Ajayi Crowther University : ACU

Ajayi Crowther University (ACU), Oyo, grew from a long Anglican tradition of teacher and ministerial education in Nigeria. Its official historical account traces the institution's roots to the CMS Training Institution founded in Abeokuta in 1853 and to St. Andrew's College, Oyo, which became an important centre for the preparation of teachers and church workers. The St. Andrew's tradition continued through changes in educational policy and administration. Following a petition from the St. Andrew's College Old Boys Association, the former Oyo State Government upgraded the institution to an NCE campus in 1980 and then to a full College of Education in 1985. On 7 September 1999, the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) approved the plan to establish a university at the site of the former St. Andrew's College. After satisfying the National Universities Commission's requirements, ACU received a licence to operate as a private university on 7 January 2005 and began academic activities in 2006. The university was established by the Supra Diocesan Board (West) and was named after Samuel Ajayi Crowther, the first African Anglican bishop and a major nineteenth-century Yoruba and West African Christian scholar. ACU's history therefore links its university identity to earlier institutions devoted to learning, teacher education, faith and service.