CMS Grammar School, Lagos
Encyclopedia
The CMS Grammar School in the Bariga district of Lagos
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
.
from Sierra Leone
in 1842, and established the Yoruba Mission.
They founded the school in 1859 with the assistance of local merchants and traders.
The CMS Grammar School in Freetown
, founded in 1848, served as a model.
The school began with six students boarding in a small, single story building called the 'Cotton House' at Broad Street.
The first pupils were destined to be clergymen.
The curriculum included English, Logic, Greek, Arithmetic, Geometry, Geography, History, Bible Knowledge and Latin.
The first principal of the school was the scholar and theologian Thomas Babington Macaulay, who served until his death in 1879. He was the father of Herbert Macaulay
.
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.
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...
is the oldest secondary school 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...
, 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
Lagos Colony
Lagos Colony was a British colonial possession centered on the port of Lagos in what is now southern Nigeria. Lagos was annexed on 6 August 1861 and declared a colony on 5 March 1862....
.
Foundation
The first Anglican Missionaries arrived in LagosLagos Colony
Lagos Colony was a British colonial possession centered on the port of Lagos in what is now southern Nigeria. Lagos was annexed on 6 August 1861 and declared a colony on 5 March 1862....
from 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...
in 1842, and established the Yoruba Mission.
They founded the school in 1859 with the assistance of local merchants and traders.
The CMS Grammar School in Freetown
Freetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean located in the Western Area of the country, and had a city proper population of 772,873 at the 2004 census. The city is the economic, financial, and cultural center of...
, founded in 1848, served as a model.
The school began with six students boarding in a small, single story building called the 'Cotton House' at Broad Street.
The first pupils were destined to be clergymen.
The curriculum included English, Logic, Greek, Arithmetic, Geometry, Geography, History, Bible Knowledge and Latin.
The first principal of the school was the scholar and theologian Thomas Babington Macaulay, who served until his death in 1879. He was the father of Herbert Macaulay
Herbert Macaulay
Herbert Samuel Heelas Macaulay was a Nigerian nationalist, politician, engineer, journalist, and musician and considered by many Nigerians as the founder of Nigerian nationalism.- Early life :...
.
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.
Principals
- Thomas Babington Macaulay 1859–1879
- Isaac OluwoleIsaac OluwoleIsaac Oluwole was a Nigerian bishop of Sierra Leonean and Egba heritage. He was one of the most prominent emigrants from Sierra Leone resident in Lagos during the second half of the nineteenth century. From 1879-1893, he was the principal of the CMS Grammar School, Lagos and was later ordained a...
1881–1893 - Joseph Suberu Fanimokun 1896
- F. Watherton 1928–1932
- J. Lewis −1944
- S.I. Kale 1944–1950
- B.A. Adelaja 1950–1970
- I.A. Olowu 1972
- B.A. Nigwo
- J.B.A. Edema −1997
- T.O. Jemilugba – 1997–2001
- J.O. Onayinka – 2001–2006
- Venerable Tunde Oduwole -2006- till date
Alumni
Some notable alumni:- 9ice9ice9ice was born on Thursday, January 17, 1980. He is a very popular Nigerian Musician with a classic style of music. 9ice is a south-westerner from Ogbomoso in Oyo State but he grew up in the district of Bariga in Lagos....
, musician - Charles A. Adeogun-Phillips, lawyer and international prosecutor
- Alexander Babatunde AkinyeleAlexander Babatunde AkinyeleAlexander Babatunde Akinyele, CBE was the first Anglican Diocesan Bishop of Ibadan, Nigeria. He was the first indigene of Ibadan to obtain a university degree, and the founder of the first secondary school in Ibadan....
, Bishop - Ayodele AwojobiAyodele AwojobiAyodele Oluwatuminu Awojobi , also known by the nicknames "Dead Easy", "The Akoka Giant", and "Macbeth", was a Nigerian academic, author, inventor, social crusader and activist....
, academic and activist - Dare Art Alade, musician
- Thomas Leighton DeckerThomas Leighton DeckerThomas Alexander Leighton Decker or Tommy Decker OBE, was a Sierra Leonean linguist, poet, and journalist. He is best known for his work on the Krio language and for translating Shakespeare's Julius Caesar into the Krio language. Decker argued forcefully that the Krio language was not merely a...
, linguist and journalist - Akin Babalola Kamar OdunsiAkin Babalola Kamar OdunsiAkin Babalola Kamar Odunsi is a Nigerian businessman who was elected Senator for the Ogun West constituency of Ogun State, Nigeria in the April 2011 national elections...
, businessman and Senator - Samuel Herbert PearseSamuel Herbert PearseSamuel Herbert Pearse, F.R.C.I. was a pioneer Nigerian shipper and produce exporter of Sierra Leonean and Egba heritage. He established the first Hotel in Lagos in 1907. He was also a member and secretary of the Lagos branch of the Anti-Slavery and Aborigines Protection Society.-Life and career:He...
, businessman - Ernest ShonekanErnest ShonekanErnest Adegunle Oladeinde Shonekan is a British trained Nigerian lawyer, industrialist, politician and traditional chieftain. He was appointed as interim president of Nigeria by General Ibrahim Babangida on 26 August 1993. Babangida resigned under pressure to cede control to a democratic government...
, Head of State, Federal Republic of Nigeria - 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...
, lawyer and musician - Bode ThomasBode ThomasBode Thomas was a Nigerian politician, statesman and traditional aristocrat. A Yoruba tribesman, Thomas served with distinction as both a colonial minister of the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria and a nobleman and privy counsellor of the historic Oyo clan of Yorubaland at a time when his native...
, lawyer and politician - Akintola Williams, chartered accountant
- Kanu Nwankwo, international footballer