The Department of Industrial Chemistry was created as an option under the Department of Chemistry in 2001/2002 academic session during the tenure of Dr. S. S. Asaolu and Prof O. Olaofe as the acting Head of Department of Chemistry and the Dean of the Faculty of Science respectively. Prof. Olaofe, being a Chemical Engineer by training, had long desired to have Industrial Chemistry as a degree course established since he joined the service of the University, in 1990 as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Chemistry. Imbued by his expertise and deep understanding of the importance of Industrial Chemistry in an agrarian community with a lot of green products and wastes, interconvertible to renewable products, the opportunity to transform this vision to reality came when he became the Dean of the Faculty of Science.

The programme started as a degree option under the Department of Chemistry at a time when it was the one of the most prominent and foremost Departments in the University in terms of quality and numerical strength of her Academic Staff.  Industrial Chemistry became a full-fledged Department by the approval of the University Senate in 2017 after seventeen years of its existence. Perhaps, the separation had stalled for long primarily because of the strong affinity between her and the parent Department. Currently, the Department has the following academic staff; Prof. E. O. Olanipekun, Prof. R. O. Akinyeye, Prof. F. J. Faleye, Dr. M. A. Azeez, Dr. (Mrs.) A. F. Akinsola and Dr. O. Ayodele.