UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA FACULTY OF ARTS DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
METHODIST COLLEGE UZUAKOLI, 1923-2012 BY
OGBONNAYA, EMEKA DANIEL PG/MA/11/58522
A THESIS PRESENTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF MASTER OF ARTS (M.A) DEGREE IN HISTORY
SUPERVISOR: DR. J.O.AHAZUEM
AUGUST 2014 TITLE PAGE
METHODIST COLLEGE,UZUAKOLI 1923-2012
BY
OGBONNAYA, EMEKA DANIEL
PG/MA/11/58522
A MASTER THESIS PRESENTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS (M.A) OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA NSUKKA
SUPERVISOR: DR. J.O. AHAZUEM
APRIL, 2014
APPROVAL PAGE
This thesis has been approved by the Department of History and International Studies, University of Nigeria Nsukka.
BY
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Dr. J.O. Ahazuem Dr. Apex .A. Apeh Supervisor Internal Examiner
______
Dr. Paul Obi-Ani External Examiner Head of Department
______
Dean, Faculty of Arts
CERTIFICATION
Ogbonnaya, Emeka Daniel, a post-graduate student in the Department of History and International Studies with registration number, PG/MA/11/58522 has satisfactorily completed the requirement for the course and research work for the award of the degree of Master of Arts. The work embodied in this thesis is original and has not been submitted in part or full for any other diploma or degree in this university or any other university.
______
Dr. J.O. Ahazuem Dr. P.O. Obi-Ani Supervisor Head of Department
DEDICATION
To all Old Boys of the Methodist College Uzuakoli, who have kept the flag of excellence flying in their various fields of endeavor.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
In a study of this nature, it is of great importance to recognize the efforts of all whose assistance contributed to the accomplishment of this work. I am most gratefully indebted to my supervisor, Dr. J.O. Ahazuem, for his fatherly advice and scholarly criticism that are very necessary in any historical research. In the course of writing this essay, he was always around to direct and guide me, I say thank you.My profound gratitude also goes to my lecturers in the Department of History and International Relations, for their assistance and guidance that have nurtured my intellectual and moral growth.
My appreciation goes to my mum, Obioma Ogbonnaya for her love and prayers that prove most valuable in trying times. To my siblings; Sharon, Gina, Ify, Onyi, Edu and Eze, I am most indebted to you all for your understanding and support throughout the period of my academic pursuit. I also wish to acknowledge and appreciate my colleagues and friends Chinyelu, Ekaette, Obiamaka, Chiamaka for being more than friends to me, to Wisdom Uwakwe for being a friend closer than a brother and Bright Alozie for his scholarly guidance in making some correction to this work.
I remain grateful to my Cartographers Nachi and Ndichie for painstakingly drawing maps worthy of an academic work and to all who have in one way or another contributed towards this thesis, God in his infinite mercies will grant your heart desires.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title page ………………………………………………………………………… i Approval page …………………………………………………………………… ii Dedication ……………………………………………………………………….iii Certification …………………………………………………………………….. iv Acknowledgements ……………………………………………………………….v Table of Contents ………………………………………………………………... vi List of Illustrations ……………………………………………………………… viii List of Abbreviations …………………………………………………………….ix Abstract ………………………………………………………………………….. x
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ………………………………………… 1 Background of the Study ……………………………………………………….. 1 Theoretical Framework ……………………………………………………….. 6 Statement of the Problem …………………………………………………….… 9 Purpose of the Study …………………………………………………………... 10 Significance of Study …………………………………………………………... 10 Scope of Study ………………………………………………………………… 11 Literature Review ……………………………………………………………… 11 Sources, Methods and Organisation. ……………………………………………...19
CHAPTER TWO: METHODIST COLLEGE UZUAKOLI 1923-1960……….. 21 Land Acquisition ……………………………………………………………….22` Building of the College ………………………………………………………... 25 Growth and Development. ………………………………………………………. 26
CHAPTER THREE: METHODIST COLLEGE, UZUAKOLI 1961-1970 ………….. 36 Curriculum ……………………………………………………………………… 37 The development of the Study of Igbo Language and Culture .………………….. 38 Development/Expansion………………………………………………….………. 40 Indigenous Administrators of the College..…………………………...... 42 Methodist College during the Civil War ………………………………..………. 44
CHAPTER FOUR: THE COLLEGE UNDER GOVERNMENT CONTROL, 1971-2012… 47 Government Control …………………………………………………………………. 48 Changes and Developments ………………………………………………………… 49 Uzuakoli Methodist College Old Boys Association (UMCOBA) …………………… 51
Profile of some Old Boys …………………………………………………………….. 55
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION...... 65
BIBLIOGRAPHY …………………………………………………………………..…69 Primary Sources Oral interviews Archival Materials
Secondary Sources
Books Journals and Articles Unpublished Materials and Project
List of Illustrations
Map I – Map of Nigeria Showing all the States……………………………………..…….1A
Map II – Map of Abia State ...... ………………………………..………. 1B
Map III – Map of Uzuakoli Showing its Villages ……………………………………..… 1C
Map IV –Map of Methodist College, Uzuakoli…………………………………………….20A
Fig. 1 – College overhead Tank used to refine Oil during the Nigerian Civil War…….…. 44A
Fig. 2 – Classroom Building destroyed during the War …………………………………..43A
Fig. 3 – Ibiam Hostel left to rot during Government Control………………………….....49A
Fig. 4 –One of the hostel rooms at the Castle hostel ……………………………………. .49A
Fig. 5 – College Gate donated by UMCOBA-USA ……………………………………… 53A
Fig. 6 – College Chapel renovated by former NDDC chairman Onyema Ugochukwu……53A
Pic. 1: Udo Udo Okure, first indigenous Principal of the College………………………….42A
Pic. 2: Michael Okpara, Premier of Eastern Region of Nigeria…………………………….55A
Pic. 3:Edwin Ogebe Ogbu (D.O.B), as Chairman UN Committee against Apartheid……….57A
Pic. 4: The Late Chief N.C. Okoronkwo during an Ila Oso Festival in Uzuakoli…………… 61A
List of Abbreviations
BRAP - Biafra Research and Production Directorate
CMS - Church Missionary Society
CSSP - Congregation Sanctis Spiritus
DOB - Distinguished Old Boy
ETC - Elementary Training Centre
FNDP - First National Development Plan
HETC - Higher Elementary Training Centre
MINED - Ministry of Education
NAE - National Archives Enugu
NCC - Nigeria Communication Commission
NDDC - Niger Delta Development Commission
OKIDIST -Okigwe District
PM - Primitive Methodist
PMMS - Primitive Methodist Missionary Society
RIVPROF -River Province
SAP - School Access Programme
UK - United Kingdom
UMCOBA - Uzuakoli Methodist College Old Boys Association
UMDIV -Umuahia Division
UMED - Umuahia Ministry of Education
UMPROF -Umuahia Province
UN - United Nations
USA - United States of America
WAEC - West Africa Examination Council
ABSTRACT
Missionaries, as agents of European churches established schools because education was deemed integral to the main purpose of evangelization. As time went on, graduates from
Methodist College, Uzuakoli that was established in 1923 began to make inroads into politics and civil service of pre and post independent Igboland and environs. The roles that the
Methodist Missionaries played in manpower development through the Methodist College,
Uzuakoli has not received the recognition it deserves. This study attempts to bridge the knowledge gap by outlining the history and achievements of the College in the period under review (1923-2002). The appreciation of the numerous contributions of the Methodist
College, Uzuakoli to society in terms of manpower developments in Igboland and environs will greatly help to guide reformers and policy makers to draw a lesson or two from the achievements and failings of the College. The study applies an interdisciplinary approach from religion and education to complement the historicity of the work. Data from a variety of sources that includes Primary Sources (oral interviews, archival and official document) and
Secondary Source (books, journals, articles, and project works, theses and dissertation as well as seminar papers) are explored to balance the outlook of the work.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Uzuakoli is an ancient chiefdom in Bende Local Government Area of Abia State. It is
made up of five villages: Amamba, Eluoma, Ngwu, Amankwo and Agbozu. It is believed
that Ozu had five brave sons whose names were Oma, Ngwu, Mbah, Nkwo and Ozo.
When these sons grew up, they built their homes a little further away from their father’s,
which became the central meeting point.
It is from their five homes that the five villages which make up Uzuakoli developed. The five villages united to form Uzuakoli, a compound of the names of their father, Ozu, and their grandfather Akoli, the name was corrupted to Uzuakoli by the railway authorities and Uzuakoli is the version generally used today1.
Uzuakoli has a total landscape of 28.8 square kilometers, bounded in the North by Lohum;
East by Ozuitem; and South by Ubani and Lodu Imenyi, respectively. It falls between 7.32
and 8.36 East of the Equator. The climate of the area does not differ from the rest of the
rain forest belt of Eastern Nigeria. Uzuakoli enjoys a warm tropical climate with well-
defined wet and dry seasons2.
Prior to the establishment of colonial rule in Igbo hinterland, Uzuakoli was a notable
slave market with many middlemen from Awka, Aro, Bende and surrounding communities
living and trading there. It assumed this role of an important slave market after the colonial
military conquest of Bende in18963, which robbed the latter of her middlemen role as a
slave market to the Aro and thus the Aro moved over to nearby Uzuakoli that was a more
1 A. J. Fox,Uzuakoli: A Short History (London: Oxford University Press, 1964), 5. 2 I. A. Nwokoro, Historical study of the Okonko society, 1996-2006.(B.A Project, History And International Relations, Abia State University, 2008), 10. 3 For a comprehensive perusal of the conquest of igboland, see S.N. Nwabara’s Iboland: A Century of Contact with Britain, 1860-1960, (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1977) central location and had long lobbied for the market.4 Slaves were bought at Eke-oba and
Eke-Ukwu (the two markets made up the Abangwu market in Uzuakoli), and taken
through the slave route to Bende via Ozuitem, Arochukwu and then transported oversea
through Cross River State.5 Apart from slave trade, Uzuakoli has remained an agrarian
society noted mostly for yam and cocoyam cultivation/production with a population of 60,
000 according to the 2006 census result.
The origin of modern education in Nigeria dates back to September 24,1842 when Rev.
Thomas Birch Freeman and Mr. and Mrs. William De Graft of the Wesleyan Methodist
arrived Badagry to start both Christian and education work. Later, other missions such as
the Church Missionary Society (CMS), the Roman Catholic Mission and the United
Presbyterian Church arrived Nigeria for the same purpose. The origin of 19th century
missions in Nigeria followed the evangelical revival movements in Europe during the late
18th century. The European evangelical movement was due largely to the work of John
Wesley. Wesley's challenge to the established Anglican Church, led to the anticlerical and
evangelical movements and, consequently, to the "Protestant awakening" which swept
across Europe and America in the 19th century.6 This awakening demanded renewed zeal
and commitment on the part of individual Christians as well as deep concern for the
personal act of conversion. It was Wesley's message that strengthened the desire for
missionary work. Other missionary groups represented in Nigeria were the Wesleyan
Methodist Missionary Society, the Presbyterian Church, Adventist, Baptist of Scotland,
and the Baptists from the (American) Southern Baptist Convention, Society of African
Missions (the Catholic Mission) from France and the Primitive MethodistMission.7
4 A. J. Fox, Uzuakoli: A Short …, 11. 5 The slave route that linked Uzuakoli to Bende is still visible today and passed through the Methodist College Uzuakoli 6 B. Magnus, “Missionary Rivalry and Educational Expansion in Southern Nigeria 1885-1932”, Journal of Negro Education 60, No. 1, (1991): 36. 7 B. Magnus, “Missionary Rivalry and Educational…, 37. Colonial rule, which was also a driving force in the missionary process, was not
established in Igbo hinterland until after 1900. The Aro-Expedition of 1901-1902 opened
the Igbo hinterland and touched off a scramble among missionary bodies of various hues.
The work of the missionaries in Southern Nigeria was not easy sailing. For a while, a few
Africans and their rulers patronized the missionary enterprise, others rejected its intrusion
in any form. On the whole, support or lack of it for missionary work was greatly
influenced by internal developments in Southern Nigeria. Further invitations arose out of
schisms over joint ownership of church bells, personality clashes or inter-village rivalry.
The differences in ideology and orientation of the foreign missionaries touched off rivalry
by among then to outwit each other in the capture of adherents. As it became difficult to
convert adults in the African society, education was seen as the easiest and most
sustainable way of winning converts. As children educated in the school of a particular
mission sect, grew up to automatically become adherents/propagators of that denomination
of Christian faith.
The Primitive Methodist Mission first came into Africa in 1870 through Fernando Po
(present day Equatorial Guinea).It was then a Spanish territory. They built a station and
started evangelical work, but their progress was hampered by the activities of the Spanish
Catholic Mission who later banned it. The mission started making plans in 1890 to move
to a British controlled territory and Nigeria was chosen as the new location. Archibong
Town became the first town in which the mission settled in Nigeria in 18938 and by 1895,
a church, a school and a mission house were built there9. Later they moved to Oron,
Adadia, Ikot-Ekpene and the environs. Reverend William Christie, a Scot, was
8 F. Anyika, Methodism in Igboland, Eastern Nigeria 1910-1932: Genesis and Growth (Onitsha: Cape Publishers Int’l Ltd., 1997), 12. 9 In 1902, a joint boundary commission by both the British and German governments to delineate their boundaries in Africa, gave a ruling that Archibong Town was part of the German territory, the PM was thus forced to move to Oron. instrumental to the occupation of many of these towns.10 Having also realized the
importance of education to evangelism, the Primitive Methodist Mission built in 1905
Training Institute at Oron, to train catechist and teachers to further their imperialistic cum
missionary agenda. The British conquest of Arochukwu and subsequent destruction of its
famed Ibinu-Ukpabi, encouraged the mission to begin to consider the idea of venturing
into Igbo hinterland for evangelization.
Reverend William Christie first made a start at Arriam (Erriam) and later Ndioro in
Ikwuano LGA Umuahia, but failed to get a footing there. Relief came his way when the
Bende District Officer, Major W.A.E. Cockburn who placed a high premium on Christian
missionary enterprise, invited him. He was convinced that Bende people would be friendly
and quite disposed to the whiteman.11Bende District was by that time having its first
contact with European Missionaries in this period (1909-1910).Reverend Christie had a
hostile reception at Uzuakoli, a slave market, which attracted a wide clientele. The
colonial government officials and missionaries discovered to their chagrin, the role of the
middlemen in the lucrative trade. Equally, endemic fighting was reported as exceedingly
common.12However, Christie was impressed with Uzuakoli and its avenues and the
planned quarters of the various trading groups from Abiriba, Arochukwu, the Delta areas,
Awka and Onitsha.13Before he passed the gauntlet on to Reverend Dodds, he paid a few
more visits to Uzuakoli and prepared the ground for its effective missionary occupation by
stationing a teacher there in October 1910. The latter conducted regular Sunday services in
his bid to build a church in the town. Reverend Dodds on assumption of office continued
to press on and in 1912 established a small church in Uzuakoli and Mr. Dappa was sent to
the town to nurse the new church to life.
