About the Department

Welcome to Department of Mathematics!

The Department of Mathematics is one of the pioneering Departments of the University established since 1962. It remains a principal stakeholder and anchors quality delivery of services in the three fundamental areas (i.e. teaching, research and service) in the life of a University. It has a rich culture of equipping students with tools for mathematical techniques and thought. At the undergraduate level it continues to expose students to the fundamentals of mathematical processes and principles in Pure and Applied Mathematics as well as Statistics.

From the initial output in 1965 of three graduates, one of who was a female, the Department has grown so much that the greatest contribution of the Department has been in its postgraduate research efforts. The Department has formidable panoply of experts in a number of areas. These include Real and Complex analysis, Functional Analysis, Differential equations, Continuum Mechanics, Hypersonic Flow Theory, , Thermal Combustion Theory, Finite Elasticity, Nonlinear wave propagation, Composite Mechanics, Tensor Analysis, Modeling, Computational Mathematics, Distribution Theory, Queuing Theory, Stochastic processes and Cybernetics. The Department has not only built up for producing quality students but also prepared grounds for fruitful interaction with the industry. In fact, the Department has been able to make mathematics relevant with outstanding works on inequalities, physiological flow, blood flow for sickle cell patients, combustion theory, application of distribution theory in agricultural analysis, operation research in business management, queuing theory in hospital management, evaluation of composite material and wave propagation in heterogeneous media, which is very relevant for seismic wave investigation of non-homogeneous media such as in the exploration propagation of minerals, including hydrocarbons in the earth crust and mathematical modeling of diverse industrial processes. Members of staff from the various generations continue to win recognition through awards for fellowships and associateship from many renowned research institutes.

Furthermore, our alumni and colleagues are heading not a few Mathematics Departments in Nigeria and the other African countries, such as in the Southern Africa. Related to this is the leading role of the staff in sustaining the programmes of the National Mathematical Centre in Abuja, Nigeria. Recently, the Department, recognizing the need for interdisciplinary research, has been involved in some collaborative projects in engineering, geological, biological, medical and pharmaceutical sciences. Really it is a common notion that no nation develops beyond the capability of its technology. But the technology of today is science of yesterday. And mathematics is the key to all sciences. So we not only share in this firm belief but we are profoundly conscious of it. In fact, with a fairly constant annual intake of 24 graduate students and high turnover rate, there is ample evidence that the Department has the potential to proceed in the future into commercially sponsored projects as one would find in recognized centers of excellence the world over. This is one of the Departmental targets as we forge ahead with aspirations of being not just a leading Mathematics Department in Nigeria but beyond Africa.

Prof. M.O. Olatinwo
H.O.D. Mathematics