⦁    History of the Department:
The Department was established by Senate in 1965 but did not start functioning as fully independent until 1973 for lack of staff. Prior to 1973, the training of professional statisticians was largely limited to the Department of Statistics and Economics.
The initial primary emphasis of the Department of Statistics has been on the production of statisticians to reduce the critical manpower shortage and the offering of service courses to other teaching or research units of the University. The first degree programme is such as to maintain a judicious balance between theory and practice.

The graduates have either found employment in various arms of government and the private sector or are pursuing postgraduate studies.
This Department has been designated as one of the four designated centres by ECA for a Statistical Training Programme in Africa (STPA).  This is a United Nations/ECA sponsored programme. Over the years; the Department has benefitted from staff development for some of the staff and also from sending experts in various sections of statistics here to teach for short periods.

PHILOSOPHY
The philosophy behind the establishment of Statistics Department is to teach and conduct research in Statistics and other related areas.  It is further meant to adequately develop students as persons who can reason, conceive ideas, formulate theories, interpret, transform and apply Statistical Sciences in all phases of life.

VISION
To be a world class of institution for academic excellence geared towards meeting societal needs.
To see the Department of Statistics that would produce Statistician of high academic and moral standard that would enhance the socio-economic standard of Nigeria through the use of statistical theory.

MISSION
The missions of the Statistics Department are to:
⦁    Produce graduates that are knowledgeable in Statistical techniques and thinking.
⦁    Build up people who can apply the knowledge of Statistical Sciences independently and in collaboration with experts in other fields, embark on researches not only in Statistics but also in other areas of life so as to enhance the overall development of the nation in particular and the world at large.
⦁    Produce graduates who will be scientifically informed and well equipped to translate scientific knowledge into technology.
⦁    Prepare students for postgraduate work-study in the field of Statistics.

STRATEGIC PLAN
Our plan in the next ten years is to have a
⦁     Statistical computing / consultancy center
⦁     Introduce a 2 (two) Postgraduate programmes
⦁     Professional Masters degree in Management Statistics
⦁     Professional Masters degree in Population and Environmental Statistics