100 amazing facts about OAU

OAU is one of the most prestigious Universities in Africa, known for her greatness, achievement and uniqueness. These facts about OAU, Oba Awon University as it is fondly called will leave you amazed, enjoy as you read.

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1. OAU has been Africa’s most beautiful University for more than 50 years.

2. The first financial grant provided for the takeoff of the University was £250,000 from the Western regional government.

3. The fastest man in Nigeria who also represented Nigeria in the last Olympics is an OAU Alumni, Enoch Adegoke.

4. Faculty of EDM building in OAU is the longest building in West Africa.

5. OAU has a land mass of 13,000 acres.

6. OAU has a total population of about 40,000 students, more than the populations of countries such as Monaco, and Saint Kitts and Nevis.
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7. The Senate Building in Obafemi Awolowo University is the tallest building in Osun State.

8. OAU has a landmass of 13,000 acres, bigger than the cities, Vatican city and Monaco put together and boasts of almost same landmass as Island nation, Nauru.

9. The famous oil billionaire Femi Otedola was an alumni of OAU, the famous Lawyer Femil Falana was also an alumni, the famous singer Lagbaja was an alumni and a host of other prominent men.

10. Did you know faculty of architecture was formally the school canteen.
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11. The first building in OAU was the faculty of humanities building and was completed in 1967.

12. Nigeria’s only Nobel prize-winner (in literature) and the first African laureate, Wole Soyinka, served as professor of Comparative Literature at the University of Ife from 1975 to 1999.

13. The construction of OAU’s amazing buildings can be credited to Arieh and Eldar Sharon (father and son).

14. OAU once known as University of Ife was named after late Obafemi Awolowo in 1987.

15. OAU started with 244 pioneer students at the college of Art and Science in Ibadan before it move to it’s permanent site in Ife.
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16. Fajuyi was killed in the military mutiny of July 1966 at Ibadan, and did not witness the movement he orchestrated. Fajuyi Hall, a residential hall for undergraduate male students was named to honor his contributions in perpetuity.

17. OAU has highest population of bats of all other institutions.

18. OAU has over five tourist centres which include:
• Zoological garden
• Museum
• Botanical gardens
• Motion ground (which has the oranmiyan staff)
• Wole Soyinka’s Library e.t.c.
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19. OAU has an academic background for running the educational system from Montessori to PhD level.
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20. OAU did not partake in the 2019 strike. This makes it a successful academic year under the Vice Chancellor’s administration.

21. The most common tree in OAU is Orchid and you could see it on every road.

22. United Joint Christian Mission (UJCM) in OAU has over 20 fellowships registered under them.

23. Natural History Museum in Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria, is the only natural museum in Nigeria.
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24. The oldest hostels in OAU are Awolowo Hall and the Moremi Hall, for males and females respectively, built 45 years ago.
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25. The Architectural plan of OAU was drawn by Arieh Sharon an Israeli who attended Bauhaus in Germany.

26. Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) was formerly known as University of Ife.

27. Obafemi Awolowo University is the only University in Nigeria that had been featured in a Netflix movie.
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28. OAU is the only Federal university in Nigeria without cultists.

29. Obafemi Awolowo University (1961) is the third oldest university in Nigeria.

30. OAU is not accredited for journalism but has one of the best university journalism associations in Nigeria.

31. The main core of OAU campus includes the library, the secretariat and Oduduwa/Amphitheater and connects the faculties of the campus.

32. Obafemi Awolowo University started in the year 1962, with five faculties; Agriculture, Arts, Economics, social studies (now social sciences), law and science.
But now, the university can boast of having over 70 departments.
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33. Faculty of Education was stablished on 1st October, 1967, after which the Faculty of Pharmacy was built on 1st October, 1969.

34. In 1992, OAU established a collegiate system with five Colleges. The system was abandoned because it couldn’t perform effectively. But the only two colleges retained after two years were the College of Health Sciences and the college of postgraduates.
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35. The biggest sports center with almost all sports facilities and indoor games facilities can be found in OAU.
Large sports activities that are carried out in the Sport center are Higher institutional Football Leagues, NUGA games and Dean’s Cup(inter faculty matches).

36. OAU has a male hall that’s known for its pranks.
Awolowo Hall popularly known as Awo hall the home of Aro boys, it is a legendary hall for savages.

37. OAU was named after Obafemi Awolowo, an icon of Nigeria and once a premier of western region who also played a key role in the independence of Nigeria.

38. On the 1st of October, 1960, Faculties of Technology and College of Health Sciences were both established.
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39. The International relations department is the first department in OAU to conduct online voting.
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40. Nigeria’s only Nobel prize-winner (in literature) and the first African laureate, Wole Soyinka, served as professor of Comparative Literature at the University of Ife from 1975 to 1999.

41. Oduduwa hall was originally built for performing concerts while Amphitheater was originally constructed for convocations.

42. OAU was built by the Ladoke Akintola led administration.

43. The Ashby commission actually submitted that the establishment of OAU isn’t needed.

44. Aro is the most popular culture in OAU.
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45. The first Chancellor of the university was Obafemi Awolowo.