10F. Anyika, Methodism in Igboland, Eastern…, 20. 11F. Anyika, Methodism in Igboland, Eastern…, 47. 12 K. Ogbu, “Primitive Methodist on the Railroad Junction of Igboland, 1910-1931” Journal of Religion in Africa, 16, No. 1, (1986): 56. 13A. J.Fox, Uzuakoli: A Short History…, 98. To provide teachers for the churches and primary schools that were springing up in
Igboland14, Reverend Dodds had in 1913 sent some boys to the Training School at Oron.
Due to the far location of Oron from Uzuakoli, Bende, Isuikwuato, and the inadequate
means of transportation, the idea of building an institute in the Igbo hinterland similar to
that at Oron started gaining momentum.
The introduction of Western education became possible when at its maiden Synod in
Eastern Nigeria, the Council of Primitive Methodist ministers in Nigeria, made the
following observation:
Our object is in general terms, the spread of specifically Christian education for the African as an African. Stated more generally, it is an attempt to provide education not merely as an independent good, or as a means to material ends, but also in definite relation to his spiritual foundations of life as exhibited in the teaching of Jesus Christ, and at the same time to relate the instruction to African life so that the product may be truly African as the native material provided.15
Thus, right from the very beginning, the Primitive Methodist was committed to providing
it’s converts with ‘Christian education’. For the missionaries, evangelism was to be
promoted through formal education. Another reason education was seen as critical to
evangelism was the need on the part of both the teachers and the newly converted to
acquire the skills of reading the Bible and writing in the white man’s language.
Consequently, missionaries turned their attention to youths and schools as sources of
conversion because they soon realized, to their utter dismay, the futility of trying to
convert influential men in the Igbo society.
A central site was sought for the establishment of the Primitive Methodist and an Institute
in Igboland; Bende that provided a strong foothold for the mission, was considered too
14 Primitive Methodist had very few foreign missionaries in the field, due to financial and logistic problems in the Home field; thus, a need arose to recruit from the native populace. 15 F.W. Dodds, “Nigeria Policy: XI-Education” Advance, p.24 quoted in F. Anyika,Methodism in Igboland, Eastern Nigeria 1910-1932: Genesis and Growth (Onitsha: Cape Publishers Int’l Ltd., 1997), 125. remote. The railway line that crossed Uzuakoli in 191516, gave it an added advantage over
other villages since it made for easy communication.
Theoretical Framework
The theory used for this study is the Social Systems Theory and Structural Functionalism:
The social system theory is a collection of interrelated parts which form some whole, using
an organismic metaphor to describe formal organizations (schools) with the same
principles and concepts used to describe biological organisms. General systems theory is
most closely associated with Ludwig Von Bertalanffy, whose work in the 1920s and 1930s
captured the dynamic relationship between biological organisms and their environment. A
Viennese biologist, Bertalanffy brought together the common principle of an evolving
systems approach in such diverse disciplines as biology, the social sciences and economics
under the rubric of general systems theory. He defined a system as “sets of elements
standing in interrelation”17
General system theory provides concepts that are useful for understanding and analyzing
the functioning of schools and the broader context in which they function. Schools are
social systems and like all social systems, there are inputs, processing and output system; a
system of interdependent parts to achieve a goal. Schools are specific type of social system
that sociologists label ‘formal organizations’18 unlike informal organizations that are more
typically less organized, schools like Methodist College, Uzuakoli have been painfully and
16 In 1913, work began on the Port Harcourt-Enugu Railway, and the Primitive Methodist made a deliberate decision to get up a chain of missions along the railway, at Uzuakoli, Umuahia, Ihube, Ovim and in Udi area. See Elizabeth Isichei’s History of the Igbo People (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 1976). Francis Jaekel The History of the Nigerian Railway (Ibadan:Spectrum Books, 1997) Vol 1-3 17 V. B. Ludwig, General System Theory (New York: Braziller, 1968), 38. 18 V. B. Ludwig, General System Theory…, 9. carefully instituted to accomplish specific objectives and typically have more rigidly
enforced rules and norms that govern social interaction and performance.
Edgar Schein described two major goals of social system, such as schools that interact in a
highly interdependent state: (1) external adaptation, which addresses the mission and
purpose of the system, and (2) internal integration, which addresses the internal
functioning of the system. A school without internal bond of commitment, supportive
cohesion, a sense of caring and support is unlikely to achieve its mission.19In the context
of managing the problems of external adaptation and internal integration, social systems
develop group boundaries that define insider and outsiders and rules for behavior that
regulate interactions and exchanges. Over time, they also develop cultures, which Schein
defines as:
a pattern of basic assumptions-invented, discovered, or developed by a given group as it learns to cope with its problem of external adaptation and internal integration-that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think and feel in relation to those problems to achieving system level goals and objectives.20
To fully understand the social system theory as it relates to this study, one has to bear
in mind, the reason for the establishment of Methodist College, Uzuakoli. The
missionaries’ aim of coming to Africa, or the so-called ‘heathen lands’ as Africa was
called then, was primarily for evangelization of the Christian faith as seen from their own
societies ideology as distinct from that of the other Christian missionaries. The differences
in ideology and orientation of the foreign missionaries touched off a rivalry between them
to outwit each other in the capture of adherents. As it became difficult to convert adults in
the African society, education was seen as the easiest and most sustainable way of winning
19 E. Schein, Organizational Culture and Leadership (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1985), 20. 20 E. Schein, Organizational Culture and…, 9.
converts. Again, education appealed to the Africans in different ways. It was a means of
knowing the ways of the whiteman and integrating fully into his new system of economic
and political ideals. So, education by the missionaries was not seen as an end in itself, but
as a means to an end. Missionaries used Western education to train Africans as catechists,
messengers, and other positions needed to assist them in realizing their desired objectives
and those of their colonial cohorts. To achieve that aim, clergymen were appointed as
principals, while most of the teachers were Methodists who were trained teachers in
training institutes owned by the Methodist Mission. The curriculum apart from having
subjects in the arts and sciences, also have a strong religious and moral instruction imbibed
in them. A former old boy of Methodist College Uzuakoli noted, ‘your teacher was first of
all your pastor before he becomes a teacher’.21 So according to Edgar Schein’s two goals
of a social system (1) external adaptation, which addresses the mission and purpose of the
system-which addressed the mission and purpose for the establishment of the college, was
the mission’s need for converts in South-Eastern Nigeria, Schein’s number two goal of a
social system-internal integration, which addresses the internal functioning of the system
was achieved by appointment of clergy men as principals, trained teachers, and the
introduction of curriculum which placed overwhelming emphasis on religious education.
They practiced strict student admission process and creation of a strong moral/religious
discipline. All these factors worked in synergy to achieve the purpose of the missionaries
just like that of an organism.
Statement of the Problem
Methodist College, Uzuakoli, is one of the foremost elitist secondary schools in Eastern
Nigeria contemporaneous with Methodist College, Ibadan; Dennis Memorial, Onitsha;
21 E. Uchenna, 68 Years, old boy, interviewed at Umuahia, 14th November, 2013. Hope Waddell, Calabar; and the Government College, Umuahia. It has produced notable men in all areas of human endeavors in Igboland and Nigeria. It’s role in the development of manpower that have helped to shape the future of Igboland in particular and Nigeria in general is well known.From inception in 1923 to the present, this role has not received scholarly attention. This work is undertaken to bridge this important but neglected theme.
However,the Civil War of 1967-1970 completely destroyed and ruined the College. At the end of the war, it came under Government control, which led to deterioration in morals, management and educational standard of the College. This period of the College’s history is yet to be researched and documented.
Purpose of Study
The aim of the study is to preserve for posterity, the history, role, and achievement of the
Methodist College Uzuakoli in the annals of educational and manpower development of
Nigeria. The little that has been written about the institution cannot be said to be comprehensive enough for a fuller understanding of the role and place of this famous
Institution in the educational life of the Igbo people in particular and Nigeria in general. Its impact on the development of Uzuakoli is yet to be assessed. The history of the College during the inter-war year and afterwards has been ignored. These are the lacuna this work attempts to bridge.
Significance of Study
The Study will help to better appreciate the role Missionary schools like Methodist
College Uzuakoli have played in Manpower development in pre and post independent
Igboland and Nigeria.The work will also serve as a reference point to policy makers on education, to past and present students of the college and other general readers. It will help
to guide those seeking reforms in our education sector to know the history of our
educational development vis-à-vis Methodist College, Uzuakoli and draw one or two
examples of what is needed to improve the standard of our education.
Scope of Study
The study start with the establishment of the Ibo Boys Institute,Uzuakoli that later
became Methodist College, Uzuakoli in 1923. It ends in 2012 when the College was
handed back to the Methodist church after the state government’s initial takeover in 1970.
Literature Review
As earlier stated, the history of western education in Nigeria is, to a great extent, the
history of the activities of the missionary societies that came into Nigeria. The origin of
modern education in Nigeria dates back to September 24, 1842 when the first Wesleyan
Missionaries landed in Nigeria and began evangelization. Then education was seen as a
major part of that goal. Since then, it has been a history of mixed fortunes for the Nigerian
educational sector.
H.C. Ogbonnaya et al, Methodist College Uzuakoli: A Short History22 is an attempt by
the Old Boys Association of Uzuakoli to produce a written history of their alma mater.
22 H.C. Ogbonnaya et al, Methodist College Uzuakoli: A Short History (Owerri: New Africa Publishing Ltd, 1995) The work gives a brief history of the College from its establishment in 1923 to the
aftermath of Nigerian civil war, with the bulk of the work focusing on the period between
Nigeria’s independence in 1960 to the start of the civil war. The work on the whole is
exploratory and presented on a pamphlet; it gives this research work a good background.
However, the present work intends to give a more detailed and comprehensive history of
the College beyond the start of the civil war and the period of government administration.
S.K. Okpo, A brief History of the Methodist Church in Eastern Nigeria23offers a brief
history of the Methodist Church from the time of the landing of the Primitive Missions in
Fernando Po, to the indigenization in 1976. It examined the efforts of the Methodist
Mission in spreading the gospel in various parts of Eastern Nigeria. The contribution of
foreigners as well as Nigerians to the mission was greatly appraised by Okpo’s work.
The interest of the work to this research is the author’s concise narrative of the efforts
of the mission towards the development of education starting from the Oron Institute; Ibo
Boys Institute; and efforts at women education championed by Miss Amy Richardson and
Mrs. Langley. On the whole, the work details the contributions of education as it concerns
the training of ministers for evangelizations. The work is very useful to any enthusiast of
the Methodist faith and history, as it details the efforts of the Methodist Missionary
enterprise in Eastern Nigeria, but did not extend to 2012. Hence, the need for this research.
Francis Anyika’sMethodism in Igboland, Eastern Nigeria, 1910-193224, offers a
detailed analysis of the beginning of Primitive Methodism in Nigeria, to the time of its
unification with the Wesleyan Methodist sect, which was predominant in Southwestern
Nigeria. Anyika divides the thrust of the primitive mission in Igboland into three stages,
namely: the first advance, which covered the period, 1911-1914; the second advance
23 .S.K. Okpo., A brief History of the Methodist Church in Eastern Nigeria (Oron: Manson publishing Company, 1985) 24 F. Anyika, Methodism in Igboland, Eastern Nigeria 1910-1932: Genesis and Growth (Onitsha: Cape Publishers Int’l Ltd., 1997) which covered 1915-1919; and the third advance covering 1920-1925. The work by
Anyika also treated factors that threatened the evangelization drive; varying from the
hostility of some Igbo communities, the paucity of personnel and outbreak of the First
World War. This informed the need of the mission to educate the indigenous populace to
compliment the work of the few Europeans in Igboland. Anyika’s book further looks at the
establishment of the Methodist College and its development up to 1932. Beyond this date,
further development of the College was left untreated.
F. K. Ekechi’s,Missionary Enterprise and Rivalry in Igboland, 1857-191425
concentrates on the Anglican Church Missionary Society (C.M.S.) and the Roman
Catholic Holy Ghost Fathers (C.S.Sp.). A major theme of the work is the rivalry of these
two missionary bodies, and in examining this, he makes considerable use of the archives
of both societies. With the penetration of the interior by the missionaries there also came
rivalry, and with its policy of education, the Catholic missionaries gained the upper hand.
The C.S.Sp. were quick to cooperate with government educational plans: they realized the
status-conferring quality of education and the attraction that this might have for the Ibo.
The C.M.S. lost many of their students to the 'secular education' of the Catholic mission.
The story was similar in Calabar, as the Efik grew dissatisfied with the education offered
by the Presbyterian mission: they thought it 'too religious'. The Catholics seemed to have
been able to foresee the attraction of education earlier than the C.M.S did. The work by
Ekechi is basically on the rivalry between two mission societies in South-Eastern Nigeria
and its implications for educational development in Eastern Nigeria. Though the study
takes Onitsha, as it’s focal, the facts therein are a reflection of the general state of affairs of
missionary education during the colonial era in other areas of Igboland.
25 C. M. Cooke, “The Missionaries and Ibo,” review of Ekechi, F. K.Missionary Enterprise and Rivalry in Igboland 1857-1914, The Journal of African History, 14, No. 1 (1973): 154-155.
C.N. Ubah’s, “Western Education in Africa: The Igbo Experience, 1900-1960”26 gives
lucid details of how Western type of education was introduced and developed among the
Igbo of South-Eastern Nigeria. It focuses attention on three features of Igbo experience,
namely, the factors that impeded or aided the development of the education system, the
objective and problems of Christian missionaries in the field of education and the position
of teachers and curriculum. Though the work takes Otanchara and Otanzu as case studies,
but the experiences are marginally true of the general Igbo experience and that of this
study.
Magnus Bassey’s “Missionary Rivalry and Educational Expansion in Southern
Nigeria 1885-1932”27traces the origin of the 19th century missions in Nigeria. It limits its
research to the Anglican Church Mission Society and the Roman Catholic Mission (RCM).
Also mentioned, were the responses of the people of Southern Nigeria, in relation to
acceptance and rejection of missionaries. As the missionaries realized the importance of
Western education as a veritable avenue for conversion, this perception brought a big
rivalry and rush by the missions to establish schools as a way of winning more converts to
its side, training African catechists and workers. Thus, a rapid expansion of education in
Southern Nigeria was witnessed between the periods under review. To this end, the author
argues that the high expansion of education witnessed was actually an accidental outcome
of church and missionary rivalry rather than an altruistic policy to provide expanded
educational opportunities for the African populace. Though, mentions were made of
Wesleyan Methodist Mission educational achievement in Southern Nigeria, the author
generally limits his study of missionary rivalry to the Roman Catholic and Church Mission
Society around the Onitsha axis of Igboland. It thus, offers a hint to the speedy
26 C.N. Ubah, “Western Education in Africa: The Igbo Experience 1900-1960” Comparative Education review. 24, No. 3 (1980): 1-19. 27 B. Magnus, “Missionary Rivalry and Educational Expansion in Southern Nigeria 1885-1932”, Journal of Negro Education 60, No. 1. (1991): 36-46. establishment of schools in parts of Igboland, which experienced the result of mission
rivalries.
