Government College, Umuahia
Encyclopedia
Government College Umuahia, is a secondary school
for boy
s located along Umuahia Ikot Ekpene Road in Umuahia
, Nigeria.
Twenty years after the establishment of Kings College, the first government-owned high school, by the British colonial government, three similar public schools were founded in 1929. These three institutions, Government College Umuahia (GCU), Government College, Ibadan and Government College Zaria (Barewa College
), were designed to follow the traditions of British Public Schools at Eton, Harrow and Winchester. The GCU was known as the 'Eton of the East,' those days because it was located in Nigeria’s orient.
Rev. Robert Fisher was the founding principal of GCU, which in one generation, produced the largest number of celebrated writers. Roll call: Chinua Achebe
, Vincent Chukwuemeka Ike
, Elechi Amadi
, I. N. C. Aniebo
, Ken Saro-Wiwa
, Christopher Okigbo
, and Gabriel Okara
.
Apart from men of letters, famous GCU alumni include master artist Ben Enwonwu
, and such outstanding personalities like Jaja Wachukwu, Okoi Arikpo, N.U. Akpan, Victor Mukete, Dr. E. M. L. Endeley
(former premier of Southern Cameroon), Dr. J.O.J Okezie (first republic Minister of Health), and academics like Prof. Bede Okigbo, Kelsey Harrison, Wilfred Chukudebelu, E.J. Allagoa, Donald Ekong, Laz Ekwueme, and Dagogo- Fubara.
), one in Zaria (now Barewa College
) and in Umuahia (Government College Umuahia). They had already started Kings College Lagos twenty years earlier. These four schools were to be modeled after the famous English public schools – Eton and Harrow. The onus of starting Government College Umuahia was given to an English Anglican pastor Rev. Robert Fisher who had been a teacher/administrator in Gold Cost , now Ghana
.
He arrived in Umuahia in 1927 and acquired land that is more than 10 square miles (25.9 km²). On January 29, 1929 he opened the gates of the school to 25 students drawn from all parts of Nigeria but with catchment areas in the South East , South – South and the Cameroons
. First he started the school in 1929 as a Teacher Training Institute and in 1930, converted it to a Secondary school
. He ran this school till 1939 when at the start of the 2nd World War, he left for England on retirement, and the school was closed thereafter, for 3 years as it was used as a Prisoner of war (POW) camp for detaining Germans captured in Cameroon by the British.
and Southern Cameroons
.
From then onwards, the school has continued the reputation of being one of the best secondary school
in Nigeria. It had well-resourced classrooms and laboratories. Its students constantly achieved high scores for exam results at SSCE, O-Level and A-Level.
All students are required to complete a number of core courses in the Arts
and Sciences. Students of the school also participate in sports like, cricket, hockey, handball and football(soccer).
The school also had a Officer Cadet
Corps
that offered instruction camps in field drills, adventure training.
GCU has produced high numbers of professional including Engineers, Scientist, Novelist and Governments in Nigeria and Africa. GCU has also produced unusually high number of literary giants, whose roles has helped in defining the African literature
We lift our voice to thee, O Lord To Thee we sing with one accord To grant us through Thy Son Adored The will to shine as one.
Verse Two
From Morning till the approach of Night With humble minds, with all our might We seek this gift which is Thy Light The will to shine as one.
Verse Three
As all of us, or black or white
Beseech Thee now us to unite
That all may seek this gift Thy Light The will to shine as one.
Verse Four
We beg thee now to show the way That all of us may kneel and pray And see and keep from day to day The will to shine as one.
, Chukwuemeka Ike, Elechi Amadi
, INC Aniebo, Ken Saro-Wiwa
, Christopher Okigbo
, Chike Momah and Gabriel Okara
; Master sculptor Ben Enwonwu
, and personalities like Jaja Wachukwu (Nigeria first Speaker of the House of Rep and Ambassador), Okoi Arikpo, N.U. Akpan, Victor Mukete, Dr. E. M. L. Endeley
(former premier of Southern Cameroon), Dr. J.O.J Okezie (first republic Minister of Health); academics like Prof. Bede Okigbo, Kelsey Harrison
, Wilfred Chukudebelu, E.J. Allagoa, Donald Ekong and Dagogo-Fubara; and musicians Laz Ekwueme.
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
for boy
Boy
A boy is a young male human , as contrasted to its female counterpart, girl, or an adult male, a man.The term "boy" is primarily used to indicate biological sex distinctions, cultural gender role distinctions or both...
s located along Umuahia Ikot Ekpene Road in Umuahia
Umuahia
Umuahia is the capital of Abia State in southeastern Nigeria. Umuahia is located along the rail road that lies between Port Harcourt to Umuahia's south and Enugu city to its north. Umuahia has a population of 359,230 according to the 2006 Nigerian census. Umuahia's indigenous ethnic group are the...
, Nigeria.
