OAU Kilonshele News Outfit

Agbele Oluwatofolafun For months now, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, has grappled with overcrowding as its record student intake, reportedly nearing 12,000 new admits, pushes lecture halls, hostels and testing facilities to breaking point. While expanded access brings more students to campus, many say the growing population is eroding learning conditions and welfare. Lecture venues across faculties overflow daily, forcing students to stand by windows, sit on floors, or listen from outside. Classes often get postponed, merged, or shifted to inadequate spaces when halls fill up. Ola, a Part 3 Mass Communication student, described the chaos in Agric LT, their main venue. "There are over two hundred students in our programme. People squeeze themselves beside others, they sit on the staircase, and even at that you'll still see some people standing. But na because say we no get choice sha. Other lecture halls are either being used or maybe they are even small...

Benjamin Oluwakasayo Emmanuel For many Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) students, juggling classes, projects, tests, and personal life demands creative strategies. While some thrive through strict routines and priorities, others admit the balance comes at a steep cost or feels outright impossible. Inioluwa, a Part 3 Broadcast Journalism student, described effective time management at OAU as not an easy task, especially with heavy workloads. "Being a Part 3 Communication and Language Arts student who has a lot of class projects, assignments, tests and yet still needs to attend classes, it has not been easy," she said. Her solution: building a personal structure. She attends classes diligently, completes campus tasks on time, and reserves home time for personal activities. "To manage time from my own perspective is to study and know oneself and also build structure according to priority," Inioluwa explained. Jeremiah, another student, insisted effective ti...

Adebimpe Oluwatofunmi For the past few weeks, there has been a scarcity of buses on the town-gboro and campus routes at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), where students have had to queue long distances before entering a bus. The chairman of the Transport Management Commission, Adebisi Adeyinka Samuel, has attributed the crisis to a sharp rise in student population that has stretched the campus bus service beyond its capacity. Mr Samuel, a student of the Department of Basic Medical Sciences who is popularly known on campus as Icon, said the situation should not be described simply as bus scarcity but as a crisis caused by sudden overpopulation and poor dispersion of lecture times. “I don't want us to take it as bus scarcity. Being for the fact I think what the major problem is over population,” he said. He explained that in recent years, OAU typically admitted between 3,000 and 5,000 students per session, but this academic year the figure reportedly rose to between 10,00...

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Adetunji Sade Adeleke Sherifah Bolaji, a graduate of Computer Science with Mathematics who emerged as the Best Graduating Female Student at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), completed her journey with an outstanding CGPA of 4.89. Her academic excellence has made her a source of inspiration for her peers. In an interview with Kilonshele News Agency, Sherifah described her journey as a roller-coaster. Originally set to be a five-year course, her degree extended to nearly seven years due to ASUU strikes and the COVID-19 pandemic. Early struggles and adaptation Her early years were marked by confusion and adjustment challenges as she navigated a new environment and faced various distractions, she said. Despite these obstacles, she excelled academically, finishing her first year with a CGPA of 4.75. “By my second year, I adapted to the system, discovering strategies to improve academically,” she said. She consistently earned top grades in numerous math-intensive co...

  Adetunji Sade  Okajare Olayiwola James, popularly known as Ajobiewe, is a graduating student from the Faculty of Education, Department of Educational Management at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU). In an interview with Kilonshele News Agency, he recounted the challenges and lessons of his nine-year journey on campus, which tested his resilience and shaped his future. Mr. James gained admission in 2016 into the Department of Arts and Social Science Education (ASE) under Economics Education. After three years, he realized he was struggling academically and, following discussions with his parents and lecturers, decided to switch courses. He transferred to Educational Management in the 2019/2020 academic session to study Social Studies. His prolonged stay at OAU was due to several factors including the 8-month ASUU strike, the COVID-19 pandemic, and a departmental error that delayed his graduation. “When I transferred from Economics Education, I asked whether I needed to retake ...

  Adetunji Sade As Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) prepares for its 49th Convocation Ceremony set to take place from the 11th to 13th of December 2025, graduating students are reflecting on journeys marked by resilience, leadership, academic struggles, and personal growth. Erinoso Abolaji Opeyemi from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology described his OAU experience as rough and tough, shaped by moments of growth, responsibility, and service. Mr Abolaji recalled learning to navigate campus as a new student, switching departments, and serving first as Public Relations Officer, later as President of his department. His most memorable moments were spent with friends and mentees. “It can be very challenging doing extracurricular activities with academics, church, and friends. But I managed to balance everything through time management,” he said. He advised new students, “Do not mistake freedom for liberty but responsibility. They shouldn't be afraid of failure but ready to pic...

Benjamin Oluwakasayo Emmanuel  The issue of accommodation has long been a pressing problem for students at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU). Every academic session, many students, both freshers and senior students face difficulties securing on-campus housing. Some are forced to sleep in lecture theatres, while others rely on friends’ hostels, buy expensive bedspaces, or pay exorbitant fees for on/off-campus private hostels. There are only around 7,200 bedspaces currently available on campus to cater for a large student population, leading to overcrowding. Many students living in private hostels express concerns over security and high rent. A first-year student from the Department of Information Science narrated the ordeal of his early days on campus. “I had to be sleeping around on campus when I first resumed because I was unable to secure accommodation due to late admission which prevented me from balloting for bedspace. When I resumed, I first slept in the SUB TV room before I we...

Ademola Boluwatife Eriife-Oluwasimi The Association of Campus Journalists at Obafemi Awolowo University (ACJOAU) held its induction ceremony on Saturday, 22 November 2025, at AUD II. The event started at 10:30 a.m. with an opening prayer led by the General Secretary and a rendition of the Great Ife Anthem. The General Secretary introduced the keynote speakers: Mr Boluwatife Akinyemi, Senior Reporter at Nigerian Tribune; Mr Enoch Oyedibo, Investigative Journalist; and Miss Busola Ayodele, On Air Personality at Great 94.5 FM. Mr Akinyemi spoke about the key principles journalists must follow. He advised against sensationalism and unnecessary adjectives. He emphasized the importance of accuracy, objectivity, honesty, and hard work to build trust with the public. He also encouraged journalists to verify information, understand their interviewees well, protect their independence, and focus on a particular journalistic beat. Mr Oyedibo talked about building a strong byline. He ex...