School History, The Great Ife Anthem & Sharon Architecture
Founded in 1961 as the University of Ife, Obafemi Awolowo University stands as an intellectual fortress and an international architectural masterpiece. Masterplanned by Bauhaus architect Arieh Sharon and Nigerian associate A.A. Egbor across 13,000 acres, it is celebrated as Africa’s most beautiful campus.
Institutional Foundation & Identity
Founded
1961 (as University of Ife)
January 1967 (Permanent 13,000-acre site in Ile-Ife)
Motto
For Learning and Culture
Yoruba: “Fun Èkó àti Àsà”
Official Colors
Renamed in 1987
In honor of Chief Obafemi Awolowo
Visionary statesman and founding Chancellor (1909–1987).
The Great Ife Anthem (Cultural Monument)
Sung standing at full attention at every formal university matriculation, convocation, student congress, and international alumni assembly. It embodies Great Ife’s uncompromising commitment to intellectual vigilance, athletic vigor, and social justice.
Great Ife! Great Ife!
Africa's most beautiful campus.
Conscious, vigilant, progressive.
Aluta against all oppression.
Forward ever, backward never.
For learning and culture, sports and struggle.
Great Ife! I love you.
There's only one Great Ife in the universe.
Another Great Ife is a counterfeit.
Great! Great! Great! Great! Great!
Chronological Milestones in Great Ife History
From the 1960 Ashby Commission protest to modern global architectural conservation.
Ashby Commission Protest & Regional Resolution
The Western Regional Government under Premier Chief Ladoke Akintola and Chief Obafemi Awolowo formally rejected the Ashby Commission recommendations (which failed to recommend a university for the Western Region) and resolved to establish a world-class regional university.
Statutory Enactment & Foundation
The University of Ife Edict was passed. A 13,000-acre (~11,861-hectare) land grant was allocated in the historic city of Ile-Ife by the Ooni of Ife, Sir Adesoji Aderemi.
Opening at Temporary Site (Ibadan)
Classes officially commenced in October 1962 with 244 pioneer students and 80 academic staff at the temporary Ibadan campus (the present site of The Polytechnic, Ibadan) under pioneer Vice-Chancellor Prof. Oladele Ajose.
The Golden Building Era (Prof. Hezekiah Oluwasanmi)
Under Vice-Chancellor Prof. Hezekiah Oluwasanmi, the university relocated to Ile-Ife in 1967. Bauhaus master Arieh Sharon and Nigerian architect A.A. Egbor constructed the iconic central core: Hezekiah Library, Oduduwa Hall, Secretariat, and the Inverted Pyramid complexes.
NUGA Hosting Heritage
Great Ife hosted four legendary Nigerian Universities Games Association (NUGA) festivals, cementing its reputation as a collegiate athletic powerhouse.
Renaming to Obafemi Awolowo University
On May 12, 1987, the Federal Government officially renamed the university in honor of Chief Obafemi Awolowo following his passing, recognizing his visionary contributions to Nigerian education.
Anti-Cultism Martyrdom of George Iwilade ("Afrika")
SUG Secretary-General George Iwilade ("Afrika") and four other student leaders were martyred in Awolowo Hall during an attack by masked cultists. Great Ife eradicated campus cultism forever, making it Nigeria’s most secure university campus. The open-air amphitheatre was renamed Afrika Amphitheatre in his honor.
Getty Foundation Modern Architecture Grant
The international Getty Foundation awarded OAU its prestigious "Keeping It Modern" conservation grant to protect and preserve Arieh Sharon’s tropical modernist architectural masterwork for future generations.
15th West African Universities Games (WAUG) Overall Champions
OAU hosted the 15th West African Universities Games (2–12 October 2026) under the official mascot Orí Olókun, welcoming over 1,500 athletes and officials from across West Africa in 18 sports disciplines. Great Ife clinched the Overall Championship, topping the medal table with 122 medals (33 gold, 50 silver, 39 bronze), while the OAU Giants football squad knocked out defending champions UDS Ghana 4–3 on penalties.
Arieh Sharon Tropical Modernism & Design Philosophy
Winner of the international Getty Foundation “Keeping It Modern” conservation grant.
Inverted Pyramid Geometry
Prominently seen on the Humanities Blocks, White House, and Civil Engineering buildings. Upper stories extend outward further than ground floors, naturally casting cooling shadows over lower floors and walkways to block fierce tropical solar radiation.
Pedestrian Colonnades
A continuous, shaded network of covered concrete walkways connecting student hostels, dining centers, and academic lecture theatres, ensuring students can walk across the central campus shielded from blazing sun and tropical downpours.
Breeze Channels & Cross-Ventilation
Sharon oriented all academic buildings along prevailing regional wind axes with open-air corridors and louvred vents, enabling continuous natural cooling and air circulation without relying on air conditioning.
Topographical Contour Integration
Buildings, open-air amphitheatres, and garden courtyards follow the natural sloping contours of the ancient Ife hills, integrating native forest vegetation directly into the modern architectural matrix.
Iconic Campus Architectural Landmarks
Physical anchors that define the Great Ife built environment.
Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library Building
Intellectual & Architectural Anchor
Named after Professor Hezekiah Oluwasanmi (Vice-Chancellor 1966–1975), the visionary builder of Great Ife. Commands the central quadrangle with towering concrete pillars, tiered mezzanine study floors, and multi-story natural light wells.
Oduduwa Hall & Afrika Amphitheatre
Ceremonial & Cultural Headquarters
Named after the legendary progenitor of the Yoruba people. Houses an indoor grand theatre and an adjoining 5,000-seat stepped open-air bowl renamed in eternal honor of student martyr George Iwilade ("Afrika"). Host to matriculations, convocations, and historic student congresses.
The Senate Building (Secretariat)
Administrative Command Center
The administrative tower of university governance, elevated on pilotis (stilts) with panoramic views across the academic belt, Motion Ground, and residential corridors.
The Pit Theatre
Dramatic Arts Arena
A sunken circular theatre designed by Arieh Sharon with stepped concentric seating tiers. The historic performance home of Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka, Ola Rotimi, and groundbreaking African theatrical productions.
Natural History Museum of Nigeria
National Scientific & Archaeological Repository
A sculptural concrete monument designed by James Cubitt Architects, housing millions of scientific specimens, paleontological fossils, and Nigeria’s natural heritage.
Spider House (Faculty of Technology)
Engineering & Industrial Studios
Known for its bold diagonal external steel trusses projecting outward like giant spider legs, designed to accommodate expansive column-free civil and mechanical engineering workshops.
Campus Spatial Nicknames & Slang Decoders
How students refer to buildings, lecture theatres, and campus rituals.
White House
LandmarkFaculty of Science Central Complex
The sprawling white-painted tropical modernist complex housing the Science Deanship, Chemistry & Physics departments, and lecture halls.
Yellow House
LandmarkDepartment of Mathematics Building
Painted in bright yellow masonry adjacent to White House and Moremi Hall; venue for mathematics lectures and calculus tutorials. (Note: NOT the Faculty of Social Sciences).
Spider House
LandmarkFaculty of Technology Engineering Complex
The Civil and Mechanical Engineering building, named for its bold cantilevered steel trusses jutting outward like giant spider legs.
BOOC
LandmarkBiological Sciences Lecture Theatre C
Pronounced "Bee-Oh-Oh-See"; the high-capacity central lecture hall where 100-level STEM students take biology and foundational science courses.
ODLT 1 & 2
LandmarkOduduwa Lecture Theatres 1 & 2
Massive stepped auditoriums situated behind Oduduwa Hall, host to university-wide General Studies (GST) lectures and large exams.
Afrika Amphitheatre
LandmarkOpen-Air Amphitheatre (Oduduwa Hall Complex)
A 5,000-seat stepped open-air bowl named in eternal memory of George Akinyemi Iwilade ("Afrika"), SUG Secretary-General martyred on July 10, 1999.
Motion Ground
LandmarkCentral Concourse (Between Library, Oduduwa Hall & SUB)
The historic central crossroads of Great Ife where student union motions are moved and ratified, and peaceful assemblies converge.
Pit Theatre
LandmarkDepartment of Dramatic Arts Arena
Sunken arena-style theatre designed by Arieh Sharon; historic home to legendary stage performances by Wole Soyinka and Ola Rotimi.
Risky (or Risky Burger)
FoodCampus Midnight Fuel Snack
Spicy fried eggs folded inside a warm loaf of miniature Agege bread; the quintessential student fuel during all-night study sessions ("TDB").
Aro / Aroism
TraditionGreat Ife Satirical Banter Culture
The culture of witty, spontaneous, theatrical public teasing practiced in Awolowo and Fajuyi Halls; an egalitarian social leveler and stress reliever.
Great Ife Institutional Myth-Busters
❌ Myth: OAU charges an "Acceptance Fee" for newly admitted students.
✓ Fact: OAU has NEVER charged an acceptance fee. Any agent, group, or portal demanding an acceptance fee is 100% fraudulent. Only official school charges generated via your personal ePortal profile are legitimate.
❌ Myth: There is a building called "Glass House" on the OAU campus.
✓ Fact: OAU has no building called "Glass House." That name belongs to other institutions. The central administrative tower at OAU is strictly the Senate Building (Secretariat).
❌ Myth: The clinic is called "JAC".
✓ Fact: The clinic is the University Health Centre. "JAC" stands for the Joint Action Committee, the coalition of university non-teaching staff trade unions (NASU, SSANU, NAAT).
❌ Myth: The ancient Staff of Oranmiyan (Opa Oranmiyan) is inside the university.
✓ Fact: The ancient granite monolith of Oranmiyan is located in historic Ile-Ife town (Arubidi/Mopa quarter), approximately 6 kilometers from the university campus.
❌ Myth: Yellow House is the Faculty of Social Sciences.
✓ Fact: Yellow House is strictly the Department of Mathematics building in the Faculty of Science. The Faculty of Social Sciences is located in the Social Sciences quadrangle near the 1000-Seater Lecture Theatre.
❌ Myth: You can pay a tout to secure or fast-track an official bed space.
✓ Fact: Hostel bed spaces are allocated cryptographically through the central ePortal database. Any manual paper allocation or paid reservation is counterfeit and results in immediate eviction and disciplinary referral.
Need Practical Help as a Fresher?
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