Yaba College
Encyclopedia
Yaba Higher College was founded in 1932 in Yaba, now a suburb of Lagos
in Nigeria
to provide tertiary education to Africans, mostly in vocational subjects and teaching. The college staff were transferred to start the University of Ibadan
in 1948 and the college premises were used for the new Yaba College of Technology
.
, his previous posting. The goal was at first to train assistants for government departments and private firms, with a gradual increase in standards until eventually the college would reach the level of a British university.
Hussey gained acceptance of the plan, starting with a "special medical school at King's College
".
By 1932 the school had its own building - a temporary hut - and other courses were added.
The college at Yaba was an all-male residential institute.
It was officially opened in January 1934.
It provided vocational training in subjects that included agriculture, forestry, medicine, veterinary
science, surveying and civil and mechanical engineering.
It also provided training for secondary school teachers, mainly science teachers.
Yaba was affiliated with the University of London
.
The college offered limited diplomas, so Nigerians who wanted higher education either had to go abroad or earn external degrees from the University of London through correspondence courses.
Educated Nigerians were vocally critical of Yaba College. Four days after the college opening, the Nigerian Daily Times described it as "a grand idea, and imposing structure, resting on rather weak foundations". Noting the low standards of the Middle Schools, whose graduates would enter Yaba, the Daily Times said "..we wish to declare emphatically that this country will not be satisfied with an inferior brand [of education] such as the present scheme seems to threaten".
The Nigerian Youth Movement
, formed by members of the Lagos intelligentsia who were protesting the plan for Yaba College, soon became an important nationalist organization.
In 1939 the Director of Education, Morris, proposed that Yaba should train future northern middle school teachers. The Chief Commissioner was also concerned that northerners obtain education at Yaba sufficient to qualify them for civil service positions to avoid the risk of southerners establishing a monopoly on such posts.
Other officials considered that the training available to northerners at Kaduna College was equivalent, if not superior in some subjects, and would be cheaper.
Due to the limitations of the Yaba College curriculum throughout its existence, most Nigerians who were qualified for university-level education attended Fourah Bay College
in Sierra Leone
or, if they were from a wealthy family, attended a university in the USA or the United Kingdom.
In 1948 Yaba College was moved to a location further north, becoming the University College of Idaban
.
The Yaba College of Technology
, founded in 1947, was the successor to Yaba Higher College, and became the second post-secondary educational institute after the University of Ibadan.
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
to provide tertiary education to Africans, mostly in vocational subjects and teaching. The college staff were transferred to start the University of Ibadan
University of Ibadan
The University of Ibadan is the oldest Nigerian university, and is located five miles from the centre of the major city of Ibadan in Western Nigeria...
in 1948 and the college premises were used for the new Yaba College of Technology
Yaba College of Technology
Yaba College of Technology, founded in 1947, is Nigeria's first higher educational institution. It is located in Yaba, Lagos. The college is a center of culture and heritage...
.
Foundation
Yaba Higher College the brainchild of E.R.J. Hussey, who became Director of Education in Nigeria in 1929. Soon after arriving, he proposed a higher college at Yaba similar to the Makerere College in UgandaUganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
, his previous posting. The goal was at first to train assistants for government departments and private firms, with a gradual increase in standards until eventually the college would reach the level of a British university.
Hussey gained acceptance of the plan, starting with a "special medical school at King's College
King's College, Lagos
King's College, Lagos is a secondary school in Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria. It was founded on 20 September 1909 with 10 students on its original site at Lagos Island, adjacent to Tafawa Balewa Square. The school admits male students only, although there were some female HSC students before the...
".
By 1932 the school had its own building - a temporary hut - and other courses were added.
The college at Yaba was an all-male residential institute.
It was officially opened in January 1934.
It provided vocational training in subjects that included agriculture, forestry, medicine, veterinary
Veterinary medicine
Veterinary Medicine is the branch of science that deals with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, disorder and injury in non-human animals...
science, surveying and civil and mechanical engineering.
It also provided training for secondary school teachers, mainly science teachers.
Yaba was affiliated with the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
.
The college offered limited diplomas, so Nigerians who wanted higher education either had to go abroad or earn external degrees from the University of London through correspondence courses.
Educated Nigerians were vocally critical of Yaba College. Four days after the college opening, the Nigerian Daily Times described it as "a grand idea, and imposing structure, resting on rather weak foundations". Noting the low standards of the Middle Schools, whose graduates would enter Yaba, the Daily Times said "..we wish to declare emphatically that this country will not be satisfied with an inferior brand [of education] such as the present scheme seems to threaten".
