DEAN’S PROFILE
Professor Rafiu Oyesola Salawu is a distinguished academic, a first-class scholar, and a veteran of the Nigerian accounting profession. With nearly three decades of dedicated service to the ivory tower, he has emerged as a leading voice in Corporate Finance, Public Sector Accounting, and Taxation. Currently serving as the Dean of the Faculty of Administration at Obafemi Awolowo University, Professor Salawu embodies the rare blend of rigorous academic inquiry and practical professional excellence.
Rafiu Oyesola Salawu is a Professor of Accounting. He is a first-class graduate of Economics from Obafemi Awolowo University in 1994. He also holds an M.Sc. degree (Economics) from the University of Ibadan; a Master of Business Administration (Accounting and Finance), an M.Phil., and a Ph.D. in Management and Accounting, from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
He assumed duty as an Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Management and Accounting on 4th August 1998. He was regraded to Lecturer II on 1st October 2000 and Lecturer I on 4th May 2002. He was promoted to Senior Lecturer on 1st October 2006 and Reader in October 2009. Subsequently, he became a Professor of Accounting on 1st October 2012. Since his appointment, he has conscientiously served the Department, the Faculty, and the University in various capacities. He continues to maintain a high standard of academic excellence and productivity as a teacher, researcher, and supervisor.
Professionally, he is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), Fellow of the Nigerian Accounting Association (NAA), Fellow of the Association of Forensic Accounting Researchers (FFAR), and an Associate Member of, Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN). He is a Certified Global Accreditor of Higher Education Institutions. He is currently a Council Member of the Governing Council of the Association of Forensic Accounting Researchers (AFAR). He has produced several Chartered Accountants with ICAN Awards in most diets through his professional skills and academic prowess. Currently, he is a Principal Partner at J. O. Falope & Co. (Chartered Accountants) and Director, Navigator Management Consultants Limited.
Professor Salawu is an accomplished and versatile scholar who is well-known and respected nationally and internationally for his research skills. In the course of his 27 years of academic life in the University system, he has a total of one hundred and twelve (112) publications in national and international journals. He is a lecturer par excellence, always demonstrating uncommon commitment to the progress of his students. He mentored an array of postgraduate students and colleagues through project supervision and collaborative efforts in research. He has supervised 22 PhD theses.
He is a reviewer and editorial member of some national and international journals. He has served and continues to serve as an External Examiner and External Assessor to numerous departments of Accounting in various universities in Nigeria, the Gambia, Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa, among others. He is a consultant to the West African College of Surgeons in the field of Public Finance and Budgeting. He has participated in 16 National University Commission (NUC) accreditation/resource verification exercises across various Universities in the country, as a team leader or team member. Currently, he is a visiting professor at the Department of Accounting, University of Ibadan, University of The Gambia, and Busitema University, Uganda. He is a CODESRIA Research grant winner and an NRF Research grant winner. His research interest covers Financial Accounting, Finance, Taxation, and Public Sector Accounting. Currently, he is the Dean of the Faculty of Administration, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. He is happily married with children
The history of the Faculty of Administration at Obafemi Awolowo University is deeply rooted in the institution’s early efforts to develop specialized training in governance, management, and public service. Shortly after the founding of the University of Ife in 1961, the university recognized the need for an academic and professional unit devoted to administrative studies, particularly to meet the growing demand for skilled public administrators in the newly independent Nigeria. This led to the creation of the Institute of Administration in 1963. The Institute initially focused on postgraduate training and research in public administration while also providing short courses and consultancy support for government agencies, commercial organizations, and emerging industries across the country. It quickly became a hub for administrative capacity-building and policy support in Western Nigeria.
As the University expanded in both size and academic scope during the 1970s, it became necessary to elevate the Institute of Administration into a full-fledged faculty so that it could accommodate broader academic programmes, a growing student population, and a more diverse scholarly agenda. In March 1976, the Senate approved a resolution to convert the Institute into what would become the Faculty of Administration. Although the resolution was made in 1976, the transformation was formally reflected in the academic structure of the university by October 1979, when the Faculty was officially recognized as one of the key faculties of the institution following the restructuring that occurred after the federal government assumed control of OAU.
Through the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Institute of Administration continued to expand, attracting scholars interested in public sector management, governance, diplomacy, and organizational studies. During this period, Nigeria experienced significant political, economic, and administrative transformations. The university, responding to national needs and its own growing academic ambitions, began considering the elevation of the Institute into a full academic faculty. This momentum culminated on March 5, 1976, when the University Senate approved a landmark resolution converting the Institute of Administration into the Faculty of Administration. Although academic restructuring was already underway, it was not until October 1, 1979, after the federal government restructured OAU, that the Faculty was officially recognized as one of the university’s full-fledged faculties with formal academic departments, degree structures, and governance bodies.
