Overview

I count it a great privilege and with gratitude to the Almighty God to usher you into the Department of Political Science and International Relations of Covenant University. This compendium no doubt, represents a window to assess not only what we stand for as a Department, but also to appraise our entire programme and faculty.

The Department of Political Science and International Relations started at the commencement of the University in 2002 as Department of Strategic Studies. It metamorphosed into the Department of Policy and Strategic Studies in the 2005/2006 academic session. The Department again in the 2007/2008 academic session was split into two, namely, Political Science; and International Relations and Strategic Studies. In the 2008/2009 academic session the two Departments became what is currently known as the Department of Political Science and International Relations.

The Pioneer Head of Department was Dr John A. Ayam. He led the Department till 2005 when Professor Olusola Ojo took over the mantle of leadership. In 2006, Professor Mathew Ola-Rotimi Ajayi, was in the saddle until 2008 when Professors Daniel Omoweh and Olusola Ojo were appointed to lead the newly created Departments of International Relations and Strategic Studies and Political Science respectively. Following the merger of the two Departments in 2009, Professor Mathew Ola –Rotimi Ajayi was again appointed to oversee the new unit.

The Department began with a students’ population of 20 and academic staff of 6 in 2003. Today, the picture has changed with over 400 students spread across the programmes of Political Science, International Relations and Policy and Strategic Studies. The three programmes are accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC), with Policy and Strategic Studies fully accredited, and the other two under interim accreditation.

In the same vein, the academic staff strength has improved tremendously. It rose from 6 at inception to 19 in the 2009/2010 academic session. They consist of 3 Professors, 1 Senior Lecturer, 2 Lecturer I position, 3 Lecturer II, 7 Assistant Lecturers and 3 Graduate Assistants. Also on the list of faculty are two Adjunct staff (An Associate Professor and a Senior Lecturer).

The Department currently offers three different Bachelor of Science Degree Programmes namely;

1. B Sc. International Relations
2. B Sc. Political Science
3. B Sc. Policy and Strategic Studies

The Political Science Degree Programme offers courses in key areas of political economy, public administration, comparative politics, federalism, Nigerian politics and Civil-Military Relations, among several others. In International Relations, such courses as Theories of International Relations, International Economic Relations, Theories of War and Peace, International Peace Keeping, Nigerian Foreign Policy, International Institutions, Political Economy, Public Administration, are offered, among others. For Policy and Strategic Studies, the modules are centered on core issues of Leadership, Governance, Ethics, Management, Accountability and Development. The Programme also addresses the key areas of Wars, Conflicts and Global Terrorism.

Indeed, we are glad to be part of the global mandate of Covenant University to inspire the world we live in through quantitative addition to the pool of much needed manpower to bring our society to an enviable height.

We welcome you on board as you partner with the faculty, staff and students of this great Department towards making this dream a reality.

Justification

The Programmes in the Department are designed to give students a firm academic and professional grasp in their area of study, and to afford them a broad intellectual background in their discipline. These areas of academic discipline will go a long way in equipping the students to scientifically appraise problems affecting society as well as offer appropriate solutions to them.