In S.N. Nwabara’sIboland: A Century of Contact with Britain, 1860-196028 focuses on
the methods of British penetration into Igboland from 1860 to Nigerian independence in
1960. For the purposes of this review, it may be convenient to divide the book into three
major sections: (1) British penetration of Igboland through trade, religion (Christianity),
and education; (2) Anglo- Igbo military encounter; and (3) colonial administration,
conflict, and decolonization. The book’s treatment of the role of the Christian missions in
the furtherance of the imperialistic concerns of their home country is of interest to this
work.
Nzekwu, Tobechukwu’s “Dennis Memorial Grammar School, Onitsha 1925-1998”29 is an appraisal of the efforts of the Church Mission Society (CMS) and its agents to establish a
Grammar School in Eastern Nigeria. The aim was to help in the evangelization of Onitsha and its environs, through training of indigenous agents to help carry the gospel further into the Igbo hinterlands and win more converts to its denomination. Schools were seen as a veritable agent of these evangelization efforts. Nzekwu chronicles the history of the School from the colonial period of its establishment to the end of the Nigerian Civil War, bringing out the developments that had taken place. The work is relevant for this study as it offers a comparative term of the history of a mission school in the frame of Methodist College,
Uzuakoli.
28 S.N. Nwabara, Iboland: A Century of Contact with Britain, 1860-1960, (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1977) 29 Nzekwu, Tobechukwu, Dennis Memorial Grammar School, Onitsha 1925-1998” (B.A project, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, 1998) Ogbu Kalu’s “Primitive Methodist on the Railroad Junction of Igboland, 1910-1931”30
analyzes the missionary enterprise of the primitive Methodist Mission in Igboland until
they lost their ‘Primitive stripe’ in 1932. The accounts of Reverend Fred Dodds dominate
the author’s narratives of the Primitive Methodist in Igboland. He asserts that the writing
of church history should not only concern the activities of European missionaries, but
should also include their African agent and the responses by locals to the new religious
ideas of their guest.
The work is divided into two parts by the author for easy comprehension. In the first
section named, ‘The home base’, the work highlights the character of the Primitive
Methodist Missionary Society in Britain, starting from its split from the Wesleyans, to the
political, economic and religious determinants of the evangelical revival of the 19th
century. The second section named ‘the field,’ is basically a follow up of the first. It
outlined how in spite of the size, difficulties and limitations of the Primitive Missionaries
men on the field in Igboland, made spirited efforts to evangelize much of the railroad
junctions in Igboland, overcoming rivalries from other missions, antagonism from many
communities and shortage of funds and men. Progresses made in evangelization, education
and healthcare were recorded at great length, in this, two primitive missionaries names
stood out in the author’s narrative, namely Reverend Christie and the ‘charismatic’
Reverend Dodds. The author asserted that the frequent Conference between the various
Missionary societies in the Igbo hinterland prevented intense rivalry in the area that would
have resulted in rapid educational expansion which was the case in the Onitsha axis of
Igboland. The work is important to this study as it offers a peep into the early days of the
Primitive Methodist mission in Uzuakoli and environs and events leading up to the
establishment of the College.
30 K. Ogbu, “Primitive Methodist on the Railroad Junction of Igboland, 1910-1931” Journal of Religion in Africa, 16, No. 1, (1986): 44-66. Another useful work is Lawrence Amadi’s, “Public Education Edict, 1970: Educational
Transition in East Central State, Nigeria”31 According to the author, the introduction of the
Public Education Edict, 1970, in East Central State, was an important episode in the
history of education by the State, and possibly in the whole of Nigeria. Its potential impact
was not only educational but also political and social. The purpose of Amadi’s work was
to analyze and examine briefly the edict in relation to the society. Emphasis was placed on
the background leading to the Edict, its implications and implementation in a post civil
war East Central State of Nigeria. It traced the history of education in Nigeria from the
time of missionaries to the various educational ordinances in Nigeria from pre-colonial to
colonial times. The author made a critique of the lack of unity of curriculum, especially
among the various mission schools that dominated education during the pre-colonial to
early independence period in Nigeria. The work is, however, important for it offers first-
hand appraisal of the Education Edict of 1970. On the whole, it offers a one-sided
assessment of the pros and cons of the Edict as it totally appraises the Government of East
Central State while being critical of the missions. The work is important in understanding
the post-civil war educational policy of the East-Central State of Nigeria and
accompanying developments that followed.
K.O. Umezurumba, Christianity and Western Education in Umuahia, 1917-199132
examines colonialism and the import of Western education into Umuahia and the impact
on Igbo political, socio-cultural and economic life. It takes Umuahia, the capital of present
day Abia State in Nigeria as a case study. The work highlight the efforts of the various
Missionary societies in Umuahia and its environ to establish Western education, it also
highlights the various clashes the ‘new religion’ brought by the missionaries had with the
31 E. L. Amadi, “Public Education Edict, 1970: Educational Transition in East Central State, Nigeria” Journal of Negro Education 48, No. 4 (1979): 530-543. 32 K.O. Umezurumba, “Christianity and Western Education in Umuahia 1917-1991” (B.A project, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, 1995) traditional Igbo culture and how colonialism brought contradictions to the political cum
socio-economic life of the Igbo society. It discusses the reasons the Igbo were receptive to
the western styled education. The work is useful in detailing the development of Western
education in colonial Umuahia and stops at that. Little detail is given of the development
of education in the post-colonial era, unlike the present research that extends to
M.M. Familusi’s, Methodism in Nigeria, 1842-199233 is an attempt at
reconstructing the history of the Methodist Church in Nigeria from 1842, when the first
Wesleyan missionaries landed in Badagry, to 1992 when the Church celebrated its 150th
anniversary in Nigeria. Familusi’s work details the development of the Church all over
Nigeria and some of the agents of this development, but the bulk of the work focuses on
Western Nigeria and little on Eastern Nigeria and other regions in Nigeria. The stride of
the Church towards educational development in Nigeria received the author’s attention. In
the author’s analysis of the Nigerian Civil War and the breakaway of the Eastern
Methodist Church, one doubts if Familuisi is guided by the facts of the war or writing on
mere sentiments. The work is a good tool for any church historian who has the Methodist
Church as a focus. It is also important to the study as it chronicles development of
education (via establishment of schools) by the Methodist in all parts of Nigeria. Having
known that the literatures above could not include the Methodist College, Uzuakoli from
1923-2012, this researcher had no alternative than to do this work.
Sources, Methods and Organization
This study is approached from the historical method of narration; it combines qualitative
method with analysis of facts.The qualitative approach aims at in-depth understanding of
behaviors of the missionaries that administered the school and reasons that govern such
33 M.M. Familusi, Methodism in Nigeria 1842-1992 (Ibadan: Olusanmi Printing works, 1992) behavior. This will help in the analysis of facts gathered. The study also applies interdisciplinary approach and uses facts from the discipline of religion and education to complement history.
Data for the study was gathered from two sources namely primary sources and secondary sources. Primary sources were derived mainly from oral interviews, communiqué, official documents.To better understand various periods of the College’s development, Old Boys who had attended the College at diverse periods were interviewedin Lagos, Umuahia and
Uzuakoli, also interviewed were past and present Principals and staff of the College. In
Uzuakoli where the College is located, traditional rulers, elders and women leaders were interviewed, with a view to get a better picture of the impact of the College in Uzuakoli and its environs. Information gathered from oral interviews were augmented with government gazette, communiqués and written records sourced from National Archives,
Enugu; Institute of African Studies, Nsukka; Methodist College, Uzuakoli Library; and the
Nnamdi Azikiwe Library, Nsukka. The secondary sources were derived mainly from books, online and print journals, magazines, unpublished project works and other related articles on print and online media.
The work is divided into five chapters; Chapter one is the background to the study.
Chapter two looks at the College from its formative years till 1960. Chapter three looks at the history of the College from independence to the end of the Nigerian civil war in 1970.
Chapter four assesses the College under government control. Chapter five summaries and concludes the work.
CHAPTER TWO
METHODIST COLLEGE, UZUAKOLI, 1923-1960
One of the first things the missionaries did on taking possession of a town was to plant a school. This action was not always motivated by any interest to bless the converts with
Western education; rather uppermost in their minds was proselytization. This is because educational institutions provided very fertile grounds for winning converts in large numbers. Before graduating from the school, the pupil was urged to embrace Christianity by the tremendous doses of Christian instructions, which he had received.34 Thus, because
of its proselytizing role, schools were opened with remarkable regularity. As this was the
case among missionaries, the Primitive Methodist Mission was no exception and on their
settlement in Archibong Town, a school was built alongside a church in 1895. But the first
real step towards the development of a Western education started a decade after, at Oron,
where aTraining Institute for Boys (boarding) was built in 1905. This was a direct outcome
of a proposal made on 16th June, 1904 by Reverend Nathanial Boocock to the Primitive
Methodist Missionary Society (P.M.M.S) Executive Committee. During its meeting in
Birmingham, Boocock argued:
That Training Institute to be erected at Oron where we can receive Boarders from our mission schools in Fernando Po and also the most promising youths from our mission schools in mainland (Nigeria). That while a general education be given which may include instruction in Carpentry and other useful trades, the pre-eminent aim of the masters shall be to train the youth with a view to their becoming Native Teaching Evangelists.35
When the PM arrived in Bende in 1910, a small school was also planted there under the
guidance of Reverend Christie. With the establishment of schools and PM stations in
Igboland, the mission ran out of capable hands as there was dearth of Europeans to help in
proselytization and educational programme. Reverend Dodds had initially sought to solve
this problem in 1913 by sending pupils from Igboland to Oron for training as teachers and
Catechists. Oron was too far away and the transport system in place at that time did not
help matters. The only other near Institute was located at Awka and it was owned by the
CMS, so naturally the need for an Institute in Igboland started gaining momentum. Even
the Education Ordinance of 1916 did not help the fate of these PM schools as it asserted
government’s firm control over education. The Amended Ordinance No. 8 of 1919 gave
34 Francis Anyika, Methodism in Igboland…, 126. 35Francis Anyika, Methodism in Igboland…, 128. more powers to the Inspectors by allowing them to inspect any school, whether assisted or
non-assisted and also empowered the Education Board to, upon the recommendation of
Inspectors, close non-performing schools.36 Notwithstanding, conditions for setting up of a
training institute was also very favorable as the locals were becoming very eager for it that
they raised in 1921 alone 600 pounds for the payment of teachers salary. The education
ordinance also made grants available to the government and mission schools that met their
criteria.37
Land Acquisition
Land has remained the most valuable property in the life of man. It is a source of wealth to
those who have it and the mother of all properties. In other words, virtually all the basic
needs of human existence are land dependent. In view of the importance and usefulness of
land, the missionaries and their colonial partners sought land upon arrival in any
community, as this facilitated the effectiveoccupation of that community. The Primitive
Methodist Mission was no exception. According to Reverend Dodds;
It was to support Dappa and try to persuade the chiefs to give a piece of land for a school that I went to Uzuakoli in January 1911...I found the people strongly opposed to the mission coming to the town at all. They gave me a strange reception.38
From the above quote by Reverend Dodds, one could see that the PM had in 1911 desired
land in Uzuakoli, to begin the gradual process of missionary activities. A school was
envisaged, but not the scale of Training Institute. A primary school where mostly religious
and moral instruction will be the subject offered. The Uzuakoli people were greatly
opposed to the mission presence as Reverend Dodds’account showed. The people were
36Martins Fabunmi, “Historical Analysis Of Educational Policy Formulation In Nigeria: Implications For Educational Planning and Policy” Department of Educational Management, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. (2005): 1-7 37 Francis Anyika, Methodism in Igboland…, 129. 38 A. J. Fox , Uzuakoli: A Short History…, 96. suspicious of the white man (and rightly so), who they felt would interfere with the ancient
customs of the town and the regular trade in slaves at the Abangwu market.39 The thinking
was that a slave could easily escape to the white man’s school and be set free; this thinking
among the Uzuakoli chiefs hindered the quick establishment of a mission at Uzuakoli.
Promptly, the PM set about establishing missions in other nearby communities like Ovim,
Amuda, Umuawa, Ihube, Ogboko Ozuitem, Okoko Item, Ohuhu.40The fear of the
Uzuakoli chiefs to the intentions of the missionaries towards their ancient traditions and
customs were a valid one, as European narratives of the pre-colonial and colonial era
viewed everything African as paganistic and devilish. Africa was seen as being in need of
emancipation from his traditionalways by a total rejection of his old ways of life and
embracing the Christian religion the Europeans offered.
The need for Training Institute in the Igbo hinterland, gained more momentum as the
expansion drive of the PM into Igboland increased, new schools and churches were built,
the demand for qualified teachers and catechist greatly increased too. Also as the
expansion drive by the PM into Igboland increased, so did acceptability of Igbo people
vis-a-vis the Uzuakoli people to the PM increase. A number of factors can be deduced for
this gradual change of heart. These were the perceived support of mission by government,
security (which comes with government support), inter-village rivalry, personality clash
and the building of a railway across Uzuakoli which brought close government presence
and also reduced the client and importance of the Abangwu market in Uzuakoli.
At the present College site, was formerly a government rest house. With the coming of the
railway, the government built another rest house nearer the railway station and thereafter
abandoned the old rest house, it was at this site that Uzuakoli elders led by Chief
39A. J. Fox , Uzuakoli: A Short History..., 97. 40 Ogbonnaya H.C et al, Methodist College Uzuakoli: A Short History (Owerri: New Africa Publishing Ltd, 1995), 1. Iheukwumere41 agreed with the PM to build a school and training college. The new site
became a mission station of the PM in Uzuakoli; a church/school was established there. It
was not until 1922, after several deputations that Holborn Hall instructed that work on the
proposed site should commence without further delay. After Uzuakoli became the obvious
choice for the building of the Institute, the mission station was seen as the ideal location
for a school. Thus, it was decided to build the College at its present location, while the
mission station was relocated to another site. The PM thus had two enormous projects to
execute in 1922, namely, to erect an Institute and to establish a new mission station.
Building of the College
The task of building any great structure with minimal monetary budget always poses great
problem to any builder. So when the task of erecting the first structures for the proposed
PM Boys Institute in Uzuakoli, Reverend Robert Banhamwas contacted. Banham had
earlier in 1905 been in charge of building the Oron Training Institute, which was the first
boarding school (primary) that the PM established for Boys in Eastern Nigeria (the
Teachers Training and Secondary school sections were added some years later).