46. OAU was built from Cocoa farming profits which was booming in the Southwest region as at the time it was built.

47. The new OAU senate building which is still in construction is an architectural masterpiece taking the form of a large Ship.

48. June 1st 2019 is one of the most fear inspiring day in the history of the school when Oju threatened to strike (Winter is coming).
Note: The winter never came.

49. OAU is known to have more fleets of stairs than any other federal school.
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50. OAU is arguably the most religious university in Nigeria.

51. OAU is quite popular for the mental breakdown a.k.a exam madness during exam periods.

52. The distance from OAU campus gate to academic area is approximately 2.5 km.

53. OAU is one out of a few universities that’s safe to read or walk around in the night.

54. Aluta continua, Victoria Ascerta, are popular aluta slangs which means The struggle continues, Victory is certain.

55. Dobale (prostration) is a school tradition any celebrity must fulfill if he or she wants to perform. Even if it is Kanye West.

56. Natural wonders of OAU: Mountain, hills, forests, rivers, valleys amongst others.

57. It is one of the three universities formed within 1961 and 1962.
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58. The first set of students to attend OAU were former students of university college, Ibadan.

59. OAU can generate its own electricity with a gas powered turbine that can generate 8.0 megawatts daily and can also provide for its surrounding communities.

60. The natural history museum on OAU was broached in 1987 but completed in 2011.

61. The natural museum was designed by Architect Patrick Ehinmowo and his team.

62. The museum houses a herbarium containing 20,000 plant species.

63. “For learning and culture” is not just a motto in OAU but it is a creed and a lifestyle.

64. OAU has over 12,000 academic staff in the academic session.
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65. OAU has 7,217 bedspaces for her undergraduates.

66. OAU has about 92 departments.

67. OAU is in affiliation with Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo State.

68. OAU has its principal colour as Midnight blue and gold.

69. OAU has an extended hostel called maintenance but investors currently build hostels in it for rent.

70. OAU is an independent community i.e. has its market/stores, hotel, guest house, recreation centre, sport centre, banks, restaurants/eat-out, hospitals/health centre, radio station, Post Office, companies, ventures farms and so on.

71. The OAU school anthemn was composed by now Mr Olasupo Ojo. He composed the anthemn as a part 5 law student.
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72. The most visited place in OAU is the student union building/bus stop.

73. OAU is also called Ogba femi(Femi’s compound), amongst it’s numerous aliases.

74. The only hall of residence once shared by both males and females is Awolowo Hall.

75. The only hall of residence, initially used by male students but now used by female students is Akintola/Sport hall.

76. The longest serving VC on OAU is Prof. HA Oluwasanmi. He served for 9 years(1966-1975).

77. Prof Wole Soyinka was appointed an Emeritus Professor of Dramatic Arts in OAU in the year 1999.

78. As at Oct 2011, OAU ICT internet access bandwidth was 183Mbits/sec.

79. OAU health centre has 16 bed spaces for admitting patients.
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80. The first Siamese twins to be separated in the sub Saharan Africa were separated at Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital.

81. The feat of the first Renal Transplantation to be undertaken by a Team of Indigenous Surgeons in any Public Institution in this Nigeria was successfully carried out in the Department of Surgery of the teaching hospital in May 2002.

82. At least two Ife University alumni or former faculty have been awarded honorary doctorate degrees (D.Litt.) in humanities in the UK and United States (Prof Toyin Falola of the University of Texas at Austin, and Prof Olupona of Harvard University). Ife alumni and faculty have authored and co-authored many Textbooks and monographs in their respective fields of training.

83. The first iLab in Africa, south of Sahara was developed and established in OAU in collaboration with MIT.

84. OAU is one of the federal universities established after the colonial era and it’s construction project given to an Israeli Architect.
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85. The fourth VC of OAU, Prof Cyril Agodi Onwumechili was the first Nigerian Nuclear Physicist.

86. OAU has no female vice chancellor yet.

87. OAU is the only Federal University in Nigeria that offers International relations as a course on its own.

88. OAU is found of numerous artistic design following the order of historical studies from Ancient times.

89. The Amphitheater is arguably the most amazing structure in OAU.

90. The university values culture and teaches it; “For learning and culture”.

91. OAU Is one of the top 10 most beautiful universities in Africa.

92. OAU is over 60 years of age.

93. The National History Museum is one of the most notable buildings in OAU.
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94. Besides it’s modern architecture, OAU’s landscaping prevents it from being a chain of concrete islands.

95. OAU buildings are surrounded with greens which further beautifies It and makes it natural.

96. Amphitheatre is an amazingly designed building with about 5000 capacity.

97. Oduduwa Hall in OAU is named after the mythic ancestor of the Yoruba King. It also has a statue of the Yoruba King at its entrance.

98. According to statistics, the museum recorded over 250,000 visitors in 2005.

99. Spider building in OAU is not only named as such, it also looks like a Spider.
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100. The Senate building is the tallest buildings in OAU.

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