The Department of Foreign Languages is one of the foundational departments in the Faculty of Arts, dedicated to teaching, researching and community service. With the positioning of Nigeria on the African map surrounded by Francophone countries, the department provides an environment for the formation of graduates who will be bilingual in French and English and serve as translators and interpreters both locally and internationally.
Vision
The Department of Foreign Languages is imbued with the vision of promoting foreign languages as an academic discipline all over the world. The programmes are intended to make the department a centre of true scholarship and research in foreign language studies.
The department is also committed to training students to appreciate the relevance of foreign languages in a fast-growing global village; this requires adequate communication for international understanding, peace and security.
Academic Programmes
The department offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes designed to equip students with the required knowledge in French. The students are exposed to spoken and written skills necessary to compete with students around the globe.
Research Areas
The department fosters a vibrant academic community where students and staff collaborate to advance the teaching of the French language. Through participation in seminars, conferences and community-based projects, the department contributes its quota to knowledge both locally and globally.
Facilities for Student Training
The department is well equipped with modern facilities that support research, teaching and learning of the French language:
- Language laboratory
- Audio-visual room
- Lecture halls and classrooms – conducive spaces for interactive and effective teaching.
Departmental Organogram
Dr Sehedi Bamidele SURAJU
suraju.sehedi@oouagoiwoye.edu.ng
Orcid ID:https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8458-1847
Google scholar citation:h-index: 01
Dr Sehedi Bamidele Suraju is a Lecturer II and a scholar in Francophone Literature. He is a distinguished academic whose works illuminate the intersections of Francophone literature, postcolonialism and gender studies. His scholarship reflects a deep commitment to exploring cultural and gender identities in African and diasporic contexts. He earned his PhD in Maghrebian Literature in 2024 focusing on hybridity and identity crisis in selected novels of Azouz Begag. He has more than nine publications in national and international journals.
Dr Suraju’s published researches focus on the emancipation of the Maghrebian women in Le gone de châaba using feminist literary theory criticism to highlight how female characters navigate traditional constraints in the 1960s France. He has contributed to the Revue d’Etudes Francaises des Enseignants et Chercheurs du Village, exploring themes like the impact of male immigration on African women in Fatou Diome’s Celles qui Attendent. His scholarship resonates in academic circles for its exploration of identity and resistance.
He is teaching and shaping the next generation of scholars while continuing to inspire further dialogue on postcolonialism and identity issues among Africans living in the diaspora.
Dr Suraju is currently the Acting Head of the Department of Foreign Languages, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, Ogun State, Nigeria.
Recent Publications
- Suraju, S.B. (2024). Portrayal of hybridity in selected novels of Azouz Begag. ASEAN Journal of Research. Krirk University, Bangkok. 2. (1): 98- 106. https://so03.tci- thaijo.org/index.php/KMR/article/view/272921. (Online and print)
- Akande R.O., Aduh M.E. and Suraju S.B. (2024). Le fardeau de l’attente: L’impact de l’immigration masculine sur les femmes africaines à travers Celles qui attendent de Fatou Diome. Revue d’Etudes Françaises des Enseignants et Chercheurs du Village (REFECV) Badagry. 1. (4) : 40-52. Nigeria French Language Village, Badagry. https://.refecv.com/index.php/REFECV/issue/view/2 (online and print)
- Suraju, S.B. (2025). The emancipation of th Maghrebian woman in Le Gone de Chaâba
by Azouz Begag. Abuja Journal of Humanities (AJH), 6. (1): 208-217.University of Abuja, Abuja. https://thesisprofs.org/index.php/abj-journal-humanities/article/view/90. doi.org/10.70118/TAJH0020.
Academic Staff
Dr Temidayo ONOJOBI – Senior Lecturer (Francophone Literature and gender Studies) onojobi.temidayo@oouagoiwoye.edu.ng. (+234 7032661544)
Dr Adebayo Pascal ALAO – Senior Lecturer (Sociolinguistics) alao.pascal@oouagoiwoye.edu.ng. (+234 8055609103)
Dr Esther O. AKINADE – Lecturer II (Language and stylistics) akinade.esther@oouagoiwoye.edu.ng (+234 8057333463)
Mr Damilola W. ABIMBOLA – Assistant Lecturer (Russian Language) Abimbola.damilola@oouagoiwoye.edu.ng Orcid ID: 0000-0002-1487-6746; (+234 8051589699)
Non Academic Staff
Mrs Adesola Oluwakemi Akinsinde – (Secretary) akinsindeadesola@oouagoiwoye.edu.ng (+234 7057639035)
Mrs Rukayat Abayomi Adebayo – (Clerical Staff) okanlawonabayomi01@oouagoiwoye.edu.ng (+234 8103259592)
Contact Information
- Address: First floor, Department of Foreign Languages, Faculty of Arts Building, Main Campus.
- Email: frn.dept@oouagoiwoye.edu.ng
- Phone:
- Office Hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM