[vc_row][vc_column][ultimate_heading main_heading=”About the Department” alignment=”left” main_heading_style=”font-weight:bold;”][/ultimate_heading][vc_empty_space height=”22px”][vc_column_text]The Faculty of Law, Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife Nigeria was established as one of the first foundation faculties of the then University of Ife. At the commencement of the first academic session of the young University in September 1962, the Faculty of Law alongside four other faculties i.e. the Faculty of Agriculture, the Faculty of Arts, the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Social Sciences, (with the Faculty of Technology in view), were created as a part of the first quinquennium. These five faculties kicked off academic activities at the Old Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology Ibadan where the University was temporarily accommodated before it’s move to Ife campus in 1967.
Before the commencement of academic activities in 1962, Professor O.R. Marshall who was then the Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Sheffield was appointed the pioneer Dean at Ife Law Faculty. Professor Marshall’s appointment came on the strength of the recommendation of Professor Handbury of the University of Oxford who was also instrumental to the development of the new Faculty. However, Professor Marshall was not able to resume his Deanship until October 1963 during which Dr. O.I. Odumosu took charge as the Acting Dean. Upon resumption, Professor Marshall midwifed the early years of the Faculty before he later departed. In addition to Professor Marshall the staff at inception were Dr. O.I. Odumosu, Mr. A.A.O. Okunniga, and Mr. A.B. Kasumu. These three were largely known to have shepherded the Faculty through its teething stages until it later found its footing.
Also, at inception, while forty-five students were accepted into the Faculty, just fifteen resumed for studies. This first set of enrolled students later graduated in at the end of the 1964/65 academic session, with five students graduating in the Third-Class Division, Five in the Second-Class Lower Division, and only one student in the Second-Class Upper Division. That one student is Nigeria’s leading Professor of International Law, Itse Sagay, SAN. At the time this first set was graduating, the staff strength had improved with the recruitment of Mr. R.W. James, Mr. M. Bryan, and Mr. D.A. Ijalaye. In terms of administrative structure, the Faculty which began as a single department faculty in 1962 continued with that status until 1975 when pursuant to the decision pf the Faculty Board Meeting of November 1975 the Faculty was broken down into four departments namely the Department of Business Law, Department of International Law, Department of Jurisprudence and Private Law, and Department of Public Law[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]