Brief History of the Department

At the inception of the University in 1960, courses in Statistics were taught in the Department of Mathematics. This continued until 1962 when the department metamorphosed into the Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Astronomy. This new name emphasized the various available options. The great need for manpower in the areas of Mathematics and Statistics led to the urgent need to create an environment where these two disciplines would be better developed to face the challenges ahead. So in 1973, two separate departments were created: – the Department of Statistics and the Department of Mathematics. The Department of Statistics was thus born in October 1973 and by that it became the first full fledged Department of Statistics in the Nigerian University system. The department is one of the Consultancy Centres of the University. It has the competence and skilled personnel to carry out Statistical Consulting for customers. To this end the department handles feasibility studies, market research, statistical surveys and analysis, quality control, statistical modeling of systems or businesses to achieve optimization, educational research and planning, to name only but a few. The department welcomes inquiries from individuals, companies and industrialists on these and other services available in the department.