Sometime in 2018, I got a note informing me that two of the alumni of the Department of Communication and Language Arts, University of Ibadan had just been listed among the greatest online influencers in Nigeria. I was excited but then I also felt: “what else do you expect?” We are talking of the Department of Communication and Language Arts, the place where positive influencers and nation builders are raised.

In practically all aspects of life, our alumni are distinguishing themselves. For example, Professor Anthony A. Olorunnisola who has been Head, Department of Film, Video and Media Studies, the Pennsylvania State University, USA, from 2006 to date; Professor Abiodun Salawu (Mass Communication, North-West University, South Africa); Professor Bayo Oloyede (Dean, College of Social and Management Sciences, Redeemer’s University, Ede); Professor Nosa Owens-Ibie (Dean, College of Social and Management Sciences, Caleb University); Prof. V. O. Ajala (Head, Mass Communication, Bowen University, Iwo); Prof Rotimi Olatunji (Dean, School of Communication, Lagos State University); Prof Des Wilson (Head, Department of Communication Arts, University of Uyo); Professor Kolo Tswanya (Head, Department of Federal University of Technology, Minna); Prof Abigail Ogwezzy (Head, Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos) are all alumni of the Department of Communication and Language Arts.

Our alumni holding important positions in the industry are simply too numerous to number or list. They range from heads of large broadcast networks (such as Mr Sola Omole, former Director-General of the Nigerian Television Authority), to managers of big newspaper organisations (such as Dr Segun Olatunji, former Managing Director of Nigerian Tribune), to Public Relations gurus (such as Dr Sam Adenekan, Public Relations Manager, Nestle Foods), to heads of government communication agencies (such as Mr Femi Mapaderun, former State Director, National Orientation Agency), to communication officers of multinational humanitarian agencies (such as Dr Noma Owens-Ibie, Communication Officer, UNICEF), producers (such as Mr Dejumo Lewis of the famous “Village Headmaster” television series), corporate communication experts (such as Ms Akpo Daniyam, Head, Corporate Communications, Diamond Bank), and advertising experts. Akintunde Bada and Chris Ogunlowo were among the most influential online persons in Nigeria in 2018.

As a Department, we have also been active in societal interventions. Our staff members have collaborated with government agencies, national and multinational non-governmental organisations in developing tools, conducting research, and training personnel in the campaigns against HIV and AIDS, Ebola virus outbreak, flooding, conflict and peace reporting, fake news and misinformation, among others. We have also supported through training and research the quest for a more diverse and equitable communication landscape in Nigeria.

Our impact and activities have fetched us a series of awards and grants. The latest of these is the Best School Award in creative advertising for 2018. This we won at the Creativity Week, a foremost advertising event organised by Chini Productions in collaboration with the Roger Hatchuel Academy of France.

We have succeeded in doing all this and more because, inter alia, we have a unique curriculum that exposes our students to different aspects of communication studies such as broadcasting and broadcast journalism, print media, online journalism, photo journalism, public speaking, applied communication, book publishing, communication research, the language arts, public relations and advertising. Ours indeed is the place where nation builders and influencers are nurtured. Welcome!

Prof. O.O. Oyewo
Head of Department

The Department of Communication and Language Arts originally began in 1964/65 as a service centre, a Reading Centre, to impart study skills to new students. It transformed into Department of Language Arts in 1975, and later Department of Communication and Language Arts.   The Reading Centre, which gave birth to the new department, was first established during the 1964/65 session, with the following objectives:

1. To advise first-year students on methods of study; to improve their speed of English reading and comprehension; and to continue assistance for students (in other years) who feel the need for special help in this field.
2. To carry out research into ways of improving the teaching of English reading to Nigerian students.
3. To train Nigerian personnel as Reading specialists.
4. To act as a resource and guidance centre for institutions concerned with improving the teaching of English reading in schools.

During its first five years of existence, the centre's resources were devoted to the achievement of the first and the second sets of objectives. In subsequent years, the centre's objectives were broadened and its resources expanded, not only to meet the requirements of developmental, remedial and rapid reading, but also to take care of related language skills (listening comprehension, speech and writing) and communication arts.

In the 1987/88 session, the department's name changed to Department of Communication and Language Arts in order to reflect more properly, the scope of its work and provide training in communication skills for the individual's social, professional and intellectual growth. The conversion of the Centre from a teaching support unit to a degree-awarding department after ten years of existence was a very significant change in the development and study of Language Arts as an academic discipline in this University. In addition, its subsequent broadening to encompass communication arts has made it even more relevant to the country's communication needs, making it a very popular course of study.

The Department has a full accreditation status with the National University Commission valid from 2014 to 2019. We have 201 undergraduate students; about 120 Master’s degree students, and about 40 PhD students. As at now, there are eleven fulltime academic staff members.

There are one undergraduate programme leading to the award of Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Language Arts, and four postgraduate programmes. These four lead to the award of an academic Master of Arts degree, a professional Master of Communication Arts (MCA) degree, a Master of Philosophy degree or a PhD degree.  

Candidates admitted to the higher degree programmes in Communication and Language Arts can specialize in one of the following areas:

1. Receptive Communication/Language Arts (Listening and Reading)
2. Expressive Communication/Language Arts (Speech and Writing)
3. Applied Communication           
   Instructional Communication: Book Development and publishing, Broadcasting and Broadcast Journalism
4. Print Journalism 
   Public Relations  
   Advertising
   Indigenous Communication. Our departmental prospectus/handbook has information on admission requirements and other important details.

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Kindly check the University website.