The general rationale for environmental design and management approach emanates from different activities of human beings such as physical, economic and social activities required for the provision of economical, sustainable and aesthetically pleasing environment. This involves design, estimation, construction, control, monitoring, valuation, decoration and maintenance of infrastructural and accommodation developments. The curricula to train students at the Obafemi Awolowo University include all these important issues and these form the principles that led to the establishment of the Faculty of EDM.
The Faculty started in 1970 as a sub-department in the Department of Economics with Estate Management programme only. In October, 1977, the Senate of the University approved the expansion of Estate Management programme to include other Built Environment disciplines domiciled in a new Department called Department of Environmental Planning Design and Management (EPDM). The new Department was to run five (5) degree courses including Architecture, Building, Estate Management, Quantity Surveying and Urban and Regional Planning. The Department metamorphosed into a full-fledged Faculty on 6th of April, 1982.
In October 1990, the Department of Fine and Applied Arts was transferred from the Faculty of Arts to the Faculty of Environmental Design and Management. This made the total number of Departments in the Faculty to increase from five (5) to six (6). The six Departments offered both undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
The vision and mission of the Faculty is to produce articulate, intelligent and forward-looking personnel for the construction industry as well as to advance knowledge and careers through quality learning opportunities and useful interactions with the stakeholders in the industry. The curriculum of each of the programmes of the Faculty is reviewed regularly to meet the ever changing demands of the industry.
The Faculty has seasoned, qualified and experienced lecturers. This is evidenced in the high quality graduates produced by the Faculty. Most of the alumni of the Faculty are holding top posts in consultancy firms, contracting companies, banks, public service, armed forces, and other notable offices in and outside the country.
In her nearly four decades of existence, the Faculty has through her teaching, research and community service activities contributed tremendously to the development of human capital needed for economic growth in the country and beyond. As the leading Faculty in the Built Environment disciplines in Nigeria, her distinguished academics and scholars have trained most of the academics in other Universities locally and internationally.
The affairs of the Faculty have been directed by the following Deans and Acting Dean:
- Prof. K.A. Wahab 1982 – 1989
- Prof. Y.L. Fabiyi (Acting) 1989 – 1991
- Prof. J.R.O. Ojo 1991 – 1995
- Prof. R.N. Mills–Tettey 1995 – 1997
- Prof. J.I. Ighalo 1997 – 2001
- Prof. C.A. Ajayi 2001 – 2005
- Prof. D.A. Adesanya 2005 – 2009
- Prof. S.O. Fadare 2009 – 2013
- Prof. B.T. Aluko 2013 – 2017
Professor Olusegun Adebayo Ogunba
B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D, ANIVS, RSV
Dean, Faculty of EDM
Professor Olusegun A. Ogunba is a Professor of Real Estate Management and the current Dean of the Built Environment Faculty at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Professor Ogunba obtained his B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Estate Management from the
same University.
Professor Ogunba has taught and researched on Real Estate Management for thirty years
(1994-2024), after a six-year stint in practice at Abuja and Lagos. His specializations are on real
estate valuation & development appraisal, real portfolio analysis & performance measurement,
and environmental valuation & green building. He has successfully supervised seven PhD
students and twenty-one master’s students. Three of his PhD supervisees have become full
Professors of Estate Management.
Prof Ogunba has authored ninety-three research publications, including: two textbooks (that are
widely used in Nigerian Universities, polytechnics and for professional body examinations); one
inaugural lecture; four chapter-contributions to books; one monograph; two edited conference
proceedings; forty-five journal articles; and thirty-eight conference proceedings. His publications
are highly rated and published in diverse outlets across the world.
Prof has won five best
conference paper prizes awarded in international conferences across Asia and Africa.
Prof Ogunba has attracted research grants/donations to himself and to his university: These
include attracting over twenty-eight million naira from the Alumni of the Department/Faculty
between 2019 and 2024, which were used for various important Departmental, Faculty and
student hostel projects. He is involved in charity work under the auspices of the Tabernacle of
Praise children ministry (an NGO in which he is a director). The NGO annually organizes
benevolent visits to orphanages and provides scholarships for intelligent but indigent lower
secondary and upper secondary school students.
Prof Ogunba has gained substantial administrative, NUC/ESVARBON accreditation, teaching,
curriculum development and editorial experience. He was Head of Department at the Covenant
University (2026) and was twice Head of department at the Obafemi Awolowo University (2026-
2028 and 2019-2022). He was elected Dean of the Environment Design and Management
Faculty at the Obafemi Awolowo University in 2021 and re-elected in 2023. He has taught as
Adjunct Professor in at least ten federal, state and private Universities in Nigeria and has been
undergraduate and postgraduate external examiner in at least twelve Universities.
He has
chaired/worked in National Universities Council Accreditation teams to at least eight universities
and in professional body (ESVARBON) Accreditation teams to Estate Management
programmes in several Universities and Polytechnics. He has been editor of Departmental,
Faculty and University Journals, and reviews papers for national and international journals. In
2023, Prof Ogunba organised a collaborative 3-University international conference between his
University, the University of the West of England and the Teeside University, both in the UK. He
also organized a very successful Faculty Alumni Reunion in Lagos on the 30th of October 2024.
He has served as Lead/Keynote speaker in several CPD seminars, conferences and
workshops, the latest being the keynote address to an international conference at the Covenant
University on the 13th of November 2024.
With regard to extracurricular activities, Prof Ogunba is a Pastor in the Redeemed Christian
Church of God and a Lieutenant Commander in its Chaplaincy Corps. He has a musical band
and has released three music albums. He is a Regional Music Director of the RCCG Region 3.
He is also an award-winning table tennis player for his university (He won a gold medal for OAU
at the 2014 inter-university staff games held at the University of Benin). He is married to
Professor Mrs. Bukola Ogunba, a Professor of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, and they have
three children