By the early 1980s, the Faculty had crystallized into three major departments: Public Administration, Management and Accounting, and International Relations. Each department carried a part of the Institute’s legacy while charting its own scholarly path. The Department of Public Administration preserved the foundational mandate of training public servants and fostering scholarship in administrative theory. The Department of Management and Accounting emerged in response to the growing importance of managerial competence in both public and private sectors. Meanwhile, the Department of International Relations, guided by influential scholar such as Professor Olajide Aluko, rose to prominence as one of the earliest and most respected International Relations programmes in Africa. A particularly distinguished feature of the Faculty’s growth was the development of the Department of International Relations, one of the earliest of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa. Its rise was driven by Nigeria’s increasing diplomatic engagements and its ambition to assert a leadership role in continental and global affairs. The Department especially flourished under the leadership of Professor Olajide Aluko, a pioneering scholar whose work helped position the university as a major contributor to foreign policy studies in Africa.
A significant expansion occurred in 1984, when the Federal Government initiated a national programme to strengthen Nigeria’s local government system. OAU was chosen as one of the three universities to host specialized training in this area, leading to the creation of the Local Government Studies Programme within the Faculty. This initiative marked a shift toward grassroots governance and practical administrative training that would later mature into full academic offerings. Over the next three decades, the Faculty broadened its programmes, transitioned many diploma-level offerings into full degree paths, and advanced its postgraduate research portfolio. Its departments grew in size, reputation, and academic reach. As governance challenges became more complex and development-oriented, the B.Sc. Local Government Studies and B.Sc. Public Administration programmes evolved in 2007. In 2019, the university approved the renaming of the unit as the Department of Local Government and Development Studies, signifying its expanded research focus and new alignment with contemporary development discourse.
By the 2020s, the Faculty of Administration had firmly established itself as a multidisciplinary centre for training leaders and scholars in governance, management, diplomacy, and development. With its array of undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programmes, it remains a vital contributor to Nigeria’s public sector transformation and a producer of influential leaders in government, business, academia, and international affairs. In 2024, the Department of Management and Accounting was split into the Department of Accounting and Department of Business Administration. Currently, Faculty of Administration hosts five Departments, namely: Accounting, Business Administration, International Relations, Local Government and Development Studies, and Public Administration.
Today, the Faculty of Administration offers a wide range of undergraduate, professional, and postgraduate programmes. These include bachelor’s degrees in each of its five departments, as well as master’s programmes such as the Master of Business Administration, Master of Public Administration, Master of International Relations, and Master of Local Government and Development Studies. In addition, the Faculty also runs M.Sc. and Ph.D. programmes in all the Departments which contribute to advanced scholarship in administration, governance, and development. This blend of professional and research-based offerings reflects the Faculty’s longstanding mission to combine theoretical knowledge with practical administrative skills relevant to Nigeria, Africa, and the world.
Over the decades, the Faculty of Administration has been shaped by distinguished scholars and leaders who have left strong intellectual and institutional legacies. Personalities such as Professor Ladipo Adamolekun, a globally recognized figure in public sector management; Professor Olajide Aluko, who pioneered international relations studies in the region; Professor Taiwo Asaolu, an influential accounting scholar and the First Vice-Chancellor, University of Ilesha, Osun-State; Professor Adekunle Meshack Awotokun, a federalist and renowned scholar on new trends in Nigerian local government system, he is the President, Chartered Institute of Local Government and Public Administration of Nigeria; and Professor Bamitale Omole, who later became Vice-Chancellor of the university, all contributed to strengthening the Faculty’s scholarly reputation and national relevance. Alumni of the faculty now occupy senior positions in government, diplomacy, academia, corporate management, and civil society organizations, underscoring the faculty’s impact on national development, governance, and public service.
The Faculty of Administration has, in recent times, demonstrated strong commitment to academic development and institutional engagement through a series of strategic initiatives. The Faculty has organized capacity-building workshops on TETFund concept note development and textbook writing. The workshops are aimed at enhancing staff research competitiveness, grant success and scholarly output. In addition, the Faculty has initiated a Faculty Week programme which is designed to promote academic interaction, showcase research and innovations, strengthen community engagement, and foster collaboration among staff, students, and external stakeholders.
In its contemporary form, the Faculty of Administration continues to evolve in response to emerging global and local challenges. Its research and teaching now place increasing emphasis on evidence-based governance, global best practices in management, development policy, sustainable local governance, and international diplomacy. Through these advancements, the Faculty remains committed to pushing the frontiers of knowledge, training administrators for the complexities of modern governance, and contributing meaningfully to Nigeria’s public and private sector development.
