The Department of Communication and Media Studies, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), on Monday, 2nd November, hosted an accreditation team to assess its academic programmes and facilities, following its transition from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology into a full-fledged department.
The assessment covered the department’s four programmes: Mass Communication, Information Science and Media Studies, Broadcast Journalism, and Film Production.
The accreditation team, comprising representatives from the National Universities Commission (NUC), visited the department’s facilities, including its studios, reading room and lecture rooms, as part of the exercise.
Accreditors Highlight Areas for Improvement
Speaking on the purpose of the exercise, Benedicta Adebiye, the NUC representative and Assistant Chief Human Resource Officer, explained that accreditation was necessary to ensure that universities maintained established academic standards and provided the facilities and resources required for effective learning.
She illustrated the importance of the exercise with an example of a recently established university where classrooms were labelled and assigned to the Economics Department, only for the accreditation team to discover, after speaking with students, that the classrooms were actually being used by students from other departments.
According to her, students studying Economics disclosed that they frequently struggled to secure classrooms, highlighting the need for accreditation teams to verify claims made by institutions through direct engagement with students.
Prof. Muhammad S. Rabiu, Professor of Media and Dean of the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, Nasarawa State University, described the department’s preparations as encouraging, while noting areas requiring improvement.
‘We’ve gone round and seen things, and we may be at the period where we now have to write our report with what we’ve seen. So, I’m afraid if I answer that question now, I’ll be giving away our report before submitting to the appropriate authorities. That will not be proper. All I will say is your department and faculty have prepared, and they are on course for a great future,’ he said.
On areas requiring improvement, Prof. Rabiu highlighted the inadequacy of books and journals in the departmental library in relation to the number of students.
’When we went to the library, the books’ positions, as well as journal positions, we saw some that are also current, journals of 2025–2026, but the number is inadequate. The number of books, with the great number of students, and the number of journals are not adequate for the number of students. It cannot go round. So we will, in our report, encourage the Management to buy more books,’ he stated.
He also noted that although the department’s lecture rooms were shared, the available facilities were not bad, adding that there was still room for improvement.
Prof. Tunji Azeez, the lead assessor and chairman of the delegation from Lagos State University, who is also an alumnus of OAU, was part of the accreditation team.
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HOD, Former Coordinator Reflects on Department’s Growth.
The New Head of Department, Dr. B.A. Bakare, described the accreditation exercise as significant to the department’s growth, particularly following its transition into an independent department. He also emphasised the importance of establishing a distinct identity for the department through its facilities and practical-oriented training.
‘This is very important. You know, you need to create identity with what you do, and our identity now is that we now have a studio, we have equipment, we have a radio studio, we have a photography studio.’
He briefly mentioned his experience as a senior producer and scriptwriter at AIT Abuja, which has helped him understand that many of the areas of specialisation in media entail practical activities.
‘There are a lot of changes now. Bye-bye to the era of doing more literature of mass communication; welcome to the practical aspect,’ he said.
Speaking to the former programme coordinator, Dr Adeola Oyeleke, she highlighted that industrial attachment, studio facilities and live streaming are some of the measures put in place by the department to move from theoretical knowledge to practice that industry demands. That way, students will be able to gain practical experience and develop skills relevant to the media industry.
Student Voices
Students of the department expressed optimism about the accreditation exercise, particularly regarding the availability of specialised facilities and the opportunities they present for improved learning.
Olaitan Olasoyoye, a Part Four Mass Communication student, described the department’s establishment as an important development for students and media practitioners in training.
‘I feel like everybody, at some point, needs this specialisation and our own department. This is really going to aid learning and how much knowledge we have to give as a Mass Communication student and media practitioner in training. This is a great help to the department,’ she said.
She added that the development would improve students’ knowledge and the way lecturers impart knowledge.
‘It’s just the knowledge. Improvement in how much we have to gain and how they inculcate knowledge in us. And now that we have almost all what we need, there is going to be improvement,’ she added.
Similarly, Esther Adewole, a Part Four Mass Communication student, noted that the availability of specialised facilities would provide students with more opportunities to acquire practical knowledge.
‘Before this time, we did not have a photo studio, nor did we have a radio studio in the department. So I think with the implementation of these facilities, we will be able to gain more practical knowledge on how things are actually done in the media field,’ she said.
On her expectations for the department, she expressed satisfaction with the improvements already underway.
‘To be honest, the improvement that I want to see, I’m already seeing it. It’s about the practical aspect, and now that we have the photo studio, the radio studio and the others, I think we will be able to implement more practicals in the curriculum,’ she added.
The accreditation exercise is expected to provide an assessment of the department’s academic programmes, facilities and compliance with established standards, with recommendations to guide its continued development.
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