Consequently under the supervision of Banham, the first buildings right from the
classrooms to the Principal’s house were entirely made of mud and was finished at the end
of 1922 for the grand opening of the Institute on 11th January 1923.42 Thus the dream of a
boarding Institute for Boys in the Igbo hinterland by the PM was born. The Institute had
the Reverend J.B. Hardy as its first Principal. No one captures the mood of PM than the
builder Reverend Banham who enthused:
41 Chief Iheukwumere though agreed to grant a land to the PM Mission after many persuasions/inducements including that of training one of his sons in the PM school, that he never converted to Christianity throughout his lifetime, speaks volume of the resilience of Uzuakoli customs and traditions in the face of foreign opposition see A. J. Fox (ed.), Uzuakoli: A Short History (London: Oxford University Press, 1964), 98. 42 F. Anyika, Methodism in Igboland, Eastern…, 130. One feels the thrill of it all and rejoices over a successful opening of the Institute. There was never any doubt about the success of venture ultimately but to have such a glorious beginning augurs well for the future and confirms ones faith in the work.43
As much as literature on the early day of the College have been fast to table all credits to
building of the College to Reverend Banham, it is worthy to note the efforts of many
individuals from Eastern Nigeria like Mr. Pita Nwana who was a good carpenter and did
most of the early carpentry works on the first school buildings.It is also worthy to note that
during the period under review, the school made most of the instruments and furniture
used in the school. Pita Nwana was to later become a permanent foreman in the College
and was an instructor on carpentry in the College workshop. Several other easterners
contributed immensely to helping set up the first buildings of the College, which wouldn’t
have been possible with European standard of wage for labour. The easterners provided
cheap labour that enabled the PM with its very thin budget to complete works on the
Institute on time for eventual takeoff in 1923.
GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
The Institute under Reverend J.B. Hardy
The Institute started in January 1923, with Rev. J.B. Hardy as Principal, other staff
members included Mrs. Hardy, Mr. Udo U. Awa and Mr. Eyo. From Hope Waddell
Training Institute Calabar, came Mr. Obiaku Ibezim, Mr. Iheukwumere, Ndubueze
Ogbonna and Daniel Mba. The Institute began with these staff and a syllabus for primary
school; the only difference was that the scripture was on the timetable. The school fee was
set at fifteen shillings per term; out of the fifteen shillings, each pupil received a shilling
43 Banham to Barkby PMMS Archives, London, MMS/1163, 9th February 1923 quoted in Francis Anyika, Methodism in Igboland…, 130. per week for his feeding and the term lasted for twelve weeks.44This meant that each pupil
paid only three shillings for both tuition and boarding fees.
Though Reverend Hardy had the enviable position of being the pioneer principal of the Ibo
Boys Institute, he set about his duty swiftly. As soon as normal academic work started,
Rev. Hardy introduced sporting activities. In the same year, school inspectors Messrs
Flemings and Clarke from Bonny visited the school from 19th to 22nd March 1923.45 The
School held its first annual sports meeting on 15th June 1923; the event attracted the
Assistant District School Officer and his wife, Captain and Mrs. Cribble. September 1923
was a month of great stride for the Institute as in this month, the Inspector of Government
Assisted Schools, Mr. W.B. Stimson visited and inspected the school, and consequently,
the Institute was recognized by the government and included on the list of government
assisted schools. Mr. Stimson also approved of all the Institute teachers but one, the said
teacher was promptly replaced after the inspector’s departure. In 1924, Reverend Hardy
left the College
The Institute under Reverend Williams (1924-1939)
Reverend H.L.O. Williams took over as Acting Principal upon Reverend Hardy’s
departure for leave to England. He was later made the substantive principal as when
Reverend Hardy failed to return back to Nigeria. According to H.C. Ogbonnaya,
“Reverend Williams was a man of vision, he visualized an African society, organized and
ruled by Africans.46 Thus he worked towards a time when an African would be principal
44 The boys were responsible for their own feeding as there were no dining facilities in those days, some buying their food at the Eke Market while others received supplies from home or by relatives who came to the market. The later set were also refunded the twelve shillings due them for feeding from the Institute 45 H.C. Ogbonnaya et al, Methodist College…, 4. 46H.C. Ogbonnaya et al, Methodist College…, 12. of the Institute.In 1925, a new dormitory was added. Furthermore, an infant department
was added in August 1925. Also, the House system was introduced, thus the four
dormitories were now termed Houses and were now to be known as Houses A,B,C and D.
For each House, a captain was appointed.47 The House system increased competitiveness
in sports as inter-house Football, Volleyball and Cricket were keenly contested and a flag
was awarded to the winning House with all the bragging rights.
The Uzuakoli Boys Institute attained the status of a training College on January
1926 when a normal (Teachers) training department for teachers was added. Subsequently,
the school was renamed The Training Institute, Uzuakoli. Thus, the teachers’ training
started under the watchful eyes of Reverend Williams with 13 pioneer students.48 The only
limitation was that Reverend William was the only one qualified to teach both Form 1 and
the Teachers Training Department in all subjects.Reverend Williams besides teaching all
subjects in the Secondary and Normal Departments and exercising pastoral oversight over
all students, he also bore the entire administrative burden. One can only marvel at how one
man can satisfactory perform this duties promptly. It calls into question how little the
Primitive Methodist mission were willing to invest in quality education for Africans,
commiserate with that of European educational standards other than basic education
needed for clerical and evangelical works. It can be argued, and rightly so, that if the
missionaries had a way of converting Africans without educating them, they would have
taken that option as a missionary, Father Legeune affirms; education is the only way ahead
in Africa, there is no other way to convert the people.49Thus, starting as a primary school,
a secondary wing emerged, and an infant school was started to feed the primary school;
47 F. Anyika, Methodism in Igboland, Eastern…, 132. 48F. Anyika, Methodism in Igboland, Eastern…, 131. 49 P.B. Clark “The Methods and Ideology of the Holy Ghost Fathers in Eastern Nigeria, 1885-1905”, in O.U. Kalu (ed) The History of Christianity in West Africa (Essex: Longman, 1980) while the primary school fed the secondary school and the primary school also served as a
practicing school for the teacher training students. In September 1926, the principal
Reverend Williams went on leave, while Reverend Wiles took over for the seven months
period the leave lasted50. On the return of Reverend Williams in May 1927, he and Wiles
worked together in the Secondary and teachers training section of the Institute (Reverend
Williams had been the only tutor for these sections before Reverend Wiles joined the
Institution).
The 1926 Education Ordinance was the first ordinance since the establishment of the
College. Therefore, it was a test as to the strides the Institute has made as far as such
prescribed areas as; adaptation of formal education to local conditions, study of
vernaculars in schools, thorough supervision and inspection of schools, emphasis on
religious training and moral instructions. The recommendations of the 1926 Education
Ordinance also included, making registration of teachers a pre-condition for teaching in
any school in Southern Nigeria.51
The missionaries controlled the Nigerian School Curricula between 1842 and 1882. From
the latter date, the Government gradually involved itself in the provision of education and
in curriculum development. At first, government involvement took the form of meager
grants to the missions and the promulgation of education ordinances and codes.
After Inspections based on the new policies, the Institute was graded an ‘A’ the only boys
school apart from Kings College to get that mark. The College had a variety of subjects
taught as part of its curriculum. According to an old boy;
Everything under the sun was taught with the exception of Latin and French (French was later introduced after I left). Methodist College was also very concerned that their student is equipped practically, so
50F. Anyika, Methodism in Igboland, Eastern…, 131. 51Martins Fabunmi, “Historical Analysis Of Educational Policy Formulation In Nigeria: Implications For Educational Planning and Policy” Department of Educational Management, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. (2005): 1-7
there was a very big workshop where I learnt woodwork for 3 years. We also had a junior science lab where you were taught general science and when you enter the senior classes, you then had the Physics, Chemistry and Biology lab, the lab equipment in Uzuakoli Methodist College at that time would successfully rival that of any University in the country presently. Practical agriculture was also introduced; English was the language of instruction in the College. Uzuakoli was the cradle for the development of the written Igbo…52
During this period (1924-1939), the College participated in the first scholarship
examinations. This led to 3 of its student securing three scholarships offered by the
government as medical trainees (as Dispensers) in King’s College53 and a further three as
agricultural trainees at government plantation Ibadan. Furthermore, fourteen out of sixteen
of the Institute students passed the government clerical entrance examination and thus
came under the employment of the colonial civil service. Further fame came to the College
through the efforts of one of its scout in far away United Kingdom as one of her students,
Dick Ogan, who had gone as part of the Nigerian contingent to the scout jamboree won the
first price in diary keeping. Meanwhile, apart from the products of the Institute getting
scholarships and government/commercial employment, they were also being yearly
ploughed back into existing schools as schoolmasters. The gradual but steady growth in
their number was increasing the ability of the mission to staff its schools with trained and
certified Methodist teachers.54 These developments were speedily fulfilling the aim of the
missionaries for establishing the Institute in the Igbo hinterland (to help prolysterization
through education). Most importantly, the educational needs of Africans were also met as
a new elite class versed in western knowledge began to emerge. However, there were
some missionaries who were cautious of the gains of Western education to Nigerians
outside of prolysterization. One of them Reverend A.W. Hodgetts was of the opinion that:
52 Uchenna Emezue, 68 years, interview cited.
53 Dr. Michael Okpara (Premier of Eastern Nigeria during the First Republic, 1959–1966) was a beneficiary of one such scholarship. He won a scholarship to study medicine at the then Yaba Higher College, Lagos Completing his medical studies at the Nigerian School of Medicine 54 Francis Anyika, Methodism in Igboland…, 133. …employed by mercantile firms or in Government have more money than they ever have before, and all allurement of wickedness are about them. By reason of their book knowledge they imagine they are far above their brethren who have not learned to read and write, indeed they look down upon them with more disdain55
The opinions of men like Reverend A.W. Hodgetts threatened to nullify the gains of
Western education in Igboland. To this, Reverend H.L.O Williams wrote a memorandum
to the Methodist Conference in London in June 1929 in which he captioned “In Defence of
Education Moving side by side with Religious Evangelism.” In the memo, Reverend
William sought to justify education for Nigerians viz-a-viz why the church should still
support educational work against the ‘wrong conceptions from many dissatisfied minds’.
Despite these occasional drawbacks, the Institute continued to make giant strides in
educating the future leaders of Nigeria.
At that time (of the early 1920s and 1930s), educated people were few and jobs were
plentiful, almost all those admitted into the Teachers Training Section of the Institute were
on mission scholarship and to avert desertion after training, Teachers signed an agreement
to serve the mission for five years after training. With this, the Institute was able to retain a
good number of homegrown and qualified teachers that gave it a favorable edge in staff
strength and quality education.56 It is little wonder that the Institute maintained a steady
high remark in Inspection report by the colonial government that made sure it was able to
access the yearly grants offered by it.57To deal with the issue of insufficient staff in the
post primary classes, students were taught by an individual assignment system of which a
55 A.W. Hodgets, “A New Venture in Opodo” Advance January 1931, quoted in F. Anyika, Methodism in Igboland…, 13. 56 This statement was very true of the Primary classes, but the post primary classes had a dearth of qualified staffs during the period under review and most of the time wholly relied on just one or two foreign missionaries handling all the post primary classes. This was due to the fact that the Institute had only a Teachers grade two certificate on offer during that time. 57 N.A.E UMED2/1/8 Inspection of Schools 1923-47. small Library was provided. This Reverend Williams hoped will develop more initiative
and alertness than the older parrot-like memory instruction.
From the 1930s, Reverend Williams began an expansive rebuilding effort at building
some of the permanent structures that stay all through the golden era of the College. Funds
were sourced from the home base in England and other Christian endeavor societies. Mr.
Pita Nwana who supervised the building of all the initial permanent structures in the
College helped him in this task. He later became a foreman for all works done in the
College. In 1932, the College was given a College and middle school status with the full
recognition as determined by the educational code of 1931.58 Other schools given this
status in Nigeria included, Hope Waddell Calabar, Dennis Memorial Grammar Onitsha,
Wesleyan Methodist School and CMS Grammar School both in Lagos.
From January 1926 to December 1932, 37 teachers were trained at the Institute, 33
remained at the service of the mission with the exception of 4. In the following year
(1938), the Institute’s name was changed to Methodist College Uzuakoli.59 This being the
last act done under the watchful eyes of Reverend H.L.O. Williams60 before he was posted
to Port-Harcourt the following year (1939). Reverend Williams had served for a very
progressive fourteen years during which he had worked hard and had firmly established
the College on the path of excellence in academics, moral discipline, sports and games,
self-reliance through practical use of the hands. In his book H.K. Offonry wrote of
Reverend HLO Williams thus,
His dedication to duty, sense of drive and organizing ability were so strong that he appeared to be able to achieve even the impossible. His striking achievement was not just converting a piece of jungle into an impressive campus but also successfully
58 N.A.E MINED 1/1/36 Methodist Institute Uzuakoli 1927-32. 59 H.C. Ogbonnaya et al, Methodist College…, 12. 60 The name of the School was changed from the Training Institute Uzuakoli to Methodist College Uzuakoli in 1938 as part of the measures to fully reflect the unification of the Primitive Methodist Mission Society and The Weslayan Methodist Mission Society in 1932. establishing systems which place emphasis on merit, self- development, personal discipline and hard work. 61
His brother Mr. R.S.D Williams succeeded Reverend Williams in 1939; Mr. Williams was
removed the same year and replaced by Reverend W.J. Wood,62 who was trained by the
mission on sciences in the University, so as to undertake the teaching of same in the
Nigerian Mission.
Reverend W.J. Wood’s Tenure
Before the appointment of Reverend W.J. Woods as Principal in 1939, he had worked
under Reverend Williams in 1932. Wood was a classroom teacher, a carpenter, a scout, a
sportsman and above all, a minister of the gospel. He was more or less a protégé of
Reverend HLO Williams.63 It was no surprise that the College continued in the same path
under Wood as it had done under Williams. In 1941, the first set of class VI students took
the Cambridge Overseas School Certificate Examination and scored 100% pass. Pipe-
borne water was introduced in 1942.64 In 1942 also, the Higher Elementary Teachers
Grade II was introduced to train teachers to teach in higher classes, all under the
management of Reverend Wood. From 1946, separate administration for sections of the
College started,65 as Mr. E.H. Longbottom took over as Headmaster of the Secondary
School. In 1947, Reverend A.B. Macgarr headed the Elementary Teachers Centre, while
Reverend Wood now manned the Higher Elementary Training Centre and was overall
head of the whole College. This system was adopted to ease the burden on just one man
61 H. K. Offonry,Portrait of a leader: The biography of Dr. Michael Okpara (Owerri: New Africa Publishers, 1983), 5. 62 The short term Mr. Williams spent as Principal helps to reinforce the notion that the church only prefers ministers of the gospel as principals. 63 H.C. Ogbonnaya et al, Methodist College…, 15. 64 Before the introduction of pipe-borne water, students had to go to the nearby Ilo River to fetch water for their daily usage. The pipe-borne water system also led to the introduction of the water system type of toilet as against the bucket system that was previously practiced. 65 H.C. Ogbonnaya et al, Methodist College…, 17. managing all the sections of the College and to allow for greater efficiency in
administration.
