Catholic Education in Southeastern Nigeria and National Educational Development, 1885-2017 By ©2017 Sister Mary Aloysius Onwuegbuchulam, DDL MED/CAES, Boston College, 2013 MA, UCL Institute of Education, 2011 BA.ED, University of Abuja, Nigeria, 2002 Submitted to the graduate degree program in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Chair: Dr. John Rury Dr. Peter Ojiambo Dr. Jennifer Ng Dr. Suzanne Rice Dr. Susan Twombly Date Defended: September 5, 2017 The dissertation committee for Sister Mary Aloysius Onwuegbuchulam, DDL certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: Catholic Education in Southeastern Nigeria and National Educational Development, 1885-2017 Chair: Dr. John Rury Date Approved: 2 Abstract This thesis represents historical research on the development of Catholic education in Southeastern Nigeria, in the context of national development, 1885 to the present. Evidence was utilized from both primary and secondary sources. Primary sources included archival documents, state and church records, reports, and newspapers. Additional evidence was drawn from observations, and interviews with seven Catholic priests and educators who witnessed the development of Catholic education in the region. The study found that education in Nigeria was affected by many factors, including the legacy of colonialism. The transition from colonial to post-colonial Nigeria in the 1950s and 1960s gave birth to a new generation of indigenous Catholic educators. In particular, the work and experience of Reverend Charles Ikeme is highlighted. Catholic education made great contributions to the development of Nigeria but was fractured by the civil war. In the wake of government seizure of Catholic institutions in 1970, bishops focused on the removal of religious education, linking it to falling standard of education and lack of moral behavior among students. But Rev Ikeme worked pragmatically to restore discipline, good behavior among students, and academic excellence in the public schools. When Catholic leaders in Southeastern Nigeria regained control of schools, they found that the institutions had changed and there was no going back. 3 Acknowledgments This academic program was funded from multiple sources through the help of His Eminence, John Cardinal Oniyekan, the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Nigeria. I express my sincere gratitude to him and the local donors for their financial support. In a special way, I thank my former Superior General, Mother Maria Chilota Elochukwu of the Daughters of Divine Love Congregation, Nigeria for granting me permission to pursue this academic program. I am also grateful to the members of my immediate family for their love and support. I acknowledge the support of my academic advisor, mentor, and chair of my dissertation committee, Professor John Rury, for providing the direction, guidance and useful comments that I needed to complete this work. I am equally indebted to my dissertation committee for their valuable advice, sacrifice, and time spent on my work. I register my sincere thanks to my family friends in Lawrence, Denny and Judy Chadwick, for welcoming me each time I came knocking on their door, particularly this summer. Special thanks to Bertram and Petrolina Oparaji for their love and closeness. To my other numerous friends, I say thank you. I am grateful to the KU Watson library staff for giving me support in sourcing and retrieving the materials needed to complete my work. The same appreciation goes to the KU Writing Center for the one-week summer workshop given to doctoral candidates completing their dissertations. The workshop was very timely. Special thanks to Rev Monsignor Charles Ikeme and the other Nigerian Catholic priests, who participated in my interviews during my fieldwork in Nigeria for their sincere responses and 4 patience. I am also grateful to Rev. Fr. Dr. Nicholas Omenka, professor of history, for mentoring me during my fieldwork in Nigeria. Above all, I am grateful to God who sustained me throughout my program, as I commend to Him the soul of my beloved father, Chief Clement Onwuegbuchulam Onyenehide, who died in 2015 and the soul of my younger sister, Chisom, who died early this year. I pray that they may have the eternal peace that they deserve in the Lord’s bosom. Thanks to you all and be assured that you will always be in my thoughts and prayers as I look forward to using, in a practical way, the academic knowledge that you have helped me to achieve for a more just and better world. 5 List of Abbreviations AG–THE ACTION GROUP CBCN–CATHOLIC BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE OF NIGERIA CMS–CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY (ANGLICAN) CSE-BULLETIN DE LA CONGREGATION DES PERE DU SAINT-ESPIRIT CSM-CHURCH OF SCOTLAND MISSION (PRESBYTERIAN) CWO–CATHOLIC WOMEN ORGANIZATION ECS–EAST CENTRAL STATE FCT–FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY, ABUJA NCNC–NATIONAL COUNCIL OF NIGERIA AND CITIZENS NPC–THE NORTHERN PEOPLES’ CONGRESS NUT–NIGERIA UNION OF TEACHERS PRIM METH.–PRIMITIVE METHODIST RCM–ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSION UDHR–UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS UN–UNITED NATIONS UNESCO–UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION UPE–THE UNIVERSAL PRIMARY EDUCATION 6 Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... 3 Acknowledgments .............................................................................................................. 4 List of Abbreviations .......................................................................................................... 6 AG–THE ACTION GROUP .............................................................................................. 6 CBCN–CATHOLIC BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE OF NIGERIA ...................................... 6 CMS–CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY (ANGLICAN) ............................................. 6 CSE-BULLETIN DE LA CONGREGATION DES PERE DU SAINT-ESPIRIT ............ 6 CSM-CHURCH OF SCOTLAND MISSION (PRESBYTERIAN) ................................... 6 CWO–CATHOLIC WOMEN ORGANIZATION ............................................................. 6 ECS–EAST CENTRAL STATE ........................................................................................ 6 FCT–FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY, ABUJA ......................................................... 6 NCNC–NATIONAL COUNCIL OF NIGERIA AND CITIZENS .................................... 6 NPC–THE NORTHERN PEOPLES’ CONGRESS ........................................................... 6 NUT–NIGERIA UNION OF TEACHERS ........................................................................ 6 PRIM METH.–PRIMITIVE METHODIST ....................................................................... 6 RCM–ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSION ............................................................................ 6 UDHR–UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS ..................................... 6 UN–UNITED NATIONS ................................................................................................... 6 7 UNESCO–UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION .......................................................................................................................... 6 UPE–THE UNIVERSAL PRIMARY EDUCATION ........................................................ 6 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 TIMELINE OF CHAPTER THREE: COLONIAL ERA (1885-1950) .............................. 3 TIMELINE OF CHAPTER FOUR: POST-COLONIAL ERA (1950-1970) ..................... 5 TIMELINE OF CHAPTER FIVE: POST-WAR YEARS (1970-1975) ............................. 6 The Nigerian Nation: A Brief Profile ................................................................................. 7 Research Setting within Nigeria ....................................................................................... 10 Sources of Data Collection and Analysis ......................................................................... 11 Research Participants ........................................................................................................ 13 Rev Monsignor Charles Ikeme: A Brief Profile ....................................................... 13 Other Participants...................................................................................................... 16 CHAPTER ONE: CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY WORK IN NIGER COUNTRY .......... 18 (19TH CENTURY) ........................................................................................................... 18 Early Contact of Nigerians with Christianity ................................................................... 18 Missionary and Political Tension on the Niger Country (19th Century) .......................... 20 The Role of the Protestant Missions in West Africa (19th Century) ................................ 22 Early Catholic Missionary Activity in Southern Nigeria ................................................. 26 Monopoly of Education by the Christian Missions .......................................................... 28 8 Effects of Missionary Monopoly of Education in Nigeria ............................................... 30 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 33 CHAPTER