HomeAbout Abeokuta

The ancient city of Abeokuta is the of Ogun State capital in Nigeria. Abeokuta is made up of two local government areas, Abeokuta North and Abeokuta South covering an area of 879 Km2 within Ogun State – “Gateway to Nigeria” -, notable for having a high concentration of industrial estates and being a major manufacturing hub in Nigeria. The current metro area population of Abeokuta in 2022 is 557,000. Agriculture is the major occupation of the people of Ogun State, which is favoured by the climatic condition.

Tourists looking over Abeokuta city from the top of Olumo Rock

The name of the town “ABEOKUTA” was derived from the protection which the fleeing settlers sought under the Olumo Rock, now a tourist center in the town. Abeokuta means ‘the refugees under a rock’, signifying the protection which the Olumo Rock offered the refugees from possible attacks. Abeokuta was founded as a replacement for Orile Egba in around 1830 by the Egbas after the collapse of the Oyo empire during the civil war. As an ancient city, Abeokuta was the location to produce the first newspaper in Nigeria (Iwe-Iroyin, 1859, by the Rev. Henry Townsend), the First Baptist Church in West Africa and the first hospital in Nigeria, which is Sacred Heart Hospital. Abeokuta was a walled town, and relics of the old wall still exist. Notable buildings include the Ake (the residence of the alake), Centenary Hall (1930).

The nearest airport to Abeokuta is Lagos (LOS) MMI Airport which is 64.3 km away. 

Abeokuta is connected to nearby Lagos by a standard gauge railway line Lagos-Ibadan, which stops at Abeokuta. For this a new railway building has been built in Abeokuta. Trains to Ibadan leave around 8:30 and 16:30 daily, trains to Lagos around 10:00 and 18:00. Tickets can be bought at the counter and with cash only.

Roads connect the city to Lagos as well as Ibadan, Ilaro, Shagamu, Iseyin, Sango Ota,The National

Abeokuta has a tropical climate, and the temperature typically ranges from around 33°C, rarely falling below 31°C or exceeding 34°C. The weather in December, month of the Conference, is roughly from 23°C to 22°C, rarely falling below 19°C or exceeding 25°C. The lowest daily average low temperature is 22°C on 31 December.