It is worthy of note that despite the separate administration of the different sections of the
College, one of them doubled as the overall administrator of the College and in 1947, it
was Reverend Wood who was also the Principal of H.E.T.C. It seems the late introduction
of the H.E.T.C in 1942 had hampered the progress of many African teachers, as most of
them who had trained in the E.T.C from inception in 1926 were not qualified to teach in
the secondary school. This greatly affected staffing in the secondary section of the
College, as teaching of the secondary school was the exclusive preserve of the European
tutors, which meant often time just one or two persons teaching the entire Secondary
School Section due to the paucity of Europeans. It was until the introduction of the
H.E.T.C in 1942 that the indigenous teachers were able to further their teaching
qualifications to be able to teach the post primary classes of the Methodist College
Uzuakoli and other neighboring town.66In 1956, the Higher School Certificate course
started and it became part of the secondary school.67 The Higher School was a two years
post secondary school course, completion of which qualified the student to teach in the
secondary schools and above all, direct entry into any institution of higher learning in
Nigeria and the British Commonwealth. The introduction of the H.E.T.C and Higher
School course helped the meritorious rise of Africans in the College as teaching or
administrative staffs before the dawn of independence in 1960.
66 Neighboring schools depended heavily on the Teachers training Centers of the Methodist College Uzuakoli for staffing as the College was one of the only Teachers Training Centers in the Igbo hinterland for a long period of time.
67 N.A.E MINED 8/1/138 Methodist College Uzuakoli Minutes of Board meeting 1948-56.
CHAPTER THREE
METHODIST COLLEGE UZUAKOLI 1960-1970
The 1950s and 1960s was a time of accelerated political change in Africa, as an unprecedented number of African countries were gaining political independence.
Examples are Libya (1951), Morocco (1955), Tunisia (1956), Ghana (1957) and Guinea
(1958). It was only a matter of time before Nigeria followed in the line of independent
African nations and she attained hers in 1960. During this period of rapid political change in the African continent, Nigerians had begun to occupy important positions in politics and in the civil service, though many Europeans still manned most of the
administrative positions in the civil service.
The steady rise of Nigerians in the civil service and political activities was also
witnessed in the administrative makeup of the College. In1954, a Nigerian, Mr. U.U.
Okure, became the Headmaster of the Secondary School Section of the College and by
1958, two years before Nigeria’s independence; a Nigerian became a senior Principal in
the person of Mr. K. Achinuvu.68 These rise of Nigerians in the administration of the
College cannot all be attributed to the events in the political environment but also mainly
due to the creation of the H.E.T.C in 1942 as earlier stated in chapter two and the later
creation of the Higher School Certificate course in 1956. These developments helped in
raising the educational attainment of the Nigerians in the College and in other nearby
schools.
Curriculum
From the year 1910 when Cambridge Local Examinations were introduced into Nigeria,
the Nigerian Secondary School curriculum were to a large extent determined by the
Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, because these schools prepared their pupils
for subjects normally examined by that body.69The curriculum of the primary school
included Writing and Dictation, Arithmetic, English (Grammar and English
Composition), Religious Knowledge, History and Geography. Pupils were prepared for
68 H.C. Ogbonnaya et al, Methodist College Uzuakoli: A Short History (Owerri: New Africa Publishing Ltd, 1995), 58. 69A. A. Adeyinka, “Major Trends In Curriculum Development in Nigeria” Department of Educational Foundations, University of Ilorin, Ilorin. (1988): 1-10, the Middle Four Examination organised by the Department of Education established in
1903.70 Most of the grammar schools of the time had primary departments. The teacher
training institutions also followed an academic curriculum, but they combined this with
pedagogical training, they provided instructions in the basic Arts subjects, Elementary
Science, domestic duties and infant care and teacher education in general. Each of these
institutions paid considerable attention to the teaching of Physical Training and Christian
Religious Knowledge,71 apparently to aid the physical, moral and spiritual development
of the students.
In 1959, for example, the former Eastern Region revised its primary school curriculum
for the First School Leaving Certificate Examination and also the Secondary School
Syllabuses in English, History and Geography. Moves were also made to revise the
teacher-training curriculum.72 The reason for this change was basically political. In
preparation for political independence, which was promised for the following year
(1960), the former Eastern Region realized the need to throw away part of the British-
type academic curriculum and replace this with one that was more relevant to the needs
of the people. Efforts were also made in other regions of the country to bring about
changes in the education system. During the year immediately following independence,
the West African Examination Council (WAEC) undertook a gradual revision of the
School Certificate Syllabuses, especially in History, Mathematics, French, English
Language and Literature (now Literature in English), Physics, Chemistry and Biology. It
also increased the number of its examinable subjects. Secondary Schools in the country
accordingly revised their own curricula. This gradually led to a swing of candidates from
the traditional subjects to the new ones, and also to such science subjects as Physics,
70A. A. Adeyinka, “Major Trends In…,1-10. 71 T. T. Solaru, Teacher Training in Nigeria (Ibadan: Ibadan University Press, 1964), 1. 72A. A. Adeyinka, Major Trends In…,1-10. Chemistry and Biology, presumably because there are now better qualified teachers of
this subject and better equipment for teaching them.
The Development of the Study of Igbo Language, Culture and History
Long before the Europeans arrived, education had been part of Nigerians. The Children
were taught about their culture, social activities, survival skills and work. Most of these
education processes were impacted into the children informally; a few of these societies
gave a more formal teaching. In these societies, there are formal instructions that
governed the rites of passage from youth into adulthood, the youths is expected to have
attained the necessary social and survival skills as well as having a grounded knowledge
in the cultures and the indigenous language which was a big part of that society’s
education. These are the foundations of education in Igboland and Nigeria upon which
Western education implemented upon inception.
When the Primitive Methodist first came into the Igbo hinterland, they passed across
their messages in English and have them delivered through the help of an interpreter who
often time distorted the messages of the missionaries.73 The Primitive Methodist mission
found it imperative to encourage the learning of the Igboland by its agents as they
reasoned that it would further prolysterization efforts and also help attract many pupils to
their schools.74It also encouraged the study of the Igbo language right from inception.
Though English was the language of instruction, the Igbo language was encouraged,
both in teaching of it and speaking of it within the College. Those not of Igbo origin
were not exempted from this practice. Its efforts at the advancement of the Igbo
language and culture received its recognition when in 1933 the Institute of African
73Chikezie Ogwudinanti, 70 years, Old boy, interviewed at Umuahia, 21st November, 2013.
74Kalu Ogwo, 82 years, Old Boy, interviewed at Lagos, 12th July, 2013. Language and Culture London set a competition of essay writing in Igbo. Mr. Pita
Nwana,75 a staff of the College entered and won the first prize with an essay ‘Omenuko’.
The winning essay from the College was later published as a book in 1933 also
under the title ‘Omenuko’.76 This book played a very important role in the study and
development of the Igbo language and culture. It was included in the syllables for Igbo
language study by the West African Examination Council (WAEC). This book helped
lay a solid foundation in the study of Igbo language and culture. Other pioneers in the
study of Igbo language and culture among the old boys of UZUMECO included Mr.
Kanu Achinivu, among his early works were Okwu Igbo nke mbu and Ila Oso Uzuakoli.
Other pioneers are Messrs. G.E. Igwe, J.C. Iroaganachi, S.W. Chianakwalam, D.N.
Achara, H.C. Ogbonnaya and R.A. Igwe.77
Some of the Old boys of the College have written or participated in writing. They
include the following:-K. Achinivu, et al-Ememe ndi Igbo, D.N. Achara- Ala Bingo,
D.N. Achara- A premier of Igbo Etiquette, D.N. Achara, et al -Elelia na ihe O mere,
G.E. Igwe et al -Igbo Language Courses1-3 and H.C. Ogbonnaya- Igbo Language and
Culture –78
Igbo language is still studied in all classes of the College and students have continued to
perform well in the subject. In 1973, the College won the first prize for the best
performance in School certificate Igbo. The promotion of Igbo culture and history
culminated in the writing of the book A short history of Uzuakoli by A.J. Fox, a
European with the aid of the students of the College who were in the history society of
the College. Also, ‘Igboness’ has continued to be promoted in the College till this day
75 Pita Nwana was a foreman (Carpenter) in the College when he wrote the book Omenuko 76 Omenuko is the first novel of any consequence written in Igbo language, the work depicts the life of the Igbo man. 77 H.C. Ogbonnaya et al, Methodist College…, 42. 78H.C. Ogbonnaya et al, Methodist College…, 43. through the study of the Language and history and activities of the various societies in
the College that includes History and drama societies.79
The Expansion of the College Site
Under Reverend Wood, plans started for the expansion of the College site at the current
Secondary School’s location. The reasons ranged from allowing more rooms for games,
total separation of men in the Teachers Training Centers and boys from the secondary
school who had different independence and disciplinary standards. It was also to admit
more students to meet with the ever-increasing demand for education. The Education
Ordinance of 1948 decentralized educational administration80. It created a central board
of education and four regional boards (in the East, West, Lagos and North) in keeping
with the crux of the Richard constitution. It also recommended the establishment of
Local Education Committees. By this ordinance, Government sought to take a more
active role in direct decision-making in voluntary agencies schools other than restricting
itself to only supervision and giving of grant-in-aids to these schools. Consequently, a
board of governors was constituted in 1948 comprising of 5 nominees from the
Methodist Church of Eastern Nigeria, 2 nominees from the Senior Resident of Owerri
Province and 1 nominee from the Ministry of Education. This board became the final
decision making panel for the College, deciding on issues ranging from staff
appointments, grants approval, welfare and facilities. The implications of this board to
the College was that decision-making was delayed a great deal, the expansion of the
College site was reported in 1948, but approval only came in 1956.81
In November 1959, the buildings for the ‘New site’ were officially opened as the
beginning of a new compound for the Secondary school, one housing unit and two staff
79 E. Uchenna, 68 years, Old boy, oral interview cited. 80 E. L. Amadi, “Public Education Edict, 1970: Educational Transition in East Central State, Nigeria” Journal of Negro Education 48, No. 4 (1979): 530-543. 81 N.A.E MINED 8/1/138 Methodist College Uzuakoli Minutes of Board meeting 1948-56. houses were ready. Consequently, 59 students in form I and II and 4 staffs moved over
to the new site, to which the whole Secondary school was to be transferred in due course.
But in 1961, the H.E.T.C was moved to the new site permanently while the form 1 and II
moved back to the old site82, the change of plan originated from the enormous financial
cost of building a completely new Secondary School. The HETC thus had independence
from the Secondary school and a chance to develop on the new site.
Indigenous Administrators of the College
With the match towards independence and regionalization of Nigeria occasioned by the
Richards constitution of 1946, education was regionalized along with political
regionalization in 1954. The gradual but steady Nigerialization83 of different areas of
government and civil service were on the rise. Mission schools like Uzuakoli were not
left out of the fray. By 1954, two Nigerians had held exalted positions as Headmaster of
the Secondary School (U.U. Okure) and Principal of The E.T.C (K. Achinivu). This
‘progress’ was followed with K. Achinivu becoming the Senior Principal84 of the
College (1958-1959) and O. Onokala, the Secondary School Principal in 1958.85 Though
all these were before flag independence in 1960, but it was the beginning of what was to
become a partial Nigerialization of the Administration of the College. After
independence, only two Europeans held administrative positions Reverend E.B Hall
Principal of the Secondary School (1959-64) and D.A. Clutterbuck as Principal of
H.E.T.C (1961-1966). The tenure of the first indigenous Principal of the Secondary
School section of the College (U.U. Okure) will be appraised below.
82HETC Principal Report by D.A. Clutterbuck Eastern Star Magazine K.R. Cracknell, et al, No. 3, (1963): 24. 83 Nigerialization in the context is taken the mean the replacement of European Manpower with that of Nigerians in the civil service.
84 With the expansion of the College into 3 centers of learning, it became necessary for the College to have a Senior Principal to oversee the overall activities in the College. 85H.C. Ogbonnaya et al, Methodist College…, 22 Udo Udo Okure
Udo Udo Okure was born in 1914 to Late Obong Okure Umoton and Nne Okure of Nto
Abatekpe family of Ikot Ekpene village, Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area of Akwa
Ibom State (then part of the former Old Calabar Province) After attending mission
schools in his home town of Ikot Ekpene, he was awarded a scholarship to study abroad
in England. Okure studied in Oxford University in England where he obtained a
bachelors degree in Government. He also obtained a bachelors degree from Exeter
University in England. After completing his studies in England, he returned home and
began his teaching career. He served as the Principal of Uzuakoli Methodist College
between 1954-1956.
Under his Principalship, the idea of starting the Higher School Certificate Course was
presented to the Board of Governors by him and approval came in the next meeting of
November 29, 1955. The Higher School Certificate Course formally started in 1956 and
became part of the Secondary Section of the College where U.U. Okure was the
Principal.86 It was still under U. U. Okure that the planned expansion and movement of
the Secondary School Section of the College to a ‘New site’ was in top gear, as the
proposal was submitted and summated by his administration. The New site was finally
acquired and work started during his final years at the College (1956).87 After an
eventful stint in the College, the Eastern Nigeria Government appointed U.U. Okure as
Public Service Commissioner. He traveled extensively abroad to recruit and bring back
many Eastern Nigerians who were living or studying abroad.88 In recognition of his
outstanding service to Nigeria and the former British Colonial Government, Queen
86 N.A.E MINED 8/1/138 Methodist College Uzuakoli Minutes of Board meeting 1948-56, 68. 87 N.A.E MINED8/1/138 Methodist College…, 67 88 Biography of Chief Udo Udo Okure, B.A; O.B. ELast modified March 19, 2011 http://icmsinc.blogspot.com/2011/03/biography-of-chief-udo-udo-okure-ba-obe.html
Elizabeth 11 of England awarded Okure the high honor of OBE (Officer of the Order of
the British Empire). The Order of the British Empire recognizes distinguished service to
the arts and sciences, public services outside the Civil Service and work with charitable
and welfare organizations of all kinds. Because of his commendable performance as a
Principal of the College, many other Nigerians came to occupy administrative positions
in the College after his tenure.
Methodist College Uzuakoli and the Civil War
In 1966, a series of military coups resulted in the execution of Nigeria’s political leaders
and the rise of a new government ruled by the northern military leader, General Yakubu
Gowon. The coup incited months of rioting and reprisals as Northern fighters targeted
Igbo army officers and roving mobs slaughtered tens of thousands of Igbo civilians.
Those Igbo who survived fled back to the southeast, carrying tales of Federal
Governmental sponsored violence and betrayal with them.
In response to the massacres, and creation of unilateral 12 states, Colonel Odumegwu
Ojukwu declared an independent Republic of Biafra for the Igbo people on May 30th,
1967. War began on 6th of June and lasted for three bloody years. The Nigeria Civil War
marked a new era in the fortunes of Methodist College Uzuakoli. When the war formally
started in June 1967, all schools were closed down as expected and all students returned
to their various places of origin89. As the students left, so also did the members’ staff and
missionaries leave, as the Europeans were ordered back by their home government and
Missions and the College thus was deserted. As the war efforts thickened, the Biafran
side of the civil war was running out of weaponry and essential food supplements like
89 Before the start of the Nigerian civil war, the Methodist College Uzuakoli was made up students from the current Southern Eastern states and South-South states, a small population from the Southwest and others from neighboring African nations of Cameroun and Equatorial Guinea salt. It decided to look inward to produce some of what it needed to survive the war
subsequently. For this reasons, the College was turned into a Biafran Research and
Production Directorate (R.A.P) because of it laboratory facilities.90 This research unit
among other things built an oil refinery in the College, made salt from the salt pond
constructed on the College playground and lastly made the now famous and fearful
Ogbunigwe bomb at the College. With these researches and productions, the College’s
Laboratory facilities were stretched to their limits. The classrooms and staff quarters
were massively looted during the war; the dormitories also which served as a refugee
camp was also looted.91 The most painful of the loses during the war to the College was
the looting of its Library and offices. In the former case, many valuable books were
destroyed and burnt, in the later, the documents and records that have been carefully
preserved from the foundation of the College were all lost.92 Apart from the destruction
the College suffered, its usage as a research centre for weaponry, made it an easy target
for the Nigerian soldiers so much so that during federal troops bombardment of
Umuahia, Uzuakoli was also touched because of the role of the College site in the
Biafran war efforts. For the first time in its history, the College posed a very grave threat
to Uzuakoli Indigenes and refugees alike.