Twenty years after the establishment of Kings College, the first government-owned high school, by the British colonial government, three similar public schools were founded in 1929. These three institutions, Government College Umuahia (GCU), Government College, Ibadan and Government College Zaria (Barewa College
Barewa College
Barewa College is a college in Zaria, Kaduna State, northern Nigeria. Founded in 1922 by British Governor General Hugh Clifford, it was originally known as "Katsina College." It switched its name to "Kaduna College" in 1938 and then "Government College, Zaria" in 1949 before settling on "Barewa...
), were designed to follow the traditions of British Public Schools at Eton, Harrow and Winchester. The GCU was known as the 'Eton of the East,' those days because it was located in Nigeria’s orient.
Rev. Robert Fisher was the founding principal of GCU, which in one generation, produced the largest number of celebrated writers. Roll call: Chinua Achebe
Chinua Achebe
Albert Chinụalụmọgụ Achebe popularly known as Chinua Achebe is a Nigerian novelist, poet, professor, and critic...
, Vincent Chukwuemeka Ike
Vincent Chukwuemeka Ike
Vincent Chukwuemeka Ike, born in Anambra state, Nigeria is a Nigerian writer known for a mixture of lampoon, humor and satire. He owes a little bit of his style to his Igbo cultural upbringing...
, Elechi Amadi
Elechi Amadi
Elechi Amadi is a Nigerian author who has written five African novels - The Concubine, The Great Ponds, The Slave , Isiburu and Estrangement...
, I. N. C. Aniebo
I. N. C. Aniebo
Ifeanyichukwu Ndubuisi Chikezie Aniebo, commonly known as I. N. C. Aniebo is a Nigerian novelist and short story writer, who has been called "the master craftsman of the Nigerian short story"....
, Ken Saro-Wiwa
Ken Saro-Wiwa
Kenule "Ken" Beeson Saro Wiwa was a Nigerian author, television producer, environmental activist, and winner of the Right Livelihood Award and the Goldman Environmental Prize...
, Christopher Okigbo
Christopher Okigbo
Christopher Ifekandu Okigbo was a Nigerian poet, who died fighting for the independence of Biafra. He is today widely acknowledged as the outstanding postcolonial English-language African poet and one of the major modernist writers of the twentieth century.-Early life:Okigbo was born on August...
, and Gabriel Okara
Gabriel Okara
Gabriel Imomotimi Gbaingbain Okara is a Nigerian poet and novelist who was born in Bomoundi in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. In 1979, he was awarded the Commonwealth Poetry Prize.-Writing:His most famous poem is "Piano and Drums"...
.
Apart from men of letters, famous GCU alumni include master artist Ben Enwonwu
Ben Enwonwu
Benedict Chuka Enwonwu , better known as Ben Enwonwu was an Igbo Nigerian painter and sculptor.-Early Life and Studies:Ben Enwonwu was born a twin on July 14, 1921 into the noble family of Umueze-Aroli in Onitsha, Nigeria. His father, Omenka Odigwe Emeka Enwonwu was a technician who worked with...
, and such outstanding personalities like Jaja Wachukwu, Okoi Arikpo, N.U. Akpan, Victor Mukete, Dr. E. M. L. Endeley
E. M. L. Endeley
Emmanuel Mbela Lifafa Endeley was a Cameroonian politician who led Southern Cameroonian representatives out of the Eastern Nigerian House of Assembly in Enugu and negotiated the creation of the autonomous region of Southern Cameroons in 1954....
(former premier of Southern Cameroon), Dr. J.O.J Okezie (first republic Minister of Health), and academics like Prof. Bede Okigbo, Kelsey Harrison, Wilfred Chukudebelu, E.J. Allagoa, Donald Ekong, Laz Ekwueme, and Dagogo- Fubara.
History
The History of this citadel of learning started in 1927 when the Colonial Government in Lagos decided to start 3 Secondary Schools “in the interior” namely a school in Ibadan (Government College, IbadanGovernment College, Ibadan
Government College Ibadan, , is a "boys only" secondary school located on the hills of Apata Ganga in Ibadan, Nigeria.-History:...
), one in Zaria (now Barewa College
Barewa College
Barewa College is a college in Zaria, Kaduna State, northern Nigeria. Founded in 1922 by British Governor General Hugh Clifford, it was originally known as "Katsina College." It switched its name to "Kaduna College" in 1938 and then "Government College, Zaria" in 1949 before settling on "Barewa...
) and in Umuahia (Government College Umuahia). They had already started Kings College Lagos twenty years earlier. These four schools were to be modeled after the famous English public schools – Eton and Harrow. The onus of starting Government College Umuahia was given to an English Anglican pastor Rev. Robert Fisher who had been a teacher/administrator in Gold Cost , now Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
.
He arrived in Umuahia in 1927 and acquired land that is more than 10 square miles (25.9 km²). On January 29, 1929 he opened the gates of the school to 25 students drawn from all parts of Nigeria but with catchment areas in the South East , South – South and the Cameroons
Cameroons
British Cameroons was a British Mandate territory in West Africa, now divided between Nigeria and Cameroon.The area of present-day Cameroon was claimed by Germany as a protectorate during the "Scramble for Africa" at the end of the 19th century...
