Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye has moved to expand its academic landscape by introducing nine new undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. These proposed programmes, aimed at meeting the emerging global trends, are expected to showcase the University as a leader in innovative education as well as address societal needs and skills gaps.
The bachelor’s degree programmes under consideration included B.Sc. Marketing, B.Sc.Advertising, B.Sc. Broadcasting, B.Sc. Film and Multimedia Studies, B.Sc. Journalism and Media, B.Sc. Public Relations and B.Sc. Logistics and Supply Chain Management.
Also, the proposed postgraduate programmes are M.Phil. and Ph.D. Computer Science as well as M.Phil. and Ph.D. Public Health.
In accordance with the National Universities Commission (NUC) accreditation process, OOU hosted Resource Assessment teams from the Commission on 18th September, 2025 at the Main Campus, Ago-Iwoye. The teams, comprising distinguished scholars and experts, were on ground to assess the quality of human resources and physical facilities in the University and evaluate the institution’s readiness to commence the proposed programmes in compliance with NUC standards.
As a result of the resource assessment visit, the unbundling process of the institution’s Mass Communication programme has also invariably commenced.
This is consistent with the recent reforms by the NUC, which unbundled Mass Communication as a degree programme and established some separate disciplines of communication, comprising Advertising, Broadcasting, Development Communication Studies, Film and Multimedia, Information and Media Studies, Journalism and Media Studies and Public Relations. By this development, Mass Communication would become a full-fledged Faculty.
While welcoming the assessors in his office, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ayodeji Agboola, commended them for their efforts in improving tertiary education in the country. He noted that any nation’s development is directly tied to the quality of its University graduates, calling on stakeholders in the Nigerian education industry to prioritise the production of graduates who meet world-class standards.
The Vice-Chancellor, who stated that all the existing academic programmes of the University have full accreditation, gave insight into why the institution considered the establishment of the nine new academic programmes. According to him, the University was committed to solidifying its position as a leading institution and addressing the increasing specialisation required in certain fields.
“One of the reasons why the government established this University is to ensure that our students are ableto further their education, become employers of labour and also employable. This is why our administration has been promoting the concept of 3Es – Education, Employability and Entrepreneurship,” Prof. Agboola said.
He emphasised the significance of the assessment exercise, saying peer review was key to identifying areas for improvement in the academic system. He assured that the University had
taken all necessary steps to meet the minimum requirements for launching the new programmes.
“Olabisi Onabanjo University remains committed to providing quality education, driven by innovation and research. The new programmes we are proposing will enhance our students’ choices, prepare them for emerging industries and in fact, make us competitive as a tertiary institution,” the Vice-Chancellor added.
Prof. Agboola justified the unbundling of Mass Communication programme into new programmes, saying it was toenable the University to meet international standards, address the increasing specialisation required in the modern media landscape and tackle the challenge of over-subscription of some programmes.
He expressed the readiness of the University Management and officials to cooperate with the resource assessment teams to enable them to effectively carry out their assignment. He said the University was confident that they would perform their duties dispassionately.
After visiting the various Departments to evaluate the proposed programmes, the resource assessment teams usually came back to the Vice-Chancellor’s Office to submit their Exit Reports. In their briefings, many of the Panel Chairmen expressed satisfaction with the availability of competent and highly qualified academic and non-teaching staff in the institution. They noted that the facilities in the varsity were generally adequate.
The assessors also commended theLibrary facilities of the University, pointing out that most of the books and journals in the Departments visited were current and highly relevant. They further applauded the quality assurance mechanism of the University, describing it as functional. However, the panelists observed few areas requiring further improvement, especially in terms of facility upgrade in some Departments.
In his response, the Vice-Chancellor expressed gratitude to the teams for their comprehensive, objective and thorough assessment of the proposed academic programmes and said all the observations they made would be immediately addressed.
Other Principal Officers of the University, including the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic, Prof. Olatundun Oderinde; Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Administration, Prof. Oladipo Olubomehin; Registrar, Dr. Bayo Orukotan; University Librarian, Prof. Fehintola ‘Nike Onifade, and the Bursar, Mr. Olufemi Sowunmi, joined the Vice-Chancellor to receive the NUC resource assessment teams. Some other high-ranking functionaries of the University were equally in attendance.