The outbreak of the war marked the end of an era in the history of the College and
the beginning of another. The old era before the war was termed as the ‘golden era’ by
an old boy, while the post civil war era is tagged the ‘dark age’ of the College’s
existence.93 No one understands these terms better than one who had witnessed both eras
as. The former era was characterized by a high sense of moral and religious discipline,
90 E. Uchenna, 68 years, old boy, oral interview cited severally. 91 E. O. Ndubueze, 66 years, old boy, interviewed at Akaekwo Uzuakoli, 22nd July, 2013. 92 H.C. Ogbonnaya, et al, Methodist College Uzuakoli: A Short History (Owerri: New Africa Publishing Ltd, 1995), 44. 93 E. Uchenna, 68 year, cited severally. strict admission process, competent staffing and high educational standards and the later era that now witnesses an erosion of this characteristic the College had come to be associated with. Now that the Abia State Government has handed back the school to its original owners, the Methodist Church; one anticipates a qualitative improvement in the affairs of the premier institution.
CHAPTER FOUR
METHODIST COLLEGE UZUAKOLI UNDER GOVERNMENT CONTROL, 1971-2012
At the end of the bloody civil war in 1970 which ended with an unconditional surrender of
Biafra, the College laid in ruins, the federal side which obviously won the war had
inflicted serious human and material loses on the former Biafran republic. Many
infrastructures have been greatly damaged in the Eastern side of the Nigeria divide,
virtually all schools lost their library collections and equipment to looting and bombing94
the college inclusive. The Federal Government proclamation of the 3Rs (rehabilitation,
reconstruction and reconciliation) afterwards was a step in the right direction for the whole
of East Central State (now South Eastern Nigerian made up of Abia, Anambra Enugu,
Ebonyi and Imo States). The College was not left out of these rebuilding efforts as it had
also suffered greatly from the war.
In the immediate rebuilding of the College, the host community of Uzuakoli offered the
first hand of help by helping in recovering most of the looted College properties by
organizing a search party that went from house to house to look for these properties.95 The
second helping hand came from the Parent-Teachers Association through their goodwill
donations to the school for rebuilding efforts, and thirdly the ever present Old boys
Association of the school contributed their lot to get the College back on its feet.96 The oil-
price boom, which began as a result of the high price of crude oil (the country's major
revenue earner) in the world market in 1973, increased the federal government's ability to
undertake huge tasks. Subsequently, students feeding were subsidized. Beds, mattresses,
lockers; chairs and tables were supplied to the school by the government. New dormitory
94 P. Obi-Ani, Post-Civil War Political and Economic Reconstruction of Igboland, (Nsukka: Great AP Express Pub., 2009), 36. 95 E. O. Ndubueze, 66 years, old boy, interviewed at Akaekwo Uzuakoli, 22ndJuly,2013. 96 H.C. Ogbonnaya et al, Methodist College Uzuakoli…, 44.
and classroom blocks were built both in the secondary school and teachers training
section.
Government Control
Education commissions characterized the period from independence to the outbreak of the
Civil War. The primary objectives of these commissions both at the national and regional
levels were to evaluate, suggest, and recommend possible changes in the educational
system. Among such Commissions were the Ashby Commission on higher education in
Nigeria, Dike, Ikoku, Oyewole Asabia, Adefarasin, and the Banjo commission.97 While
the recommendations of these commissions were varied, there was a common agreement
that the state should assume total control of the education of its youths. They
recommended the centralized state control of education at both state and federal levels.
Also, there seemed to be a general agreement in the Federation "'that education should be
reoriented to suit African or Nigerian need.98 The end of the Civil War in January, 1970,
increased the anxiety of the people about education. This was especially so in East Central
State where schools were not in operation during most of the period of the Civil War. The
government of East Central State led by the administrator Ukpabi Anthony Asika,
established the Public Education Edict in 1970.99The Public Education Edict of 1970 was
an attempt by the government of the East Central State of Nigeria to see that:
The schools in the State become functional within the shortest possible time after the vast destruction and damage suffered by existing schools in the course of the Civil War. It is desirable and necessary that the state takes over all schools within the state and their control, management and supervision, in order to secure central control and an integrated system of education which will guarantee
97 Eastern Nigerian Official Document No. 19 of 1963; No. 25 of 1964; and the Public Education Edict Pamphlet No. 1. 98S. J. Cookey, "The Need to Review the Purpose of Education in Present-Day Nigeria," West African Journal of Education, XIV (1970): 11. 99E. L. Amadi, “Public Education Edict, 1970: Educational Transition in East Central State, Nigeria” Journal of Negro Education 48, No. 4 (1979): 530-543. uniform standards and fair distribution of educational facilities and reduce the cost of running the schools. The take-over will ensure that schools which are in effect financed by the people and managed by their accredited representatives will more readily provide stability, satisfy the people's basic educational and national needs, combat sectionalism, religious conflicts and disloyalty to the cause of a united Nigeria.100
Changes and Developments
The massacre of the Igbo people in different parts of the Nigerian federation preceded the
Nigerian civil war. It led to massive movements back to the Eastern Region of Nigeria of
many indigenes who had lived and raised their families in the North. This situation led to a
refugee outbreak, thus overpopulating the region with adults and children alike.101 At the
end of hostilities after over 30 months of warring, many children who were supposed to
have left school had to return to school as the schools were closed down during the war,
those who came back from other parts of Nigeria had to settle for schooling in Eastern
Nigeria due to both security and monetary considerations. Some, who had not reached
schooling age before the war were all now old enough to start schooling. All these issues
meant that the number of children eligible for schooling in post civil war Igboland, more
than doubled as compared to their numbers before the war. Also, the Manpower available
was greatly depleted as a result of those that died during the war.
Owing to the above situations and government take-over of schools, the name of the
College was changed to Boys’ High School, Uzuakoli102 while the H.E.T.C was renamed
Teachers’ College Uzuakoli. There was large number of students admitted into the
College, majority of them as boarders, which led subsequently to shortage of
accommodation.As a result, the College workshop was turned into a dining hall
100 Public Education Edict, 1970: East Central State of Nigeria. Gazette No. 37, January 21, 1971, p. 1. Quoted in E. L. Amadi, “Public Education Edict, 1970: Educational Transition in East Central State, Nigeria” Journal of Negro Education 48, no. 4 (1979): 530-543. 101Uwadinachi Okorie, 58 years, old boy, interviewed at Quarters Uzuakoli, 22ndJuly, 2013. 102 In 1976, the College was allowed to regain its former name of Methodist College, Uzuakoli due partly by lobbying from the old boys association of the College. andexpanded, as the former could not hold the new population. The oil boom of the 1970s
helped the government build a new dormitory, classroom blocks and even new schools.103
There were massive recruitment of cooks, watchmen, clerks, messengers, laboratory
attendants/assistants, library attendants, bursar, accounts clerks, caretakers, cleaners and
many other posts unknown in the school before the war. The downside of all the massive
employment and ongoing construction exercise in the College was that when the oil boom
ended, there was massive retrenchment of workers in the College and skeletons of
unfinished buildings dotted various corners of the college compound.104
As a result of the creation of new states after the war, the Efik, Ibibio, Idomah, Ijaw,
Yoruba and other non-Igbo/foreign students105were no longer seeking admission into the
school. The College, which had hitherto assumed an international Centre of excellence in
education, was now just a regional educational citadel. As time rolled on, the building of
community schools in nearby Enugu, Anambra and Imo states meant that the College was
reduced to a state/neighborhood day school, a departure from its golden era when boarding
was compulsory and day studentship was by application. The greater populations of
students at the College now are day students from Uzuakoli and the nearby Villages.106
Furthermore, as the different regimes of governments came and went, so did staff and
Principals. These new set of staffs were ignorant of the Methodist College, Uzuakoli
traditions and ways107 and whose only concerns were just coming to work to mark
103 The building of new schools by the government/communities in different areas in East central state during the oil boom helped to depopulate the school. 104 H.C. Ogbonnaya et al, Methodist College…,45. 105 Students from other African Countries left as a result of the civil war and most of them never returned probably because of the uncertainty of post-war Igboland.
106Ogbonnaya Ndubuisi Nathaniel, 67, former Principal/old boy, interviewed, Umueze-Uzuakoli, July 25th 2013. 107 The College among other principles had a strict admission process, demanded a high sense of religious/moral attitude from its students, boarding was compulsory unless in special considerations and every actions of the students on and off the class were graded. These were some of the old traditions of the College jettisoned under government control. registers in the spirit of the civil service. The College suffered from many years of neglect and disrepair from the government that took over its management and administration.
Their only serious inputs were only those done during the time of oil boom in the 1970s.
The only consistent helping hand to the college has remained that of the old boys association of the College who are scattered all over the nation and in diaspora. As mentioned earlier, one hopes that the recent return of the school to its original owners, the
Methodist church will usher in freshair of development to the institution.
Uzuakoli Methodist College Old Boys Association (UMCOBA)
The evidence of the productivity of any educational institution lies in the fineness of its products in impacting upon their immediate community. Though the Methodist College
Uzuakoli has passed through a period of mixed fortunes in its history, one thing that has remained constant is the quality of its products. The College has produced men in arts, medicine, history, architecture, accounting, politics, religion, business, engineering and many other works of life. The College has acted as a very worthy springboard for these men to reach the apex of their careers, these grateful, successful and eminent old boys have shown immense devotion to the Old Boys Association of Methodist College
Uzuakoli.
The Old Boys Association traces its history to 1927 when the then principal Reverend
H.L.O Williams in an effort to establish links with the increasing number of old boys sent out quarterly letters to all old boys. This was followed in 1931 by a reunion of all the teachers trained at Methodist College Uzuakoli organized by the principal from April 13th to 20th 1931. At the end of the festivities, participants resolved to form an Uzuakoli old boys association and a committee was set up to work out the modalities for such an association and 1933 was chosen as the next meeting date of the old boys, but there is no available record that the meeting held (it may have been probably lost during the Civil
War). This appeared to be the earliest efforts at forming an old boys association.108
The link established by Reverend Williams in 1927 was continued as old boys were
invited through letters to important occasions in the College like the Sports day, Prize
giving day and the founders week also referred to as the Old boys weekend. Furthermore,
when the Eastern Star magazine started, many old boys were subscribers, later on old boys
associations emerged sporadically in the universities, big cities and in London. These
branches and individuals undertook projects and made donation of trophies to the College.
In 1958, the London branch sent 25 pounds to the chapel building fund and within the
country; old boys raised the sum of 175 pounds, 5 shillings and eight pence towards the
same project.109 Subsequent efforts were made to form a national Old Boys Association.
For example, during the Old Boy Weekend in March 1959, it was decided to have one day
in a year when the old boys from all the branches will meet at the College and not mix
their meetings with the Prize giving or Sports day. October was chosen as the ideal month
for such a meeting. According to the College Magazine, it held on October 27-28th, by this
time, O Onokala was the secretary of UMCOBA. He tried coordinating all the other
branch activities through their secretaries; he did all these from College grounds before he
was posted out as Principal to the new Methodist School in Ihube.110
The present structures of UMCOBA was brought together during the Golden Jubilee
Celebration of the College in 1973, and during that event, an #8,000 school prizes
endowment fund was launched. A National Executive Committee was elected under the
presidency of Chief C.N. Ukanwoke. In 1983, the school celebrated its DIAMOND
Jubilee, during that occasion, the Old boys raised funds for the building of a new College
108 H.C. Ogbonnaya et al, Methodist College…, 49. 109H.C. Ogbonnaya et al, Methodist College…,49. 110H.C. Ogbonnaya et al, Methodist College…,50. Library with the foundation laying performed by Dr. M.I Okpara and work started in 1987
when the Association came under the leadership of Sir (Chief) H.K. Offonry OFR.111
Again, on 25th September 1987, the Association was registered with the Ministry of
Internal Affairs. Still under the sound leadership of Chief H.K Offonry, the Association
completed the library building and it was commissioned on November 9 1991.112 In 2006,
under the presidency of Sir Abbey Hart, on the 83rd anniversary celebration of the College,
UMCOBA launched a #500 million rehabilitation fund, as staggering as the amount
sounded, it represented the high sense of patriotism the Old boys have for their Alma
mater. Other branches and individual old boys have come up with their project(s)
independent of the national body like the building of a new gate and signpost undertaken
by UMCOBA-USA, the renovation of the castle gates done by a concerned Old boy and
rebuilding of the College Chapel done by Chief Onyema Ugochukwu (former NDDC
chairman).113
The efforts the Association has not been limited to fund sourcing/ contributions, the
Association was at the forefront of lobbying for the return of the College’s name back to
Methodist College Uzuakoli after it was changed to Boys High School Uzuakoli following
take over by East Central State Government in 1970.114 Also following government
takeover, it kept on insisting that only Old boys be appointed as Principals of the College,
so that a level of the academic, moral and spiritual discipline associated with the College
could be maintained. Their passion for the College also manifested through its continuous
lobbying of the state government asking for the Old boys to have some say in the affairs of
the College or a total handover of the College to the Methodist Church Nigeria. The Old
boys have also attracted many projects from government and private firms like the School
111H.C. Ogbonnaya et al, Methodist College…,52 112 “Methodist College Uzuakoli, Rehabilitation fund Programme” 18th November 2006, 11. 113 Best Enyinnaya Okike, 57, Present Principal/old boy, interviewed, Umuachama-Uzuakoli, July 20th 2013. 114 Elder Kalu Ogwo, 84 years, Old boy, interviewed at Surulere-Lagos, 12thJuly,2013. Access Programme (SAP) in 2010, which furnished the College with a computer room
filled with about 70 computers and also the telecommunication firm MTN donated over
100 laptops to the College through the efforts of the Old boys all to increase the ICT know
how of the students.115 The products of Methodist College,Uzuakoli are found in nearly all
parts of the world and in all fields of human endeavor. Among this list are top executives,
educationists, Judges, religious leaders, community and political leaders, medical doctors,
professors, engineers, administrators and successful business men, suffice it write a brief
biography of three of them.
