King's College, Lagos

State secondary school in Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

King's College, Lagos (KCL) is a secondary school in Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria.[1] 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.

Coordinates6°26′59″N 3°23′57″E
TypeState secondary school
Mottospero lucem
Established20 September 1909; 116 years ago (1909-09-20)
Quick facts Location, Coordinates ...
King's College
King's College, Lagos
Location
3, Catholic Mission Street

,
Coordinates6°26′59″N 3°23′57″E
Information
TypeState secondary school
Mottospero lucem
Established20 September 1909; 116 years ago (1909-09-20)
Sister schoolQueen's College
PrincipalMogaji Zakaria
GradesJSS1–SSS3
GenderBoys
Websitekingscollegelagos.sch.ng
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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.[2] Carr's suggestions and proposals were the basis for the formation of King's College. 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.[2] As a result, some authors regard Henry Carr as the "architect of King's College".[3][4]

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 (equivalent to £1,390,139 in 2024).

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.[5]

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 Camp (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:

  • Lomax (1909–1910)
  • Henry Hyde-Johnson (1910)[6]
  • Frank Sutherland Scruby (1911–1914)[7]
  • Charles McKee Wright (1914-1917)[8]
  • J.A. de Gaye (1917–1919)
  • D.L. Kerr (1919)
  • H.A.A.F. Harman (1919–1925)
  • W.M. Peacock (1926–1931)
  • J.N. Panes (1931–1936)
  • A.H. Clift (1936–1947)
  • H.H. Jeffers (Acting Principal, 1941–1942)[9]
  • A.D. Porter (1947)
  • G.P. Savage (1948)
  • J.R. Bunting (1949–1954)
  • P. H. Davis (1957 to 1964)
  • Rex Akpofure (1964–1968)[10][11](first indigenous principal)
  • R. S. G. Agiobu-Kemmer (1968–1975)
  • M.O. Imana (1975–1978)[12]
  • Augustine A. Ibegbulam (1978–1985)
  • S. O. Agun (1985–1992)
  • S. A. Akinruli (1992–1994)
  • S. I. Balogun
  • Sylvester M. Onoja
  • Yetunde Awofuwa (first female principal)[13]
  • Akintoye A. Ojemuyiwa
  • Otunba Oladele Olapeju
  • Anthony Thomas
  • Ibezim Elizabeth
  • Agada Ali Andrew
  • Magaji Zachariah

Notable alumni

References

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