Methodist Boys High School, Lagos (MBHS Lagos) is a

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

for boys located in

Victoria Island Victoria Island ( ikt, Kitlineq, italic=yes) is a large island in the Arctic Archipelago that straddles the boundary between Nunavut and the Northwest Territories of Canada. It is the List of islands by area, eighth-largest island in the world, ...

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...

. Nigeria. Founded in 1878, it was the second secondary school established in Nigeria.

History

The leaders of the

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

community, including

Charles Joseph George Charles Joseph George (before 1881 – 1906) was a successful SaroA "Saro" was a freed Sierra Leonean slave, of Nigerian origin, who had returned to Nigeria. trader who was appointed a member of the Legislative Council of the Lagos Colony from 18 ...

, met in 1874 to discuss founding a secondary school for members of their communion as an alternative to the CMS Grammar School, Bariga Lagos. After a fund-raising drive, construction of the building commenced and the Methodist Boys' High School, Lagos building was completed in June 1877. On March 14, 1878 the new school was formally opened, with Rev. W. Terry Coppin as the first principal. In April 1878, the first batch of students were taken in. There were 12 names on the roll. Among the twelve boys was George Stone Smith, the first on the list and therefore the Senior Foundation Scholar. There were also six mission agents-in-training. By the end of the year the number on roll had increased to 23 boys and seven agents, and work had commenced in earnest. Methodist Boys' High School, Lagos thus became the second secondary school in Nigeria, after the CMS Grammar School, Bariga, Lagos founded in 1859 and Baptist Academy, Obanikoro, Lagos in 1885. Baptist Academy started as a primary school in 1855 then converted to be a secondary school in 1885. MBHS Lagos and CMS Grammar School, Bariga, Lagos subsequently teamed up to provide take-off students for Igbobi College, Yaba, Lagos founded through collaboration of the Methodist Church Nigeria and the Anglican Communion in Nigeria, in 1932. The motto of the school is ''Non Sibi Sed Aliis'', meaning ''Not For Us, But For Others''. The current school hymn is ''Land of Our Birth, We Pledge to Thee''. The uniform is made up of shorts for juniors and trousers for seniors; long sleeve shirt, school tie of blue, gold and maroon; and a white jacket. A maroon blazer is normally used for ceremonial events.

Houses and sports

The school has four houses into which the entire students' population is distributed randomly for the purpose of annual inter-house competition. The houses are Didsbury House, Handsworth House, Kingswood House and Westminster House. This was the cradle of great sportsmen who came out of the school. One of them is Sunday Oliseh who was at one time Captain of the Green Eagles, the senior national team, of Nigeria. The school won the Zard Cup for Secondary Schools in 1948 and the Principal's Cup for Secondary Schools in Lagos State in 1961 among other laurels.

Location

Methodist Boys' High School, Lagos started on Broad Street, Lagos and remained on the site for over 100 years. Subsequently, a 60-hectare parcel of land in Ojoo, Lagos - Badagry Road, Lagos State, was allocated to the school by the Lagos State Government for the purpose of expansion and better suitability for learning. Though significant development was made on the new location towards the relocation of the school planned for 1982, the new location was eventually taken over by the Lagos State Government and now serve as the permanent site of the Lagos State University. In 1983, a new 5.7-acre parcel of land in Victoria Island, Lagos, was allocated to the school as a partial compensation for the Ojoo Site, Badagry, Lagos State, that was taken over by the Lagos State Government for the use of the Lagos State University. The school operates on the Victoria Island site.

MBHS Lagos Old Boys' Association

The Old Boys' Association was established early enough to play a crucial role during the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the school held in 1928. The first student on the list at take off of the school, the Senior Foundation Scholar, George Stone Smith, who later became Dr. Orishadipe Obasa, served as the first President of the Association. In appreciation of the qualitative education received from the school and to give back towards improved infrastructures for the current students, the Old Boys' Association built the Centenary Hall to mark the 100-year anniversary of the school, built a chapel, and donated staff quarters. The old boys organize and meet regularly, both within and outside Nigeria, including branches in the United Kingdom and North America.

