Mount Saint Gabriel's Secondary School (MSG) is a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

all-boys

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

Makurdi Makurdi is the capital of Benue State, located in central Nigeria, and part of the Middle Belt region of central Nigeria. The city is situated along the Benue River. In 2017, Makurdi's urban population was 517,342. The town is divided by the Ri ...

Benue State Benue is a State in the North Central Nigeria, North Central region of Nigeria. It is popularly referred to as part of the Middle belt. It has an estimated population of about 4,253,641 in List of Nigerian states by population, the 2006 census. ...

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

. Founded on 14 January 1964 by Bishop James Hagan of the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi, it was the first secondary school in Makurdi. MSG follows the WAEC, NECO and NERDC curricula and is recognized for academic excellence in Benue State.

History

MSG opened in 1964 as a Day Secondary School for boys with 63 students from diverse ethnic groups, including Tiv, Idoma, Igbo, and Hausa. Classes were initially held in temporary structures at Holy Ghost Parish (later Spiritian Press), it was the first secondary school in Makurdi. The school moved to its permanent site near Government Craft School (now Government College) in 1966. Development stalled during the

Nigerian Civil War The Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970), also known as the Biafran War, Nigeria-Biafra War, or Biafra War, was fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a Secession, secessionist state which had declared its independen ...

(1967–1971), when Igbo and European staff departed, leading to single-class enrolment (1967–1970) and initial poor academic results (e.g., 29% pass rate in 1962). Post-war recovery saw growth: a third stream was added in 1974, expanding to six streams by 1976.

Academics

The school operates under Nigeria's 6-3-3-4 education system. The Junior Secondary School (JSS) and the Senior Secondary School (SSS) have three apiece JSS 1 and SSS 1 Each year group is divided into six classes (A–F), with a maximum of 30 students per class. Academic performance improved dramatically from the mid-1970s. By 2003, 89% of 178 students scored ≥5 credits in WASSCE, while 100% achieved this in NECO. The school has ranked among Nigeria’s top five secondary schools for over three decades. MSG is ranked first in Benue State for WAEC performance, according to the state’s Ministry of Education.

Campus and student life

Mount Saint Gabriel's Secondary School features six dormitories, each of which also serves as one of the six houses. These houses are named after African saints ( Uganda Martyrs) : St. Tuzinde, St. Muggaga, St. Kizito, St. Lwanga, St. Mukasa, and St. Kalemba. The campus includes science laboratories, a library, ICT centers, boarding houses, and sports facilities. The school chapel serves as a central gathering space for religious activities. MSG hosts annual inter-house competitions in athletics and academics. Student-led clubs include debate, journalism, and STEM activities.

Principals

Notable alumni

MSGOBA, the alumni association, unites graduates globally to support the school. Collaborating with the PTA and government, it has helped sustain the institution’s reputation for producing leaders across fields worldwide. Alumni of MSG, known as the MSGOBA, include: * Innocent "2Baba" Idibia – Grammy-nominated musician. * Michael Aondoakaa – Former Attorney General of Nigeria. * Iyorchia Ayu – Former

President of the Nigerian Senate The president of the Nigerian Senate is the presiding officer of the Senate of Nigeria, elected by its membership. The senate president is second in line of succession to the Nigerian presidency, after the vice president of Nigeria. The current ...

. * Gbenro Ajibade – Actor and model.

Controversies

In March 2021, principal Rev. Fr. John Asen was suspended after a video showing him physically disciplining a student went viral. The incident sparked debates on corporal punishment in Nigerian schools.

References

{{coord, 7.7318, 8.5173, type:edu_region:NG, display=title Boarding schools in Nigeria Catholic secondary schools in Nigeria Educational institutions established in 1964