. First he started the school in 1929 as a Teacher Training Institute and in 1930, converted it to a Secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
. He ran this school till 1939 when at the start of the 2nd World War, he left for England on retirement, and the school was closed thereafter, for 3 years as it was used as a Prisoner of war (POW) camp for detaining Germans captured in Cameroon by the British.
Academics
As one the elitist of schools since inception, GCU students was one of the best from NigeriaNigeria
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...
and Southern Cameroons
Cameroons
British Cameroons was a British Mandate territory in West Africa, now divided between Nigeria and Cameroon.The area of present-day Cameroon was claimed by Germany as a protectorate during the "Scramble for Africa" at the end of the 19th century...
.
From then onwards, the school has continued the reputation of being one of the best secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
in Nigeria. It had well-resourced classrooms and laboratories. Its students constantly achieved high scores for exam results at SSCE, O-Level and A-Level.
All students are required to complete a number of core courses in the Arts
ARts
aRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is best known for previously being used in KDE to simulate an analog synthesizer....
and Sciences. Students of the school also participate in sports like, cricket, hockey, handball and football(soccer).
The school also had a Officer Cadet
Officer Cadet
Officer cadet is a rank held by military and merchant navy cadets during their training to become commissioned officers and merchant navy officers, respectively. The term officer trainee is used interchangeably in some countries...
Corps
Corps
A corps is either a large formation, or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service...
that offered instruction camps in field drills, adventure training.
GCU has produced high numbers of professional including Engineers, Scientist, Novelist and Governments in Nigeria and Africa. GCU has also produced unusually high number of literary giants, whose roles has helped in defining the African literature
School houses
- Cozens House
- Erekosima House
- Fisher House
- Kent House
- Niger House
- Nile House
- School House
- Simpson House
- Wareham House
School song
Verse OneWe lift our voice to thee, O Lord To Thee we sing with one accord To grant us through Thy Son Adored The will to shine as one.
Verse Two
From Morning till the approach of Night With humble minds, with all our might We seek this gift which is Thy Light The will to shine as one.
Verse Three
As all of us, or black or white
Beseech Thee now us to unite
That all may seek this gift Thy Light The will to shine as one.
Verse Four
We beg thee now to show the way That all of us may kneel and pray And see and keep from day to day The will to shine as one.
Alumni (Old Boys)
Notable old boys include novelist Chinua AchebeChinua Achebe
Albert Chinụalụmọgụ Achebe popularly known as Chinua Achebe is a Nigerian novelist, poet, professor, and critic...
, Chukwuemeka Ike, Elechi Amadi
Elechi Amadi
Elechi Amadi is a Nigerian author who has written five African novels - The Concubine, The Great Ponds, The Slave , Isiburu and Estrangement...
, INC Aniebo, Ken Saro-Wiwa
Ken Saro-Wiwa
Kenule "Ken" Beeson Saro Wiwa was a Nigerian author, television producer, environmental activist, and winner of the Right Livelihood Award and the Goldman Environmental Prize...
, Christopher Okigbo
Christopher Okigbo
Christopher Ifekandu Okigbo was a Nigerian poet, who died fighting for the independence of Biafra. He is today widely acknowledged as the outstanding postcolonial English-language African poet and one of the major modernist writers of the twentieth century.-Early life:Okigbo was born on August...
, Chike Momah and Gabriel Okara
Gabriel Okara
Gabriel Imomotimi Gbaingbain Okara is a Nigerian poet and novelist who was born in Bomoundi in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. In 1979, he was awarded the Commonwealth Poetry Prize.-Writing:His most famous poem is "Piano and Drums"...
; Master sculptor Ben Enwonwu
Ben Enwonwu
Benedict Chuka Enwonwu , better known as Ben Enwonwu was an Igbo Nigerian painter and sculptor.-Early Life and Studies:Ben Enwonwu was born a twin on July 14, 1921 into the noble family of Umueze-Aroli in Onitsha, Nigeria. His father, Omenka Odigwe Emeka Enwonwu was a technician who worked with...
, and personalities like Jaja Wachukwu (Nigeria first Speaker of the House of Rep and Ambassador), Okoi Arikpo, N.U. Akpan, Victor Mukete, Dr. E. M. L. Endeley
E. M. L. Endeley
Emmanuel Mbela Lifafa Endeley was a Cameroonian politician who led Southern Cameroonian representatives out of the Eastern Nigerian House of Assembly in Enugu and negotiated the creation of the autonomous region of Southern Cameroons in 1954....
(former premier of Southern Cameroon), Dr. J.O.J Okezie (first republic Minister of Health); academics like Prof. Bede Okigbo, Kelsey Harrison
Kelsey Harrison
Kelsey Harrison is a Nigerian gynecologist and obstetrician who contributed immensely to studies of maternal health, especially during pregnancy. As a researcher at the University of Ibadan,he mapped out the effects of severe anaemia on the mother and her baby, and established the safety of...
, Wilfred Chukudebelu, E.J. Allagoa, Donald Ekong and Dagogo-Fubara; and musicians Laz Ekwueme.
External links
- Government College Umuahia, Old Boys Website
- http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/124245
- The Education of a British-Protected Child: Essays By Chinua Achebe