History of Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology(OAUSTECH)
The Ondo State Government on 20th February, 2007 set up a 9-man Committee headed by Professor A. A. Ilemobade to advise government on the possibility of establishing a university in the Southern Senatorial District of the State. This Committee which submitted its report on 22nd May, 2007 recommended that the university be located at Okitipupa to fast track the needs of the Sunshine state in the areas of industrial and technological developments.
The Ondo State Government, under Dr. Olusegun Agagu, having studied the recommendation of the Professor Ilemobade’s Committee, sent a bill that established the Ondo State University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa to the Ondo State House of Assembly. The bill which was passed into law under the leadership of the Speaker, Right Honourable Bakita Bello and the Clerk of the House, Alhaji Y. J. A. Dada was ratified and assented by the Governor, Dr. Olusegun Agagu on 27th April, 2007.
Moving on with the recommendations of the Professor Ilemobade’s Committee, the Executive Governor of Ondo State in May 2007 approved the establishment of a University of Science and Technology in the Southern Senatorial District based on its strong conviction that the District has the potentials of becoming the Industrial hub of the State.
Furthermore, on 6th March, 2008, the first Governing Council of the University was inaugurated with Prof. Akinbo Adesomoju as the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council. Later, Professor Adesomoju was appointed as Pioneer Vice-Chancellor, while Vice-Admiral Akin Aduwo took over as Pro-Chancellor and Chairman Governing Council. Professor Adesomoju and his team commenced massive construction of infrastructure for the take-off of the University at the Main Campus with the historic foundation laying ceremony which was done on Friday, 7th October, 2008 by the then Governor of the State, Dr. Olusegun Agagu. However, consequent upon election petition and eventual court judgement, the baton of leadership changed to Dr. Olusegun Mimiko as the State Governor. This brought an abrupt end to the life of the first Governing Council of the University.
But in February 2009, Governor Mimiko set up a Committee to review the quality of Higher Education in the State under the leadership of Professor Israel O. Oladapo. Implementation of the findings of the Professor Oladapo’s Committee resulted in the inauguration of the second Governing Council on 27th September 2010 with Professor Funso Akere as Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council and Professor Tolu Odugbemi as Vice-Chancellor. The Vice-Chancellor and the Chairman of Council were determined to retrieve the withdrawn license of the University from the National Universities Commissions (NUC) and to commence academic activities in earnest.
Efforts to retrieve the licence brought a four-man team from National Universities Commissions to ascertain the readiness of OAUSTECH for academic activities between 8th and 10th of November 2010. The success recorded from the four-man team from the National Universities Commissions opened the door for academic activities, which formally began with the matriculation of the first set of students on Thursday, 3rd March, 2011. By Monday, 27th February, 2014 the second Governing Council had its valedictory meeting having spent its four year tenure with outstanding fits achieved during the four years of running the ship of the University. The last year of the second substantive Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tolu Odugbemi was very turbulent marked with students’ unrest and staff agitations.
Normalcy returned to the University with the appointment of the Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adegoke Adegbite on 28th September, 2015. This was closely followed with the inauguration of the third Council of the University. The third Council had Dr. Amos Akingba as the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council. The life of the third Governing Council came to an end with the change in the leadership of the Government of Ondo State in the elections held in February 2017.
On Wednesday, 22nd February, 2017, after a keenly contested selection process, the Ondo State Government announced the appointment of Professor Sunday Roberts Ogunduyile, a professor of industrial design from the Federal University of Technology, Akure as the third substantive Vice-Chancellor of the University. This was closely followed by the inauguration of the fourth Governing Council of the University on Tuesday, 5th March, 2018.
The fourth Governing Council was actually a triumphant entry for the first Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council who was the first substantive Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Akinbo Adesomoju. He had the God-given opportunity of coming again to come and complete the great job he started in 2007. Graciously, on Friday, 17th December, 2021, the Governor of Ondo State and Visitor to the University, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu, SAN, appointed Prof. Temi Emmanuel Ologunorisa as the fourth substantive Vice-Chancellor of the University on merit consequent upon his very brilliant performance at the interview and track record of excellence in the University system both at home and abroad.
