Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta

About

The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, or FUNAAB, is one of the higher institutions of learning owned and run by the Federal government of Nigeria.

The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, was established on 1 January 1988, by the Federal Government when four universities of technology, earlier merged in 1984, were demerged. This led to the creation of the first two universities of agriculture in Abeokuta and Makurdi. Prior to the emergence of FUNAAB, the Federal Government had established the Federal University of Technology, Abeokuta (FUTAB) in 1983. Then, in 1984, it was merged with the University of Lagos and had its name changed to the College of Science and Technology, Abeokuta (COSTAB), before the demerger of January 1988. The university started on the old campus of Abeokuta Grammar School, Isale-Igbein, near the city center. It completed its movement to its permanent site along Alabata Road in 1997. At the initial stage the university included five colleges, as follows:

College of Agricultural Management, Rural Development and Communication Studies (COLAMRUCS) College of Animal Science and Livestock Production (COLANIM) College of Environmental Resources Management (COLERM) College of Natural Sciences (COLNAS) The College of Natural Science was reformed and redrafted into three colleges, which are:

College of Physical Sciences (COLPHYS) College of Biological Science (COLBIOS), and College of Plant Science and Crop Production (COLPLANT) Two additional colleges, the College of Engineering (COLENG) and the College of Veterinary Medicine (COLVET), were introduced in March 2002. During the 2008/2009 session, the College of Agricultural Management, Rural Development, and Communication Studies was split into two, with two new colleges emerging as follows:

College of Food Science and Human Ecology (COLFHEC) College of Agricultural Management and Rural Development (COLAMRUD) The newest College is the College of Management Sciences (COLMAS). The university is one of the three universities of agriculture in Nigeria, the other being in Makurdi (Benue State) and Umudike (Abia State). The university started at its mini-campus in Isale-Igbein in the heart of Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State. In December 1997, it moved to its permanent site on a 10,000-hectare (120,000,000 sq yd) campus located next to the Ogun-Oshun River Basin Development Authority on the Abeokuta-Ibadan road in the northeastern end of the city, 15 km from Abeokuta City Centre.

The first council was constituted on 18 May 1989, under the chairmanship of Alhaji Muhammadu Jega, former head of service and secretary to the Sokoto State Government. On 1 September 1990, the council was reconstituted with some changes for five years, with Alhaji Muhammadu Jega retained as chairman. The second governing council was constituted in 2000 for five years, with Alhaji Sanni Bagiwa Idris as chairman. The third council came on board in 2005 and was dissolved in November 2007 by the federal government. Elder Brigadier General (Rtd.) Bassey Asuquo, a one-time military administrator of Kogi, Edo, and Delta States, respectively, was the chairman. The fourth council was constituted in January 2009, with Mr. Raphael Oluwole Osayameh as chairman and immediate past pro-chancellor. Chief Lawrence Ayinde Osayemi was the pro-chancellor and chairman of the council. Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe Kingsley, a one-time Minister of Works and Service of the Federation and a former Federal Republic of Nigeria Senator, is the immediate pro-chancellor and chairman of the governing council. Presently, Dr. (Barr.) Aboki Zhawa, an astute administrator, legal luminary, educationalist, and politician, is the pro-chancellor and the chairman of the governing council.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.