Government College Ibadan (founded 28 February 1929) is a boys' secondary school located on the hills of Apata Ganga in

Ibadan Ibadan (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano, with a total population of 3,649,000 as of 2021, and over 6 million people within its me ...

, Nigeria.

History

The founding fathers of Government College Ibadan were

Selwyn MacGregor Grier Sir Selwyn Macgregor Grier (1 April 1878 – 8 November 1946) was a British colonial administrator, Governor-in-Chief of the Windward Islands from 1935 to 1937. He was the eldest child of Richard Macgregor Grier (1835 – 1894), the then rural d ...

, Director of Education, Southern Provinces, who conceived the idea of the school, and E. R. Swanston, Inspector of Education. The school was conceived and founded on 28 February 1929. The first principal was C. E. Squire. The second principal was H. T. C. Field. V. B. V. Powell was the third principal. Government College was modelled on the British public boarding schools of the era, and the first set of students numbered 29. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, the school temporarily moved to several sites before finally resettling back at its original site. The alumnus popularly called Old Boys, holds an annual reunion programme in order to connect former students.

Curriculum

All students were required to complete a number of core courses in the arts and sciences. The courses were designed so that all students, no matter what their strengths were, obtained the basic skills of critical thinking, effective writing, effective

oral The word oral may refer to: Relating to the mouth * Relating to the mouth, the first portion of the alimentary canal that primarily receives food and liquid **Oral administration of medicines ** Oral examination (also known as an oral exam or or ...

communication, library literacy, laboratory competency,

creative thinking Creativity is a phenomenon whereby something new and valuable is formed. The created item may be intangible (such as an idea, a scientific theory, a musical composition, or a joke) or a physical object (such as an invention, a printed literary w ...

and problem solving. The school was also known for

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

and

field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ...

. The school also had an

Officer Cadet Officer Cadet is a rank held by military cadets during their training to become commissioned officers. In the United Kingdom, the rank is also used by members of University Royal Naval Units, University Officer Training Corps and University Ai ...

Corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...

that offered instruction camps in precision field drills, adventure training and the cadets were introduced to the principles of meritocracy.

Laurels in academics

In the period before the dissolution of the country's Western Region, the school earned the fame of being the best secondary school in Nigeria. It had well-resourced classrooms and laboratories. As the school grew in numbers of students, in reputation and in fame, its students achieved consistently high scores for exam results at

O-level The O-Level (Ordinary Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education. It was introduced in place of the School Certificate in 1951 as part of an educational reform alongside the more in-dept ...

and A-level. In the 1960s, more than 78 distinctions were obtained by Government College students in the examinations, an unprecedented achievement in Nigeria. In the decade of the 1970s the school upheld its records in both the academic and extracurricular fields. The school has produced more than 80% of the presidents of the Nigerian Society of Engineers since its inception, and one of the only four Africans to be awarded a

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

School houses

*Carr House (Orange) *Field House (Green) *Grier House (Maroon) *Powell House (Purple) *Swanston House (Blue)

Notable alumni

* Adegoke Adelabu (1915–1958), distinguished politician *

Akinola Aguda Akinola Aguda (1923 – 5 September 2001) was a Yoruba Nigerian jurist and a former Chief Justice of Botswana. Prior to becoming Chief Justice, he was a lawyer and a High Court judge in Nigeria's Western Region. He was the first indigenous Af ...

(1923–2001), first Chief Justice of

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label= Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalaha ...

* T. M. Aluko (1918–2010), eminent scholar and author * Segun Awolowo (born 1963), Lawyer & Businessman * Wale Babalakin (born 1960), Lawyer & President GCIOBA * Cyprian Ekwensi (1921–2007), distinguished author * Erediauwa, (1923–2016), King of Benin, Nigeria *

Abel Guobadia Sir Abel Guobadia OFR (28 June 1932 – 4 February 2011) was an educator, administrator, diplomat and retired public servant. Education Abel Guobadia was born on 28 June 1932, in Benin City, Nigeria. He attended C.M.S. Primary Schools in Benin ...

(1932–2011), Ambassador, former Chairman,

Independent National Electoral Commission The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was established in 1998 and is the electoral body which oversees elections in Nigeria. History Regulation and administration of elections The administration of democratic elections in Nige ...

Christopher Kolade Christopher Kolade, CON (born 1932), is a Nigerian diplomat and academic. Early life and education He was born in Erin – Oke, Osun State, Nigeria, in 1932. He completed his secondar-school education at Government College, Ibadan after which he ...

(born 1932), Nigerian Ambassador to the United Kingdom *

Ifedayo Oladapo Ifedayo Olawole Oladapo, OON, FICE, NNOM, (24 November 1932 – 6 March 2010) was a Nigerian academic and professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Lagos. Early life Ifedayo was born in Ondo City and had his early education at Gover ...

(1932–2010), University Vice-Chancellor * Victor Omololu Olunloyo (born 1935), former

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Oyo State Oyo State is an inland States of Nigeria, state in southwestern Nigeria. Its capital is Ibadan, the List of Nigerian cities by population, third most populous city in the country and formerly the second most populous city in Africa. Oyo State is b ...

Femi Osofisan Babafemi Adeyemi Osofisan (born June 16, 1946), known as Femi Osofisan or F.O., is a Nigerian writer noted for his critique of societal problems and his use of African traditional performances and surrealism in some of his plays. A frequent theme ...

(born 1946), Professor of Theater Arts *

Ayo Rosiji Chief Ayotunde Rosiji (24 February 1917 – 31 July 2000) was a Nigerian politician, having served as Minister for Health and Minister of Information. He was born in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on 24 February 1917 to the family of an Egba policeman ...

(1917–2000), industrialist, former Minister of Labour * Olaokun Soyinka (born 1958), Medical Doctor *

Wole Soyinka Akinwande Oluwole Babatunde Soyinka (Yoruba: ''Akínwándé Olúwọlé Babátúndé Ṣóyíinká''; born 13 July 1934), known as Wole Soyinka (), is a Nigerian playwright, novelist, poet, and essayist in the English language. He was awarded t ...

(born 1934), first African literary Nobel Laureate

External links

*
FGC and F.G.G.C classmate, old student Network Alumni
website
Apata Ganga - My GCI Years
{{coord missing, Nigeria Secondary schools in Oyo State Boys' schools in Nigeria Buildings and structures in Ibadan Schools in Ibadan History of Ibadan Educational institutions established in 1929 1929 establishments in Nigeria