Dr. Michael Iheonukara Okpara
Dr Michael Okparawas born on December 1920 at Umuegwu, Ohuhu clan in Umuahia
North LGA, in present-day Abia State of Nigeria. After he finished his primary education
at Afugiri Central School, he went to the Methodist College Uzuakoli. He was a bight and
brilliant student, he won a scholarship to study medicine at the then Yaba Higher College,
Lagos.116He completed his medical studies at the Nigerian School of Medicine in 1948 as
a medical doctor. Dr. Okpara worked briefly as a government medical officer at
Maiduguri, before resigning and setting up his private practice in Umuahia. While carrying
on his practice, Dr. Okpara showed great interest in the Zikist Movement, the militant
wing of Dr. Azikiwe's NCNC, which brought the independence struggle to a head in the
late forties. After the shooting of the innocent, harmless coal miners at the Enugu coal
mine in 1949, Dr. Okpara was one of the members of the Zikist Movement arrested by the
government for allegedly inciting the workers to riot.117 He was later released. Following
the granting of internal self-rule by Britain, Dr. Okpara was elected into the Eastern
115 E. O. Ndubueze, 66, old boy, oral interview cited. 116H.C. Ogbonnaya et al, Methodist College…, 40. 117http://naija-happenings.blogspot.com/p/biographies.html accessed on 23 April, 2014. Nigerian House of Assembly in 1952 on the NCNC platform. Between 1952 and 1959, he
held various Cabinet positions in Eastern Nigeria, ranging from Minister of Health to
Agriculture and Production. In November 1959, when Dr. Azikiwe left active politics to
become Nigeria's first indigenousGovernor-General, Dr. Okpara was elected leader of the
NCNC and Premier of Eastern Nigeria during the First Republic (from 1959–1966). Dr.
Michael Okpara was a strong, outspoken, astute and charismatic leader.
Dr. Michael Okpara ruled at time of relative non-oil prosperity, and from the proceeds
from agriculture through the Eastern Nigeria marketing board he was able to fund the
establishment of the University of Nigeria Nsukka; a Land grant institution modeled on the
US Michigan State University system118. It successfully challenged the University of
Ibadan (formerly University College of Ibadan (UCI). Michael Okpara’s government set
up series of industries among them was the Golden Guinea Breweries Umuahia
(Independence Brewery) and the Ceramics Industry, Umuahia. He ran a government of
skilled intellectuals and professionals. He set up various educational industries in Enugu,
Owerri, Afikpo and Umuahia et cetera, which were of very high standard in teaching and
learning. The region was prosperous, food was abundant and cheap and farming was the
main employer and the population was mostly rural. Under his regime, people were
happier and well fed than they are today. In the urban areas, there was light from the
Electricity Corporation of Nigeria (ECN), it was steady, regular and reliable.119 The Post
Office was efficient and mails from Nigeria to the United States were delivered reliably
and on time. Scholarships to colleges and the Universities were provided to the few
students then accommodated on the basis of excellence and need both on the Divisional,
118Okechukwu Mezu, “Dr. M.I. Okpara” accessed 26th April, 2014 http://www.blackacademypress.com/?p=19 119119Okechukwu Mezu, “Dr. M.I… Provincial and Regional level.120He also received the award of Grand Commander of the
Order of the Niger (GCON), Nigeria's second highest honours, in 1964. He was both the
chancellor of University of Nigeria when he was premier and the chancellor of the
University of Benin from 1984 till his death.
The regime of Dr. Michael Okpara was cut short by the coup d’etat of January 15,
1966 masterminded by Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu. During this coup the Premier
of Northern Nigeria (Sir Ahmadu Bello), Prime Minister of Nigeria (TafawaBalewa),
Minister of Finance (Festus OkotieEboh), Premier of Western Nigeria (S. L. Akintola)
were killed amongst others. Dr. Michael Okpara could have been killed, but the presence
of Archbishop Makarios who visited the region and the lack of a senior army officer to
coordinate the coup in the East, saved his life.
Dr. Michael Okpara supported General Ojukwu during the Biafra War. Dr. Okpara
stayed with Biafra till the end and went on Diplomatic missions for Biafra to France, Ivory
Coast, Tanzania and Zambia whose governments Dr. Okpara supported and funded during
their struggle for independence. Dr. Okpara went on exile with Ojukwu to Ivory Coast and
after the war returned to Imo state before the 1979 elections. 121Dr. Okpara died on
December 17th, 1984. For the selfless service he rendered to Nigeria, the Michael Okpara
Way, in Abuja Nigeria’s capital city, is named after him. So are the Michael Okpara
University of Agriculture, Umudike, the Okpara Squares with his statues at Enugu and
Umuahia roundabout, just to mention a few. People feel nostalgia when his regime is
mentioned because of the legacies he left behind.
Dr Edwin OgebeOgbu
120 Many students of the Methodist College Uzuakoli were beneficiaries of his scholarships; he also funded prices for outstanding students in the College. 121Okechukwu Mezu, “Dr. M.I. Okpara…. HRH, Dr Edwin OgebeOgbu was born on 28th December 1926 to Chief Ogbu Iyanga, the
paramount Chief of Utonkon and Mrs EjeOgbu. He attended primary schools in Utonkon
and Igumale before proceeding to the famous Methodist College Uzuakoli in 1938 where
he excelled and came out with division one in the Cambridge School Certificate
Examination (one of the precursors to modern day Senior School Certificate Examination)
in 1945. In 1948, Edwin Ogbu gained admission to Bethune Cookman College (now
Bethune-Cookman University) in Daytona Beach, Florida and graduated with a combined
honours degree in Sociology and Anthropology in 1951, making Edwin Ogbu the first
degree holder from Northern Nigeria. In 1953, he proceeded to the prestigious Stanford
University, Palo Alto in California and graduated in 1955 with an MA in Education.
Edwin Ogbu returned to Nigeria in 1956 and joined the Northern Nigeria Government in
1956 as Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Finance. He was the third most senior
official in the ministry after the Finance Secretary and Senior Assistant Secretary. As
Assistant Secretary, he was involved in formulating and implementing the monetary
policies of the Northern Nigeria Government.122
In 1958, he transferred from the Northern Nigeria Civil Service to Federal Civil Service
and was posted to the Nigerian High Commission in London as Deputy Secretary in
charge of Students Affair. As Deputy Secretary, he used his experience as a foreign
student in the US to great effect and the High Commission was able to provide quality
consular services and support to Northern Nigerian students in the UK.
Edwin Ogbu returned to Nigeria upon independence in 1960 and was appointed Secretary
of the Federal Civil Service Commission where he championed the case of recruiting
suitably qualified people into the Federal Civil Service, which he considered the bedrock
of the Federal Government. He was at the Federal Civil Service Commission until 1962
122 Y.A. Ochefu, Edwin Ogbu, ed (Makurdi: Aboki Publishers, 2004) pg. 17 when he was promoted to the position of Permanent Secretary at Federal Ministry of
Works & Survey. At the Federal Ministry of Works & Survey he was heavily involved
during the planning stages for the construction of River Niger Bridge in Onitsha and
Kainji Dam.
In 1963, he was transferred to the Federal Ministry of Finance as Permanent Secretary to
help realize the objectives of the First National Development Plan (FNDP) introduced the
previous year. Dr Edwin Ogbu remained at the Federal Ministry of Finance until after the
military coups in 1966 when he moved to the Federal Ministry of External Affairs as
Permanent Secretary where he helped formulate the foreign policy of the new military
government.
He was with the Federal Ministry of External Affairs until February 1968 when the
Federal Government of Nigeria posted him to United Nations (UN) in New Year as
Nigeria’s ambassador to the UN. This appointment was during the height of the Nigerian
Civil War and it was evident that his diplomacy skills were needed to articulate Nigeria’s
position as the war raged. Even after the war ended in 1970, he continued at the UN until
September 1975 when he retired from public service, making him one of the longest
serving Nigeria’s ambassadors to the UN.123
While at the UN, he was a member of prominent UN committees and in 1973, he
became the Chairman of the Committee against Apartheid. He also headed the Committee
on Namibia and the Committee on Global Peace Keeping Operations. He rose to
international prominence in 1974 when he successfully challenged the credentials of the
South African delegation, which had attempted to obtain UN recognition of the apartheid
123 HRH, Agabaidu Edwin Ogbu- Ochi’Idoma III” Last modified 12 November 2013, http://www.idomaland.org/hrh-agabaidu-edwin-ogbu-ochidoma-iii government. During his stint with the UN, he was also the Nigerian High Commissioner to
Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago from 1970 to 1974.124
Despite his status as a diplomat in the 1970s, Edwin Ogbu still paid close attention to
events in Idoma land and was part of the group that were instrumental in the establishment
of Idoma Community Secondary School, Otobi (now Federal Government College) in the
early 1970s. During his lifetime, Edwin Ogbu received numerous recognitions for his
meritorious services to humanity. In 1974, his Alma Mater, Bethune Cookman College
awarded him an honorary Doctor of Law degree for his service to public service. Other
Universities that conferred honorary doctorate degrees on him include University of Lagos
(Doctor of Law in 1986), University of Jos (Doctor of Law in 1986) and Benue State
University (Doctor of Letters in 1992).
After the creation of Benue State in 1976, Dr Edwin Ogbu was appointed the Chairman of
the Governing Council of the newly established Murtala College of Arts, Science and
Technology, Makurdi (present day Benue State Polytechnic Ugbokolo). He was also the
first Chairman of Council and Pro-Chancellor of University of Maiduguri and in 1992, he
was appointed the first Chairman of Governing Council & Pro-Chancellor of Benue State
University, Makurdi; the first State owned university in Northern Nigeria.125
The achievements of Dr Edwin Ogbu were also recognized by Idoma people and in 1995,
the Och’Idoma II, HRH Dr. Ajene Okpabi, made him the “Ochojila K’Idoma” a
traditional title which translates into leader of Idoma people. The title was conferred on
him in recognition of his contributions to the development of Idoma land.126
Dr Edwin Ogbu continued his service to Idoma community and when Ajene Okpabi
passed away, he was made the chairman of the Central Planning Committee of the
124 Y.A. Ochefu, Edwin…, 31. 125Y.A. Ochefu, Edwin…,50. 126 HRH, Agabaidu Edwin Ogbu- Ochi’Idoma III” Last modified 12 November 2013, http://www.idomaland.org/hrh-agabaidu-edwin-ogbu-ochidoma-iii transition of Och’Idoma following the death of Ajene Okpabi in late 1995.When the
search for a successor to Ajene Okpabi began, Dr Edwin Ogbu was an overwhelming
favorite to become Och’Idoma and he was announced as the Och’Idoma III on 10th
January 1996. His ascension to the throne, gave the position of Och’Idoma more prestige
and credibility due to the status of Dr Edwin Ogbu in world politics. Unfortunately, HRH,
Dr Edwin Ogbu passed away in 1997 before he could really establish his mark as
Och’Idoma. HRH, Dr Edwin Ogbu has a place in Idoma folklore, as there is a popular
saying that translates to “no matter how hard you study, you cannot be better educated
than Dr Edwin Ogbu Iyanga”. This is in recognition of his place in Idoma history as her
first graduate.127
Sir NdukweChijiokeOkoronkwo
Ndukwe Chijioke Okoronkwo was born on 23rd May 1937 to the family of Mazi James
Okoronkwo Iro of Eluoma, Uzuakoli in Bende LGA of Abia State. He enrolled at the Methodist
Practicing School Uzuakoli in 1944 for his primary education, earning his First School
Leaving Certificate in 1951. Subsequently, he was admitted into the Methodist College
Uzuakoli, where he studied from 1952 to 1958. He immediately started his Higher School
Certificate Course still at Methodist College Uzuakoli. Upon completion in 1959, he
joined the staff of the school as a junior master which stint ended with his admission to
read Geography at the University College Ibadan. Upon graduation in 1962, Chief
Okoronkwo returned to the Methodist College Uzuakoli as a senior tutor. His second stint
with the College ended in 1964 and in the following year (1965), he came under the
employment of Eastern Nigeria Ministry of Education as an Education Officer, his time
there was cut short by the Nigeria civil war. He was later reengaged in service at the end of
127Y.A. Ochefu, Edwin…, 50. the war in 1970 as a permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Works, Lands, Survey and
Town Planning in the then East Central State of Nigeria. He further served the government of Eastern Central State as Deputy Secretary Public Service Commission, Chairman Public
Service Committee on the Transfer of Federal/Public Servants from East Central State
Public Service (1971-1972), between 1973 and 1974; he was the Senior Divisional Officer of Aba Division. After that, he was appointed the Resident for Nsukka Urban Division from 1974-1975, from 1975-1976 he worked as the Secretary Teachers Service
Commission East Central State.
On the creation of Imo State in 1976, he was appointed Permanent Secretary in the
Ministry of Education and Information, a post he held till 1978, thereafter, he served in the
Political Department of the office of the Governor and was later appointed the Permanent
Secretary of the Ministry of Health (1979), from 1979-1982, he was Permanent Secretary
Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Ndukwe served as a Member of the
Governing Council of the then Imo State University (1982-1983). Consequently, 1983-
1985, he served as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government Affairs, during that period also, he was the Chairman of the Board of Enquiries into sale and
Distribution of Essential Commodities in Imo State (1985); Member Board of Directors of
African Continental Bank (1984-86); Chairman Board of Inquiry into Disturbances at Imo
Airport Site. In 1986, Chief Okoronkwo was transferred to the Ministry of Information as
Permanent Secretary again until 1987. Still in 1987, he moved to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning as Permanent Secretary/Director General ending in 1990. Within that period, he served as Member, Board of Directors of Progress Bank of Nigeria Plc;
Chairman, Board of Inquiry into Activities of Imo Broadcasting Corporation 1988;
Chairman of the Committee on the Creation of New Local Government Areas in Imo State
(1989-1990); Chairman, Committee on Appointment of Chairmen and Councilors of Local Government Councils (1989); Member Technical Committee on Privatization and
Commercialization in Imo State (1989-1990). In 1991, he was moved to the Ministry of
Works as Director General, an assignment which coincided with the creation of Abia
State.
With the creation of Abia State in 1991, he was appointed the pioneer Director General for
the Ministry of Works and Transport, Abia State (1991-1992), within the same period, he
also served as Member of the Assets Sharing Committee between Imo and Abia State.
Thereafter, Chief Okoronkwo retired from active service. In 1993, he was appointed into
the Federal Public Service as the Representative of Imo and Abia state in the Code of
Conduct Bureau.128 He was appointed Secretary to the Abia State Government and Head
of Service, also in 1993, he held the two posts and he voluntarily retired from service in
1996129. In 2001, Chief Okoronkwo was appointed Federal Commissioner in the Federal
Civil Service Commission with responsibility for Imo and Abia State, until 2006.
Chief Okoronkwo was not only a genius in public administration; he equally served his
community and church well in different capacities. For example he was a co-founder and
later head of Uzuakoli Development Association (1982-1998) and Uzuakoli Literate
Youths Association (1955-66). Through these organizations mainly, Chief Okoronkwo
initiated and championed developmental activities in Uzuakoli spanning the areas of water
supply, electricity healthcare and schools. He was a dedicated philanthropist and church
leader as he held many leadership positions in the Methodist Church and was steadfast in
giving out scholarships to deserving students of the Methodist College Uzuakoli.