Principals

*Rev. W. Terry Coppin, 1878–1883 *Rev. George W. Baxter, 1883–1884 *Rev Edmund Tomlin, 1884 *Rev. M. J. Elliott, 1885 *Rev. J. H. Wellington, 1886–1889 *Rev. W. B. Euba, 1889–1896 *Rev. J. H. Samuel, 1896–1902 *Rev. W. B. Euba, 1902–1912 *Rev. A. W. Moulton Wood, 1912–1918 *Rev. H. W. Stacey, 1919–1927 *Rev. J. A. Angus, 1927–1932 *Mr. J. T. Jackson, 1932–1943 *Rev. W. Roberts, 1943–1946 *Mr. A. B. Oyediran (Old Boy), 1947–1955 *Rev. S. A. Osinulu, 1956–1962 *Chief. D. A. Famoroti, 1962–1979 *Mr. O. O. Soewu (Old Boy), 1979–1981 and 2004–2005 *Chief. A. A. Osuneye (Old Boy), 1981-1989 *Mr. E. F. Olukunle (Old Boy), 1990–1994 *Prince. S. O. Saibu, 1995–2001 *Mr. Ademola Johnson (Old Boy), 2001–2004 *Rev. S. A. Ogunniyi, 2005–2007 *Mr. J. A. Oyegbile (acting), 2007–2008 *The Rev Samuel O. Osinubi, 2008–2009 *Mr. F. F. Akinsete (acting), 2009 *The Rev. Titus Kayode Fatunla, 2009–2012 *The Very Rev Capt. Phillip Okunoren (Old Boy), 2012–October 2015 *The Very Rev. David Oyebade, October 2015–October 2016 *The Very Rev Paul Olukunga, October 2016–present

Notable alumni

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- co-founder and first Chief Executive Officer, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc *

Oladele Ajose Oladele Adebayo Ajose (1907–1978) was a Lagos prince who was the Vice-Chancellor of the Obafemi Awolowo University. He was an early advocate of primary health care in Nigeria and the first tenured African professor at the University of Ibadan ...

- first African Vice Chancellor,

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- former Vice Chancellor,

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- first Governor General and President of Nigeria * Hezekiah Oladipo Davies - Queen's Counsel and one of the founding fathers of Nigerian politics * Babatunde Elegbede - former military governor of Cross Rivers State, member of the Babangida's regime Armed Forces Ruling Council and Director of the Defence Intelligence Agency (Nigeria) *

Mobolaji Johnson Mobolaji Olufunso Johnson (9 February 1936 – 30 October 2019) was a Nigerian Army Brigadier who served as Military Administrator of the Federal territory of Lagos from January 1966 to May 1967 during the military regime of General Aguyi-Ironsi ...

- first Military Governor,

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- second Military Governor, Lagos State, Nigeria *

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- General Overseer of Mountain Of Fire And Ministries * Gabriel Olusanya - diplomat, Ambassador to

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, Ile-Ife *

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, Nigeria *

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Lateef Akinola Salako Lateef Akinola Salako NNOM, CON (5 July 1935 – 8 December 2017) was a Nigerian academic who was professor emeritus of pharmacology and therapeutics at the University of Ibadan. Early life Lateef Akinola Salako was born on 5 July 1935 in La ...

- National Merit Award winner, professor of Medicine *

Idowu Taylor John Idowu Conrad Taylor (24 August 1917 – 7 November 1973) was a Nigerian jurist, Judge of the Supreme Court of Nigeria (1964 to 1967), and the first Chief Justice of Lagos State (1967 to 1973). Education and early life John Taylor was bor ...

- Chief Justice of Lagos State and Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria *

Adolphus Wabara Adolphus Nduneweh Wabara (born 1 June 1948) is a Nigerian politician and diplomat who served as the 10th Senate President of Nigeria from 2003 to 2005. A pioneer member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Adolphus had previously been a me ...

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Atanda Fatai Williams Chief Atanda Fatai Williams, (22 October 1918 – 10 April 2002) was a Nigerian Jurist and Chief Justice of Nigeria from 1979 to 1983. Early life Williams was born on 22 October 1918 in Lagos State, Nigeria, the son of Issa Williams. His fath ...

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References

External links

* {{coord missing, Nigeria 1878 establishments in Lagos Colony Boys' schools in Nigeria Educational institutions established in 1878 Christian schools in Nigeria Methodism in Nigeria Methodist schools Schools in Lagos Secondary schools in Lagos State Victoria Island, Lagos