The Nigerian Youth Movement
Nigerian Youth Movement
The Nigerian Youth Movement was Nigeria's first genuine nationalist organization, founded in Lagos in 1933 with the name of Lagos Youth Movement and renamed the Nigerian Youth Movement in 1936.-Early years:Founding members included Dr...
, formed by members of the Lagos intelligentsia who were protesting the plan for Yaba College, soon became an important nationalist organization.
Evolution
Starting in 1935 there was growing official pressure to have northerners attend Yaba Higher College.In 1939 the Director of Education, Morris, proposed that Yaba should train future northern middle school teachers. The Chief Commissioner was also concerned that northerners obtain education at Yaba sufficient to qualify them for civil service positions to avoid the risk of southerners establishing a monopoly on such posts.
Other officials considered that the training available to northerners at Kaduna College was equivalent, if not superior in some subjects, and would be cheaper.
Due to the limitations of the Yaba College curriculum throughout its existence, most Nigerians who were qualified for university-level education attended Fourah Bay College
Fourah Bay College
Fourah Bay College is the oldest university college in West Africa. It is located atop Mount Aureol in Freetown, Sierra Leone...
in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
or, if they were from a wealthy family, attended a university in the USA or the United Kingdom.
In 1948 Yaba College was moved to a location further north, becoming the University College of Idaban
University of Ibadan
The University of Ibadan is the oldest Nigerian university, and is located five miles from the centre of the major city of Ibadan in Western Nigeria...
.
The Yaba College of Technology
Yaba College of Technology
Yaba College of Technology, founded in 1947, is Nigeria's first higher educational institution. It is located in Yaba, Lagos. The college is a center of culture and heritage...
, founded in 1947, was the successor to Yaba Higher College, and became the second post-secondary educational institute after the University of Ibadan.
Selected graduates
- T. M. AlukoT. M. AlukoTimothy Mofolorunso "T. M." Aluko was a Nigerian writer.A Yoruba, Aluko was born in Ilesha in Nigeria and studied at Government College, Ibadan, and Higher College, Yaba in Lagos. He then studied civil engineering and town planning at the University of London...
, Novelist - Ishaya AuduIshaya AuduIshaya Sha'aibu Audu was a Nigerian doctor, professor, and politician. A Hausa Christian, he served as Minister of External Affairs from 1979 to 1983 under Shehu Shagari....
, Minister of External AffairsForeign Minister of NigeriaThe Nigerian foreign ministry is a statutory body created to handle the external push of Nigeria's domestic vision and ideals; it is headed by the Foreign Minister of Nigeria. As of late its mission has geared towards increasing awareness about Nigeria's economic potential...
(Foreign Minister) from 1979 to 1983 under Shehu ShagariShehu ShagariShehu Usman Aliyu Shagari, Turakin Sakkwato served as the President of Nigeria's Second Republic , after the handover of power by General Olusegun Obasanjo's military government.... - Stephen Oluwole AwokoyaStephen Oluwole AwokoyaStephen Oluwole Awokoya was a former minister of education in the old Western Region of Nigeria. He was one of the leading architects of a nationalistic policy to promote formal schooling in Nigeria during the 1950s...
, ministerMinister (government)A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
of education in the old Western RegionWestern Region, NigeriaThe Western Region was a subdivision of the federation of Nigeria until 1967. Its capital was at Ibadan.It was established in the 1930s under British rule as a subdivision of the Southern Nigeria colony...
of Nigeria - Olumbe BassirOlumbe BassirOlumbe Bassir was a Sierra Leonean scientist and academic who settled in Nigeria.-Earliy life and education:Born in Senegal to Sierra Leonean parents in 1919, Abdul Rahman Bassir was raised in the older part of the municipality of Freetown, Fourah Bay, by his parents Abdul and Isatu Bassir...
, Sierra Leonean scientist and academic - Saburi BiobakuSaburi BiobakuSaburi Oladeni Biobaku was a Nigerian scholar and historian who was among a set of Yoruba historians who followed the pioneering effort of Samuel Johnson in setting the foundations of Yoruba historiography and creating reference notes of indigenous African historical literature.He was a former...
, scholar and historian, pro-chancellor of the Obafemi Awolowo UniversityObafemi Awolowo UniversityObafemi Awolowo University is a government-owned and -operated Nigerian university. The university is in the ancient city of Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria...
. - Akintola DekoAkintola DekoGabriel Akinola Deko was a Nigerian building contractor and former regional Minister for Agriculture in the Western region of Nigeria, he was also a personal friend of Awolowo...