Chief Okoronkwo remains a shining light in the history of both Imo and Abia States, as he
is the only one to have held the post of Permanent Secretary in the entire Ministries in the
Old Imo State and served in various important positions in the Public Service.
128 He was to later hold this post again in 1997 up to the year 2000 129 He remains the first and only one to do so in the recorded history of Public service in Abia State Furthermore, Chief Okoronkwo is regarded as one of the founders of Abia State as he was
the Chairman Committee on Establishment and Take off of the Abia State Government.
It’s no surprise that the Abia State Government considered him worthy for conferment of
the prestigious award of ‘EnyiAbia’ (Friend of Abia) in 2007 among several other
chieftaincy awards to his name. He was prominent in the activities of UMCOBA and was
chairman of the UMCOBA homecoming of 2009. He died in 2011 at the age of 74.130
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
Methodist College Uzuakoli was established in 1923 by the Methodist Missionaries to
help in training Africans to evangelize their brand of Christian faith. It was also geared
towards training sufficiently skilled teachers to raise standard of education in the primary
and secondary schools; training young men in well rounded education in the arts and
130 The write-up for this brief biography came via Chikezie Okoronkwo the eldest child of late Chief N.C. Okoronkwo. sciences for National Manpower development; leadership and moral character; all these reasons made the College adopt the motto: To serve ‘You first, before I’.
The College admitted students nationwide and from neighboring African countries such as Cameroun and the former Fernando Po (now Equatorial Guinea).The College has had an overwhelming impact in Uzuakoliby not only educating many of her illustrious sons, but has also been an employment avenue for them and also ready market for some of its farm produce. The impacts of the College are not only limited to Uzuakoli but also the whole of Nigeria and a small band of foreigners. The products of Methodist College
Uzuakoli are found in nearly all parts of the world and in all fields of human endeavor, among this are top executives, educationists, Judges, religious leaders, community and political leaders, medical doctors, professors, engineers, administrators and successful business men, suffice it to mention a few: Dr. M.I. Okpara (former Premier of Eastern
Nigeria), Dr. Clement Isong (former Governor of Central Bank Nigeria and governor
Cross River State), Dr. Edwin Ogbu (first Nigerian Ambassador to the United Nations),
Dr. Sunday Mbang (Prelate Methodist Church Nigeria), Archbishop Rogers Uwadi (first indigenous Bishop of Umuahia), Chief Onyema Ugochukwu (Pioneer Chairman Niger
Delta Development Commission), Dr. E.M. Endeley (Physician/ Politician Cameroun),
Kanu Ikonte (Ozuo II of Uzuakoli), Justice Augustine Nnamani (Judge of the Supreme
Court of Nigeria) and Mr. Okoronkwo Kanu (member of the first Nigerian Football team).
Before state takeover of schools, Methodist College Uzuakoli was privately owned and operated by the Methodist Mission. The College occupies a huge real estate of more than a hundred acres of land; it consists of the original College located in the Castle (main site) and with expansion which includes ETC and HTC properties. Since the end of the war in1970, the fortunes of the school have taken a precipitous decline; educational standards have fallen dismally, the College has suffered from a dearth of funds. The current situation of the College does not engender confidence on the quality of the product from the school as the state has squandered the better part of the colonial heritage and its ability to manage the College by way of adequate funding and posting of qualified teaching and administrative staff is remote. With the recent ‘provisional handover’ of the school to the
Methodist Church, Nigeria, an improved prospect is expected for the long-term future of the College.
Conclusion
It can be said that the dreams of the founding fathers of the College were realized and even surpassed prior to the Nigerian Civil War in 1967. As many the products of the
College became reverends in Methodist Church Nigeria, teachers and other of professions in different works of life. Also a bunch of those who attended the College are member of the Methodist Church.
It has been said that no nation can develop beyond the level of its education. In other words, education is the livewire of any serious nation that aspires to attain the highest level of development. Successive government in the country have continuously neglected the education sector, some states like Rivers State in Southern Nigeria, have built standard schools and equipped them with good infrastructures as part of efforts to provide quality education in the state. Same cannot be said of Abia State where the Methodist College,
Uzuakoli, is situated which only action have been to hand over all mission/private schools to their original owners, this action has been hailed in some quarters, but on a second thought, the hand over can be a way for the state government to shy away from its responsibility as they seem to become uncomfortable with the running cost of the school as is evident from the poor state of all the schools returned by the State government. There is an urgent need for serious investment in education, not just at the College but also at all levels of education in the state and the Nigerian federation.
In order to remove some of the major problems of educational development in Nigeria,the issue of responsibility and control must be resolved and a uniform system of education introduced and operated nation-wide. This would mean the abolition of the present schoolsystem whereby children of the privileged class attend special schools; all schools should be provided with adequate equipments and facilities for teaching and learning.The
Methodist Church Nigeria also has a vital role to play as the new administrators of the
College, from employment of qualified teachers, payment of staff salaries as at when due, to improve motivation to teach and making sure the Library, Science Laboratories,
Workshop and sporting facilities are well equipped to raise the overall standard of education in the College
The Uzuakoli indigenous old boys has been fingered by a few old boys not from
Uzuakoli as limiting developments to the College as some of them have strongly oppose outside help by terming the College as an Uzuakoli possession that does not need any outside help. Some Uzuakoli old boys have opposed direct development for parochial reasons. A former Principal asserts that during his tenure, fund were sent through the
Uzuakoli based old boys by Old boys in diaspora for the rehabilitation of infrastructure in the College but the fund never got to the Principal nor was it used for the purpose intended. Old boys like the ones referred to by the principal have threatened to derail the willingness of non-Uzuakoli old boys into making tangible contributions towards the
College’s development. As the non-Uzuakoli old boys are meant to feel a non-attachment to the College and those eager to contribute don’t know the appropriate quarters to do so.
It is pertinent to point out to these Uzuakoli Old boys that though the College is situated in their community, it is not their personal property to do as they please and also the College has been of immense benefits to Uzuakoli people and their action can only derail these
benefits. Therefore, the overall interest of the College and Uzuakoli should guide their
judgment.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Sources
A) Oral Interviews
NAME OF Approximate STATUS OCCUPATION PLACE OF DATE OF MODE of INFORMANT AGE INTERVIEW INTERVIEW interview
1. Kalu Ogwo 82 Old boy Retired Civil Surulere, Lagos 12/7/13 Oral servant 2. Mazi Sam 63 Old boy Industrial Okeafa, Lagos 13/7/13 Oral Ndubuisi Consultant 3. Okey Mark 42 Old boy Engineer Ajao Estate, 13/7/13 Oral Nwokolo Lagos 4. Chikezie 67 Retired Public Uzuakoli, Abia 21/7/13 Oral Ogbonnaya servant state 5. Godwin 67 Old boy Retired Teacher Uzuakoli, Abia 22/7/13 Oral Uchenna state Onyegbule 6. Uchunwa 52 College Staff Teacher Uzuakoli, Abia 25/7/13 Oral Chigioke state 7. OnyebuchiKanu 60 Old boy Retired Civil Uzuakoli, Abia 22/7/13 Oral Servant State 8. Emmanuel 66 Old boy Retired Civil Akaekwo, 22/7/13 Oral Okechukwu servant Uzuakoli Ndubueze
9. Best Enyinnaya 51 Old boy Present Principal Umuachama, 20/7/13 Oral Okike Uzuakoli
10. Uchendu Okorie 58 Traditional Retired Naval Mazamaza, 3/7/13 Oral ruler Officer/ Lagos.
11. Uwadinachi 57 Old boy Medical Doctor Quarters 22/7/13 Oral Okorie Uzuakoli
12. Onyemuwa 54 Old boy Medical Doctor Ojo-Alaba, 3/7/13 Oral Okorie Lagos
13. Eunice Ndukwe 60 Old girl Retired Director Umuahia, Abia 14/11/13 Oral (higher (Ministry of State school Education) Course)
14. Ogbonnaya 67 Old boy Former Principal Umueze 25/7/13 Oral Ndubuisi Uzuakoli. Nathaniel
15. Adannaya 87 Women Farmer Akaekwo 21/8/13 Oral Okorie leader Uzuakoli
18 Uchenna 65 Old boy Retired Head of Umuahia 14/11/13 Oral Emezue service Abia State 19. Chikezie 70 Old boy Retired civil Umuahia 21/11/13 Oral Ogwudinanti servant 20. Obioma Nnuola 60 Women Farmer/trader Quarter 21/8/13 Oral leader Uzuakoli
21. Ikedichi 30 Old boy Contractor Ajah Lagos 15/7/13 Oral Nwokoro
22. Azubuike Ocheh 65 Traditional Traditional Ruler Umuachama 22/11/13 Oral ruler Uzuakoli 23. Richard 64 Old boy Retired Umuahia 19/11/13 Oral Onyeaso civilservant/ Civil Engineer 24. Nwanosike 58 Old boy Banker Asaba 12/03/14 Oral Iheanyi Government College Umuahia 25 Ogbonnaya 63 Old boy Building Engineer Umuahia 18/03/14 Oral Chigozie Government College Umuahia
B) Archival Materials
N.A.E MINED8/1/138 Methodist College Uzuakoli Minutes of Board meeting 1948-56.
N.A.E MINED 6/1/89 Supervision of Mission Schools 1943-51.
N.A.E MINED13/1/35 Supervision of Mission Schools 1945-50.
N.A.E MINED 6/1/78 Methodist College Uzuakoli 1933-42.
N.A.E MINED 1/1/36 Methodist Institute Uzuakoli 1927-32.
N.A.E MINED5/1/105 Methodist Higher Elementary Training College, 1949-54.
N.A.E OKIDIST 4/3/24 Primitive Methodist Mission 1920-21. N.A.E OKIDIST 4/7/39 Primitive Methodist Mission 1924-25.
N.A.E RIVPROF 3/4/85 Primitive Methodism Application, Bende, 1910.
N.A.E RIVPROF 3/7/128 Primitive Methodism, Okigwe 1913. N.A.E RIVPROF 3/7/292 Primitive Methodism, Bende, 1913.
N.A.E UMED 2/1/1 Financial Instructions 1925-44.
N.A.E UMED2/1/8 Inspection of Schools 1923-47.
N.A.E UMED 6/1/21 Methodist Training College Uzuakoli 1932-54.
N.A.E UMED 6/1/75 Grant-in-Aids to schools General 1939-41.
N.A.E UMED 6/1/93 Grants-in-Aid to Teachers Training Centre and Secondary School 1948-58. N.A.E UMDIV 3/1/599 Application for lease of land at UzuakoliBende division 1946-51. N.A.E UMPROF 5/1/75 Methodist College Uzuakoli (II) expansion of Uzuakoli 1945-56. Eastern Nigerian Official Document No. 19 of 1963; No. 25 of 1964; and the Public Education Edict Pamphlet No. 1.
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Books
Ajayi, J.F.A. Christian mission in Nigeria 1841-1891, London: Longman Group Ltd, 1977.
Anyika, F., Methodism in Igboland, Eastern Nigeria 1910-1932: Genesis and Growth. Onitsha: Cape Publishers Int’l Ltd., 1997.
Eke, A.Y. A New Policy on Education in Nigeria, Lagos: Federal Ministry of Information.
Ekechi, F.K., Missionary Enterprise and Rivalry in Igboland 1857-1914 Oxon: Routledge, 1972.
Fox, A. J. Uzuakoli: A Short History London: Oxford University Press, 1964.
Francis J., The History of the Nigerian Railway Ibadan:Spectrum Books, 1997.
Isichei, E., History of the Igbo People New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 1976
Ludwig V. B., General System Theory New York: Braziller, 1968.
Nwabara, S.N. Iboland: A Century of Contact with Britain, 1860-1960, London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1977
Obi-Ani, P., Post-Civil War Political and Economic Reconstruction of Igboland, Nsukka: Great AP Express Pub., 2009.
OchefuY.A., Edwin Ogbu, ed Makurdi: Aboki Publishers, 2004.
Offonry, H. K.Portrait of a leader: The biography of Dr. Michael Okpara Owerri: New Africa Publishers, 1983.
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Okpo .S.K., A brief History of the Methodist Church in Eastern Nigeria Oron: Manson publishing Company, 1985.
Onyeneke. A., Doing Sociology: An Introduction to Sociological Perspectives in Africa Nsukka: Spiritans, 2005. Schein, E., Organizational Culture and Leadership San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1985.
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Journal Articles
Amadi, .E. L., ”Public Education Edict, 1970: Educational Transition in East Central State, Nigeria.” Journal of Negro Education 48, no. 4, (1979). 530-543.
Clutterbuck, D.A. “HETC Principal’s Report” Eastern Star Magazine, January (1963), 24- 26.
Cooke, C. M. “The Missionaries and Ibo,” Review of F. K. Ekechi, Missionary Enterprise and Rivalry in Igboland 1857-1914, The Journal of African History 14, no. 1 (1973), 154-155.
Cookey, S. J. "The Need to Review the Purpose of Education in Present-Day Nigeria," West African Journal of Education, XIV (February, 1970), 11. Cracknell, K. R., “The Secondary School” Eastern Star Magazine, January (1963) 49-65.
Kalu, .O. U. "Missionaries, Colonial Government and Secret Societies in South-Eastern Igboland", JHSN, 9, no.1 (1977), 75-90.
Magnus, B. “Missionary Rivalry and Educational Expansion in Southern Nigeria 1885- 1932”, Journal of Negro Education 60, no. 1. (1991), 36-46.
Martins,Fabunmi “Historical Analysis Of Educational Policy Formulation In Nigeria: Implications For Educational Planning And Policy”, International Journal of African & African American Studies, IV, no. 2, (2005).
Ogbu, K., “Primitive Methodist on the Railroad Junction of Igboland, 1910-1931” Journal of Religion in Africa 16, no. 1, (1986).44-66.
Ubah, .C.N., “Western Education in Africa: The Igbo Experience 1900-1960” Comparative Education Review 24, no. 3. (1980). 371-388.
Udo, E. A., “The Missionary Scramble for spheres of influence in South-Eastern Nigeria 1900-1952” Ikenga, 1, (July 1972), 22-36.
Unpublished Papers, Presentations, Projects and Dissertations
Edet, U. A., The Methodist Contribution to Education in Eastern Nigeria, 1893-1960, Unpublished Ph.D Thesis at Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, 1965. Inyang, P.E.M. The Provision of Education in Nigeria in reference to the work of Church Missionary Society, Catholic Mission and the Methodist Missionary Society. M.A Thesis, University of London, 1968.
Nwokoro I., A Historical study of the Okonko society, 1996-2006 B.A Project, history And International Relations, Abia State University 2008.
Nzekwu, T., Dennis Memorial Grammar School, Onitsha 1925-1998.B.A project, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, 1998.
Onyekaba, D. I., A History of Okongwu Memorial Grammar School, Nnewi. B.A project, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, 1994.
Umezurumba, K.O., Christianity and Western Education in Umuahia 1917-1991 B.A project, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, 1995.