By Jesuloba Akano
Renovation works have been ongoing at the Obafemi Awolowo University Amphitheatre following its closure in May. The 5,000-capacity amphitheatre, used for lectures and social events, was shut down after part of its roof partially collapsed during a torrential rainfall. The incident occurred during a SER 001 – Use of English lecture, a core special elective course for freshmen, leaving several students with minor injuries and two others with major injuries.
Since its closure last session, most lectures originally held in the amphitheatre have been rescheduled to smaller, less convenient venues. Speaking with a Course Representative for Political Science and a Part 2 student, David, he explained that the collapse significantly affected a course in his department offered across three faculties last session. According to him, lectures had to be shifted to early morning hours, causing logistical challenges in finding adequate space for the large number of students.
"Last semester, when I was still a Part 1 student, the collapsed roof meant we had to resort to 7 am–8 am classes three times a week at the 1,000-seater lecture theatre," he lamented.
OAUPeeps can confirm that most classes usually scheduled for the amphitheatre have been relocated to other venues due to the ongoing renovations. However, David noted that as a Part 2 student, his departmental courses—comprising 5 out of 7 of his current courses—now have smaller class sizes, making alternative venues sufficient.
"I'm not being affected by the renovation now because the highest number of attendees for any of my departmental courses is 250 students. We can easily use other lecture theatres like ODLT 1 & 2, FBLT, EDB 317, or ICAN LT," he added.
When contacted about the timeline for the renovations, the institution's Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olarewaju, declined to provide specific details. "All I can tell you is that you have seen it is being renovated, and you can observe how it progresses," he stated.
However, the OAUPeeps correspondent spoke with the project's engineer, who clarified that the current construction work is not a full-scale renovation. According to her, the goal is to make the amphitheatre fit for use during the upcoming convocation ceremony, with comprehensive renovations set to commence afterwards.
As per the proposed academic calendar, the convocation ceremony is scheduled to occur between December 11 and 14.
Meanwhile, OAUPeeps can confirm that one of the students injured during the roof collapse, Amubieya David, has fully resumed school. According to an anonymous source, the other injured student has also fully recovered but may not be returning to OAU, though reasons for this decision remain undisclosed at the time of this report.
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