HISTORY OF THE DEPARTMENT
The Chemistry programme is run by the Department of Chemistry, which is one of the foundation departments in Faculty of Science established at the inception of University College in October, 1976. The Department started with the B.Sc. Chemistry programme and later in 1977/78 session added a B.Sc. Industrial Chemistry programme. Chemistry as a central discipline of science which deals with the world around us including life and physical sciences around it plays a vital role in our understanding of the structure and interactions of matter in the universe. Therefore, it impacts on other fields such as Geology, Environmental studies, Medicine, New Materials, Engineering and Agriculture.
In October 1978, a gap of knowledge that needed to be bridged was identified. There is need for the application of biochemical principles and techniques to solving medical, pharmaceutical, industrial and agricultural problems, hence the birth of another programme, Biochemistry. While Industrial Chemistry remains with Chemistry as programmes run under the same roof Biochemistry programme was moved out and became a full-fledged programme under a separate department. Postgraduate programme (M.Sc. Chemistry, and Ph.D. Chemistry) were introduced shortly after. The Department of Chemical Engineering was established in the year 2008 with its foundation academic staff (Two Professors and One lecturer I) drawn from Chemistry department. At the beginning of 2013/2014 Session, the Chemistry department was divided into two separate departments of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry with each having its own Head of department and staff.
Students admitted for other programmes [Industrial Chemistry, Zoology, Plant Biology, Physics, Medicine, Physiology, Anatomy, Engineering, Agriculture, Science Education etc.] within and outside the department and Faculties of Physical and Life Sciences also benefit from this programme as they offer courses in the department.
Presently, there are 23 full time academic staff, 8 Technologists, 3 other Laboratory staff and 3 administrative staff.
The Chemistry degree programme is divided in to four different major units for easy knowledge impact, individual and collaborative researches which are further divided into several sub-units for different areas of specialization. These include: Analytical, Inorganic, Organic, Physical, Bioorganic, Bioinorganic, Natural Products, Medicinal, Analytical Environmental, Analytical Physical, Material Science, Catalysis, Organometallics, etc.
The first set of students that graduated from this programme was 7 in 1979. By 2018/2019 academic session the department had graduated over 2,000 B.Sc. Chemistry Students. Thus, in addition to the 2,000 graduates, the department has also graduated M.Sc. and Ph.D. students
Vision:
The vision of the programme is to produce cultured graduates with well-trained minds in scientific thinking, in general, with the purpose to exposing them to all the facets of Chemistry with the goal of self–realization and a sense of the need to contribute to national development.
Missions:
The missions of the programme are:

1. Training students to develop confidence in appreciating, handling and solving problems with minimal or no supervision.
2. Building students’ capacity to fit into the appropriate level of personnel to which their qualification will allow them in various employment opportunities available to Chemical industries with acquisition of chemistry knowledge, skills and attitudes.
3. Production of Chemists that can be self-employed or become employers of labour.
4. Training students to fit into postgraduate training without difficulty.
5. Developing capacity in graduate to teach Chemistry up to the Advance Level and other basic Science subjects up to the Senior Secondary level.