Akintunde Akinwande Akintunde Ibitayo Akinwande is a Nigerian United States, American engineering professor at the Electrical Engineering and Computer science, Computer Science Department of Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was appointment as chairman of Ni ...

, Professor in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts *Bolaji Aluko, Professor of Chemical Engineering at Howard University, Washington DC and was chair of its department from 1994 to 2002 currently Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University Otuoke, Bayelsa State *Karin Barber, Professor of African Cultural Anthropology at the University of Birmingham, England *Toyin Falola, Nigerian historian and Professor of African studies *Adesegun Fatusi, vice chancellor, University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, Ondo state *Francisca Oboh Ikuenobe, Professor and Head of Geology and Geophysics at Missouri University of Science and Technology *Dele Ogunseitan, Professor of Public Health at the University of California, Irvine * Folasade Ogunsola, Professor of Microbiology former Provost of College of Medicine University of Lagos, currently Vice Chancellor University of Lagos *Nahzeem Olufemi Mimiko, Professor of Political Science and former Vice Chancellor of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko Ondo state, Nigeria *Funmi Olonisakin, Professor of Security, Leadership and Development at King's College London, United Kingdom * Idowu Bamitale Omole, Professor of International Relations and Former Vice Chancellor (Obafemi Awolowo University) *Teresa N. Washington, Academic, author, and activist

Royalty and society

*Pastor Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer, RCCG *Felix Orji, bishop of the Anglican Diocese of the West (ACNA) *Adesimbo Victor Kiladejo, Traditional Ruler of Ondo Kingdom, Nigeria

Technology

*Ernest Ndukwe, is a Nigerian Electrical engineer and former chief executive officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC. *Gbenga Sesan, a social entrepreneur, information and communications technology professional

References

External links

Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, NigeriaGREAT IFE Social Network for the Alumni, current students and staffGreat Ife Alumni Association, U.S.A. - Houston, Texas
{{Authority control Obafemi Awolowo University, 1962 establishments in Nigeria Educational institutions established in 1962 Federal universities of Nigeria Ife Tourist attractions in Osun State