, Minister for Agriculture in the Western region of NigeriaWestern Region, NigeriaThe Western Region was a subdivision of the federation of Nigeria until 1967. Its capital was at Ibadan.It was established in the 1930s under British rule as a subdivision of the Southern Nigeria colony... - Joseph Chike Edozien, traditional ruler of AsabaAsaba, NigeriaAsaba is the capital of Nigeria's Delta State, and has an estimated population of 149,603 .- Etymology :Ahaba in Igbo is from 'Ahabagom', meaning I have chosen well, a quote from the founding father of Asaba.- Geography :...
, Nigeria in Delta StateDelta StateDelta State may refer to:*Delta State, a state in southern Nigeria.*Delta State , a Canadian animated television series.*Delta State University, a public university located in the U.S. state of Mississippi.... - ErediauwaErediauwaErediauwa was crowned the 38th Oba of Benin, head of the traditional state of Benin, Nigeria on 23 March 1979.He is the traditional ruler of the Edo people, with his capital in Benin City....
, Oba of BeninOba of BeninThe Oba of Benin, or Omo N'Oba, is both the oba of the Edo people and the pretender to the defunct title of the king of the Benin Kingdom... - Samuel FawehinmiSamuel FawehinmiSamuel Ibitayo Fawehinmi was a pioneering Nigerian furniture magnate. The son of trader, he was born in Ondo town. He attended Ondo Boys High School and the Yaba Higher College. He was originally interested in medicine, but the long wait for a pre-medical test and his gift in wood and metal work...
, pioneering Nigerian furniture magnate - Eni NjokuEni NjokuBorn on November 6, 1917 in Ebem, Ohafia, Abia State, Professor Eni Njoku was educated at Ebem Primary School and attended Hope Waddell Training Institute, Calabar between 1933 and 1936. He went to Yaba Higher School Lagos in 1937.Eni Njoku studied botany at the University of Manchester in England...
, vice-chancellor of the University of NigeriaUniversity of NigeriaThe University of Nigeria, commonly referred to as UNN, is a federal university located in Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria. Founded in 1955 and formally opened on 7 October 1960, the University of Nigeria has four campuses – Nsukka, Enugu and Ituku-Ozalla – located in Enugu State and one in Aba, Abia... - Michael OkparaMichael OkparaMichael Iheonukara Okpara, was a political leader and Premier of Eastern Nigeria during the First Republic, from 1959 to 1966. Dr. Okpara was, at 39, the nation's youngest Premier...
, Premier of Eastern NigeriaEastern Region, NigeriaThe Eastern Region was one of Nigeria's federal divisions, dating back originally from the division of the colony Southern Nigeria in 1954. Its capital was Enugu. The region was official divided in 1967 into three new states, East-Central State, Rivers State and South-Eastern State...
during the First RepublicNigerian First RepublicThe First Republic was the republican government of Nigeria between 1963 and 1966 governed by the first republican constitution.-Founding :...
, from 1959 to 1966 - Ayo RosijiAyo RosijiAyotunde Rosiji was a Nigerian politician, statesman and former Minister for Health and Minister of Information. He was born in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on the 24th of February 1917, to the family of an Egba policeman. He attended the Christ Church Primary School, Abeokuta, for primary education and...
, politician, statesman and former Minister for Health and Minister of Information - Shehu ShagariShehu ShagariShehu Usman Aliyu Shagari, Turakin Sakkwato served as the President of Nigeria's Second Republic , after the handover of power by General Olusegun Obasanjo's military government....
, President of the Nigerian Second RepublicNigerian Second RepublicThe Second Republic was the republican government of Nigeria between 1979 and 1983 governed by the second republican constitution.- Founding :...
(1979–1983) - Tunji SowandeTunji SowandeTunji Sowande was a Nigeria-born United Kingdom lawyer and musician.- Early life :Tunji Sowande was born in Lagos, Nigeria in 1912 to a fairly wealthy local family by standards –his father being the Anglican Priest- Emmanuel Sowande, a pioneer of church music in Lagos and contemporary of the...
, Nigeria-born UK lawyer and musician - Jaja WachukuJaja WachukuJaja Anucha Wachuku , a Royal Prince of Ngwaland, "descendant of 20 generations of African chiefs in the Ibo country of Eastern Nigeria" - was a Pan-Africanist; and a globally distinguished Nigerian statesman, lawyer, politician, diplomat and humanitarian...
, first Nigerian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace... - Victor Ovie WhiskyVictor Ovie WhiskyJustice Victor Ovie Whisky was chairman of the Federal Electoral Commission appointed by President Shehu Shagari during the Nigerian Second Republic...
, chairman of the Federal Electoral Commission - Akintola Williams, chartered accountant, founder of the Nigerian Stock Exchange and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of NigeriaInstitute of Chartered Accountants of NigeriaThe Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria is a professional accountancy body in Nigeria.It is one of the two professional accountancy associations with regulatory authority in Nigeria, the other being the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria .The relationship between the two...
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