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CMS Grammar School, Lagos
Secondary school in Bariga, Lagos State, Nigeria
The CMS Grammar School in Bariga, a suburb of Lagos in Lagos State, is the oldest secondary school in Nigeria, founded on 6 June 1859 by the Church Missionary Society. For decades it was the main source of African clergymen and administrators in the Lagos Colony.[1]
Foundation
The seed funding for CMS Grammar School, Lagos was made possible by James Pinson Labulo Davies who in April 1859 provided Babington Macaulay with £50 (equivalent of ₦1.34 million as of 2014) to buy books and equipment for the school. With the seed funding Macaulay opened CMS Grammar School on 6 June 1859, which made it the first secondary school in Nigeria.[2] In 1867, Davies contributed another £100 (₦2.68 million as of 2014) toward a CMS Grammar School Building Fund.[3] Other contributors to the CMS Building Fund were non Saros such as Daniel Conrad Taiwo AKA Taiwo Olowo who contributed £50. Saro contributors also included men such as Moses Johnson, I.H. Willoughby, T.F. Cole, James George, and Charles Foresythe who contributed £40.[4] The CMS Grammar School in Freetown, founded in 1848, served as a model.
The school began with six students, all boarders in a small, single story building called the 'Cotton House' at Broad Street.
The first pupils were destined to be clergymen.[1]
The curriculum included English, Logic, Greek, Arithmetic, Geometry, Geography, History, Bible Knowledge and Latin.[5]
The first principal of the school was the scholar and theologian Babington Macaulay, who served until his death in 1878.[6] He was the father of Herbert Macaulay.[7]
When the British colony of Lagos was established in 1861, the colonial authorities obtained most of their African clerical and administrative staff from the school.[1]
Principals
- Babington Macaulay, 1859–1878.
- Henry Johnson, 1879–1881 (acting).
- Isaac Oluwole, 1881–1893.
- James Johnson, 1893–1894 (acting).
- E. A. Godson, 1894–1895.
- Melville Jones 1895–1896 (acting)
- Joseph Suberu Fanimokun, 1896–1914.
- E. J. Evans, 1915–1927.
- A. Hobson, 1927–1929.
- F. Watherton 1929–1932.
- J. Olumide Lucas, 1932–1935 (acting).
- C. G. Thorne, 1935–1936.
- Solomon Odunaiya Odutola, 1936–1938. (acting)
- Leonard John Lewis, 1938–1943.
- Seth Irunsewe Kale, 1944–1950.
- B. A. Adelaja, 1950–1970.
- T. A. Ojo, 1970–1972, (acting).
- I. A. Olowu 1972–1984.
- B. A. Nigwo, 1984–1986.
- J. B. A. Edema, 1986–1997.
- Taiwo O. Jemilugba, 1997–2001.
- Johnson Onayinka, 2001–2005.
- Tunde Oduwole, 2005–2017
- OlaOluwa Adeyemi, 2017–2018
- Sunday O. Sofekun, 2021
- Jacob Ogunyinka, 2022- Till date
Alumni
Some notable alumni:
- 9ice (born 1980), musician
- Olusola Allen-Taylor nee Faulkner-Shaw (1908-1996), Matron St. Anne's School Ibadan
- Adebesin Folarin (1877-1949), lawyer and historian
- Adeyemo Alakija (1884–1952), media entrepreneur and co-founder of Daily Times of Nigeria
- Adeniji Adele (1893–1964), Oba (King) of Lagos from 1 October 1949, to 12 July 1964
- Akin Babalola Kamar Odunsi, businessman and Senator
- Akin Euba (born 1935), professor of music
- Akintola Williams (born 1919), accountant
- Alexander Akinyele (1875–1968), Bishop
- Ayodele Awojobi (1937–84), academic and activist
- Babs Fafunwa (1923–2010), Federal Minister of Education
- Bode Thomas (1918–53), politician
- Candido Da Rocha (1860–1959), businessman
- Charles A. Adeogun-Phillips (born 1966), lawyer
- Dandeson Crowther, Archbishop of the Niger and son of Samuel Ajayi Crowther
- Dare Art Alade, musician
- Ernest Shonekan (born 1936), President of Nigeria
- Fela Sowande (1905–87), musician and composer
- Frederick Rotimi Williams (1920–2005), lawyer
- George Da Costa (1853–1929), photographer
- GOK Ajayi (21 May 1931 – 31 March 2014), Prominent Nigerian Jurist
- Henry Adefope (1926–2012), Minister of External Affairs
- Henry Fajemirokun, Business Magnate
- Herbert Macaulay (1864–1946), surveyor and nationalist
- Israel Oludotun Ransome-Kuti (1891–1955), Educationist and father of Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, Beko Ransome-Kuti, and Fela Kuti
- Ibikunle Akitoye (1871–1928), Oba of Lagos
- J. K. Randle (1909–1956), Businessman and Socialite
- Karim Olowu (born 1924), athlete
- Kitoye Ajasa (1866–1937), lawyer and politician
- Niyi Adebayo (born 1958), Governor, Ekiti State
- Mobolaji Bank Anthony (11 June 1907 – 26 May 1991), President of the Lagos Stock Exchange
- Oguntola Sapara (1861–1935), medical doctor, gynaecologist.
- Ola Vincent (1925–2012), Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria
- Oluyombo Awojobi (1963-2015), Rural Surgeon
- Oliver Ogedengbe Macaulay, son of Herbert Macaulay, journalist, and nationalist
- Remi Fani-Kayode (1921–95), politician
- Samuel Herbert Pearse (born 1865), businessman
- Samuel Manuwa (1903–76), surgeon
- Isaac Delano (1904-1979), author, linguist, teacher
- Talabi Braithwaite (1928–2011), insurance broker
- Taslim Olawale Elias (1914–91), Chief Justice of Nigeria
- Thomas King Ekundayo Phillips (1884–1969), musicologist, father of Nigerian church music
- Thomas Leighton Decker (1916–78), linguist and journalist
- T. O. S. Benson (1917–2008), lawyer, politician
- Tunji Sowande (1912–96), lawyer and musician
- Victor Adetunji Haffner (born 1919), engineer
- Wahab Goodluck (died 1991), President, Nigeria Labour Congress
- Nelson Amaine Okwuonu(died 2000), Engineer, attended Cambridge and Oxford. Participated in installation of the First Automatic Telephone Exchange in Nigeria
References
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