Federal College Of Education, Abeokuta

The Federal College of Education, Abeokuta was established in 1976 as the Federal Advanced Teachers College, in addition to three other similar Colleges that were previously in existence at Okene, Pankshins and Yola. It is the first and the oldest Tertiary institution in Ogun State. The College started at the then Abeokuta Grammar School, Isale-Igbein right in the centre of Abeokuta, capital of Ogun State.

Abeokuta, the location of the College, is a historic Yoruba Town founded by the Egbas in 1830. The town’s geographical location makes it easily accessible. The nation’s seaport and industrial centre, Lagos, is 104 kilometers to the South, while Ibadan the largest city in the Country is 77 kilometers to the North.

The College provides three-year full-time and five-year sandwich courses respectively leading to the award of the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE). The foundation day of the college is January 27, 1976; the day the first set of eighty-six (86) Students were registered after about four months of preparatory activities and assembling staff and equipment on site. In 1982, the then President-in-Council approved the autonomy of the College along with others under the name ‘Federal College of Education’. The legal instrument for this autonomy was affected through Decree 4 (now Act) of March 14, 1986 and the Federal Colleges of Education (Amendment) Decree 6 of January 1, 1993.

The College moved to its permanent site in 1983 and presently occupies a land area of 632.95 hectares along the Abeokuta-Ibadan Road at Osiele, which the Federal Government vested to it vide Gazette No. 4164 of 25 August, 1977.

Alhaji Gani A. Bello was the founding principal of the College and successfully steered the ship of the College for fifteen years (January 1976-1991). This was followed by a brief period of interregnum during which the then Deputy Provost (Chief O.O. Abatan) held forte as the Acting College Provost before the assumption of office of Professor E. O. A Ajayi (Nov., 1991 31 Oct., 1999) as the second Provost of the College. Professor Ajayi advanced to frontiers of the College and entrenched the academic ethos among the College staff.