The Department of Philosophy was founded in 1983, as a Unit in the Department of Religious Studies and Philosophy. Students had the options of offering either single honour degrees in the two units or combined honour. The first coordinator of the Department was Rev. Gabriel Oyedele Abe (now a retired Professor). In 1986, the two units in the Departments (Religious Studies and Philosophy) gained independent status with Mr. Kissi and Mr. F.A Olajide (now Professor) taking charge of the Department. By 1992, the Department had recruited more lecturers including O.R. Adeniyi, L.O Bamikole, J.O. Fasoro, O.A. Falaiye, Z.B. Ogundare, F.I. Mininah and B.M. Akinnawonu. The current Acting Head of the Department is Dr. T.C. Falana.

The past Heads of Department include:

Rev G.O. Abe (Coordinator with Philosophy)                       –           1983-1986                  

Mr M.A. Kissi                                                                         –           1986-1996                  

Dr O.R. Adeniyi                                                                     –           1997               

Dr L.O. Bamikole                                                                   –           1998               

Dr O.R. Adeniyi                                                                     –           1999-2000

Dr J.O. Fasoro                                                                         –           2000-2001

Dr Z.B. Ogundare                                                                   –           2001-2003

Dr J.O. Fasoro                                                                         –           2003-2005

Dr O.R. Adeniyi                                                                     –           2005-2007

Dr L.O. Bamikole                                                                   –           2007-2009

Dr O.R. Adeniyi                                                                     –           2009-2011

Pro Z.B. Ogundare                                                                 –           2011-2014

Pro O.R. Adeniyi                                                                    –           2014-2016

Prof F.A. Olajide                                                                    –           2016-2018

Dr S.O. Dada                                                                          –           2018-2020

Dr T.C. Falana                                                                       –           2020-to date

Philosophy of the Department

It is a deliberate policy of the Department to fully acquaint students with Philosophy first as a discipline, its rich heritage and unique nature. A full understanding of the various arms of Philosophy and the multiplicity of its allied concerns is to underscore the mandatory rigour of academic scholarship and instil in the students the philosophical attitude. These efforts shall expectedly instil the required confidence in our graduates that they are optimally equipped for engagement in the market space. The acquired critical disposition in thinking better prepares them to be proactive, adaptive, creative and self-assured. That they are graduates of Philosophy, with critical minds, actually puts them a step ahead of their counterparts that may have taken other courses.

Aims and Objectives of the Department

The objectives of the programme are to:

i.  prepare students for careers in the public and private sectors

ii. develop entrepreneurial spirit in graduating student which will enable them to be employers rather employees after graduation.

iii. provide a strong academic background for research and post-graduate studies.

iv. provide training in the principals and practice of Political Science and International relations application to public and private Administration.

v. stimulate students intellectually through the study of Philosophy so as to lead them to appreciate its application to a range of problems and its relevance in a variety of contexts.

vi. develop in student’s ability to apply the philosophical tools, knowledge and skill acquired to the solution of problems facing different societies.

vii. equip students with appropriate tools of analysis to tackle issue and problems of administrative policy.

viii. develop in students, through the study of Philosophy, a range of transferable skills that will be of value in employment and self-employment.

ix. provide students with the knowledge and skill-base from which they can proceed to further studies in Philosophy and related areas or multi-disciplinary areas or in multi-disciplinary areas that engage the tools of Philosophy.