King's College, Lagos

King's College
King's College, Lagos
Location
3, Catholic Mission Street

Lagos
,
Lagos State

Nigeria

6°26′59″N 3°23′57″E / 6.44961°N 3.39905°E / 6.44961; 3.39905
Information
TypeState secondary school
Mottospero lucem
Established20 September 1909; 117 years ago (1909-09-20)
Queen's College
Principal
Mogaji Zakaria
GradesJSS1–SSS3
GenderBoys
Websitekingscollegelagos.sch.ng

King's College, Lagos (KCL) is a secondary school in Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria. It was founded on 20 September 1909 with 10 students at Lagos Island, adjacent to Tafawa Balewa Square. The school admits only boys as pupils, although prior to the establishment of Queen's College Lagos it also admitted some female students.

History

In 1908, the Nigerian Acting Director of Education in Lagos, Henry Rawlingson Carr, proposed to Governor Walter Egerton a detailed scheme of education for Lagos. Carr's suggestions and proposals were the basis for the formation of King's College. The local Yoruba King, Oba Esugbayi (Eleko of Eko/Oba of Lagos) agreed to provide land for the project with a goal to strengthen access to education for the Yorubas in Lagos. Carr convinced the London Board of Education that King's College's education mission would not overlap but supplement the education initiatives of missionary societies. As a result, some authors regard Henry Carr as the "architect of King's College".

King's School (as it was then called) came into being on 20 September 1909. The pioneer students included J.C. Vaughan, Isaac Ladipo Oluwole, Frank Macaulay, Daniel Adeniyi Onojobi, Herbert Mills (from the Gold Coast), O.A. Omololu, and Moses King. Oluwole was the first senior prefect. Constructing and furnishing the school building had a cost of £10,001 (About £1,048,661.20 in 2026)

The philosophy of King's School was

"to provide for the youth of the colony a higher general education than that supplied by the existing Schools, to prepare them for Matriculation Examination of the University of London and to give a useful course of Study to those who intend to qualify for Professional life or to enter Government or Mercantile service."

The average number of students in 1910 was 16, rising to 67 by 1914.

King's College is now one of 104 unity schools in Nigeria managed by the federal government to bring together children from different geographic, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds to build Nigeria's future, especially in the aftermath of the Nigerian Civil War.

Campuses

The school was divided into two campuses, with the junior school moving into the premises of the former Federal School for Arts and Sciences (F.S.A.S) on Victoria Island. The school administration was still under the control of one principal and ultimately under the control of the Federal Ministry of Education.

The seniors are split as follows: SS1 to SS3 boys are found in the Main Campus (Tafawa Balewa Square), while JSS1 to JSS3 boys are found in the annex campus (Victoria Island).

Principals

The first principal of the school was a Mr Lomax, while the first African principal was Rex Akpofure. The current principal of the school is Ali Andrew Agada. Some other principals were:

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ Shanguhyia, Martin S.; Falola, Toyin (28 January 2018). The Palgrave Handbook of African Colonial and Postcolonial History. Springer. p. 183. ISBN 978-1-137-59426-6. King's College, Lagos (1909) was the first government secondary school
  2. 1 2 Fajana, Adewumi. "Henry Carr – Portrait of a Public Servant" (PDF). University of Ilorin. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 May 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  3. ↑ Adeniran, Adedapo. he Case for Peaceful and Friendly Dissolution of the Artificial Entity Christened Nigeria by the British Colonial Imperialists. Adedapo Adeniran Esquire of Lincoln's Inn, 2002. p. 44. ISBN 9789783485877. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  4. ↑ Olupohunda & Olalere (3 October 2015). "How Lagos Was Responsible For Nigeria's Independence". Naij.com. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  5. ↑ "Federal Unity Colleges". Federal Ministry of Education. 21 January 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  6. ↑ L. C. Gwam, Great Nigerians Vol. 1 (1967), p. 3: "1910 Mr. Henry Hyde Johnson, an officer who came out as principal of the newly founded King's College"
  7. ↑ "SCRUBY, Frank Sutherland" in Alumni Cantabrigienses, Vol. V (Cambridge University Press, 1953), p. 451; Educational Times and Journal of the College of Preceptors (1 July 1911), p. 282: "FRANK S. SCRUBY, M.A. Cantab., Science Master, Aldenham School, has been appointed Head Master of King's College, Lagos."
  8. ↑ "Pensions" in Blue Book, Nigeria (Government Printer, South Africa, 1920), p. 43
  9. ↑ Thomas Harder, Special Forces Hero: Anders Lassen VC MC (Pen and Sword Military, 2021), p. 100
  10. ↑ Davis, Biodun. "Tributes at final rites for Akpofure, 'the principals' principal'". Urhobo Historical Society. The Guardian. Retrieved 22 April 2020. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)[permanent dead link]
  11. ↑ Esangbedo, John. "REX AKPOFURE'S SPORTS PROWESS REMEMBERED". Urhobo Historical Society. The Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 March 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  12. ↑ King's College, Lagos (21 January 1987). 75 Years of King's College. p. 10. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  13. ↑ "FIGHTING FOR A GOOD NAME". NBF NEWS. 20 April 2009. Archived from the original on 1 September 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2014.