OAU as we all know is a very large campus with a landmass of 13,000 hectares, it is almost impossible for students to visit everywhere on campus, even though it is very large we still have some areas of focus where students visit the most on campus daily and it has been reflected in the list below.
5. RELIGION GROUND
Religious ground is an area in OAU excluded for religious activities, and on religion ground we have the OAU Central Mosque, Deeper life, Christ Embassy, Our Lady of Perpetual light, All Souls Chapel, LAGLOSEF, Redeem, Mountain of Fire, Seventh-day Adventist and many others, where many OAU students go to pray.
Africa is considered to be a very religious continent and Nigeria is not an exemption. There are many religions in this country but as we all know only three are popularly recognized, Christianity, Islamic and traditional religions. This religious mentality has also made its way into OAU, which is a very religious campus. A lot of people want success in their endeavors and also a relief from their struggles on campus, and they mostly rely on religion as a way out, some even pray more than they read, probably they believe in a God that can write down their exams for them and give them a first class, what other reasons they have for this large focus on religion is best known to them.
4. SPORTS COMPLEX
The Obafemi Awolowo University’s Sports Complex is a wide expanse of land made up of the following structures: The Physical and Health Education Department, the Covered pavilion (Where Judo, Taekwondo and Karate practices take place), a football stadium known to the students as main bowl, the cricket pitch, the volleyball court, the tennis court, the squash court, Olympic standard swimming pools, and training pitches for basketball and football.
Since its inception, the Sports Complex has been used for many sporting activities within the school and also for hosting other schools during sporting events. It also serves as a training center for students of the department of Physical and Health Education and also as an examination center for their practical examinations.
Over the years students of OAU have also found their own use for the sports complex. On Sundays and weekdays, many campus fellowships hold services at the sports complex even though it is only a 5-minute walk to the religion ground. Many students prefer to (at night) speak in tongues at the sports complex (an act popularly referred to as scabashing). There is even a wall there called White Wall; It’s a wall which most of the students have turned to their prayer ground, it’s like a prayer mountain ( it’s a wall though ), maybe because it echoes sound and might echo their prayers to heaven ( different students, different reasons).
For some students it is a relaxation spot for thinking and chilling with friends. And many nights you find students in pairs —male and female— making the sports complex into lovers nest(of course nothing compared to motion ground or Archigarden) . But then, don’t underestimate its romantic power too because a lot of relationships started and ended there (even though Archigarden and motion ground might have built those relationships).
3. AMPHITHEATER
This is one of the largest buildings in OAU with a whopping capacity of 5,000 seaters. Though it was originally built as a performance art theater, but over the years it has become a hall of lecture for large number of students, as it is very big and can accommodate a lot of people, and also large shows, seminars, matriculation and convocation take place in amphitheater. Under the same roof of amphitheater, we have Oduduwa hall, Oduduwa lecture theaters 1 & 2. Amphitheater is sometimes used as an examination hall, just imagine 100 students scattered around a 5,000 seater hall in a way in which you have no one to call other than God.
2. BANK AREA
OAU banking area is positioned on road 1 very close to OAU fire service office directly opposite sport complex. As we all know money is an essential need in students lives on campus, and the banking area consisting of 7 banks form the OAU banking area, where thousands of students go to everyday to make their transactions.
Banking area is quite a large space of land which accommodate a handful and notable banks in the country such as Access Bank, Zenith bank, GTBank, UBA, Polaris Bank, First Bank, Wema Bank and even OAU Microfinance Bank. This has made it easy for student to do there transactions there on campus than going to lagers (Ife commercial area).
During the past, banks florescent light have made, a well lighted place, has been a place for student to read during light out on campus, students are seen under ATM lights ‘jacking’.
1. SUB/BUS STOP
SUB means students union building, though the students union, Obafemi Awolowo Chapter, has been suspended from its major activities due to crisis that erupted in the union few years ago which led to the suspension of the union’s major activities by the school management and efforts made to lift the suspension has been futile. Even though the area is not as it used to be, a lot of students still visit this area daily. The SUB is quite large with several food joint such as Forks ‘n’ fingers, Creme castle and shops where snacks and petty things are sold. The kegites club or the palm wine club also hold their meetings in front of SUB. The SUB and Bus stop have sheds also to accommodate a few people when rain falls.
The SUB Bus stop where students board buses and motorcycles to go in and out of campus has quite a history, you never know about the high numbers of Passengers till 5-6pm, sometimes the buses are always limited. The Night drama of “No bus” can be scary, then will you see numerous students and staffs of the Great University hustling and bustling for transportation.
