King's College, Lagos

History

In 1908, the Nigerian Acting Director of Education in Lagos, Henry Rawlingson Carr, proposed to Governor Walter Egerton a detailed scheme of education for Lagos. Carr's suggestions and proposals were the basis for the formation of King's College. The local Yoruba King, Oba Esugbayi (Eleko of Eko/Oba of Lagos) agreed to provide land for the project with a goal to strengthen access to education for the Yorubas in Lagos. Carr convinced the London Board of Education that King's College's education mission would not overlap but supplement the education initiatives of missionary societies. As a result, some authors regard Henry Carr as the "architect of King's College".

King's School (as it was then called) came into being on 20 September 1909. The pioneer students included J.C. Vaughan, Isaac Ladipo Oluwole, Frank Macaulay, Daniel Adeniyi Onojobi, Herbert Mills (from the Gold Coast), O.A. Omololu, and Moses King. Oluwole was the first senior prefect. Constructing and furnishing the school building had a cost of £10,001 (About £1,048,661.20 in 2026)

The philosophy of King's School was

"to provide for the youth of the colony a higher general education than that supplied by the existing Schools, to prepare them for Matriculation Examination of the University of London and to give a useful course of Study to those who intend to qualify for Professional life or to enter Government or Mercantile service."

The average number of students in 1910 was 16, rising to 67 by 1914.

King's College is now one of 104 unity schools in Nigeria managed by the federal government to bring together children from different geographic, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds to build Nigeria's future, especially in the aftermath of the Nigerian Civil War.

Campuses

The school was divided into two campuses, with the junior school moving into the premises of the former Federal School for Arts and Sciences (F.S.A.S) on Victoria Island. The school administration was still under the control of one principal and ultimately under the control of the Federal Ministry of Education.

The seniors are split as follows: SS1 to SS3 boys are found in the Main Campus (Tafawa Balewa Square), while JSS1 to JSS3 boys are found in the annex campus (Victoria Island).

Principals

The first principal of the school was a Mr Lomax, while the first African principal was Rex Akpofure. The current principal of the school is Ali Andrew Agada. Some other principals were:

Lomax (1909–1910)

Henry Hyde-Johnson (1910)

Frank Sutherland Scruby (1911–1914)

Charles McKee Wright (1914-1917)

J.A. de Gaye (1917–1919)

D.L. Kerr (1919)

H.A.A.F. Harman (1919–1925)

W.M. Peacock (1926–1931)

J.N. Panes (1931–1936)

A.H. Clift (1936–1947)

H.H. Jeffers (Acting Principal, 1941–1942)

A.D. Porter (1947)

G.P. Savage (1948)

J.R. Bunting (1949–1954)

P. H. Davis (1957 to 1964)

Rex Akpofure (1964–1968)(first indigenous principal)

R. S. G. Agiobu-Kemmer (1968–1975)

M.O. Imana (1975–1978)

Augustine A. Ibegbulam (1978–1985)

S. O. Agun (1985–1992)

S. A. Akinruli (1992–1994)

Notable alumni

Adedamola Richard Kasunmu, Politician, Legislator, Deputy Majority Leader, Lagos State House of Assembly

Simeon Adebo, Administrator, lawyer, and diplomat

Lateef Adegbite, Secretary-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs

Wale Adenuga, film producer

Adetokunbo Ademola, former Chief Justice of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

Claude Ake, Professor of Political Economy, International scholar and Social Crusader

Sam Akpabot, music composer

Ephraim Akpata, Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria

Rotimi Alakija, Nigerian disc jockey, record producer and recording artist.

Sola Akinyede, federal Senator 2007–2011

Cobhams Asuquo, African music producer

Hakeem Bello-Osagie, CEO Etisalat Nigeria

Russel Dikko, physician and former Federal Commissioner for Mines and Power

Alex Ekwueme, former Vice President of Nigeria

Arnold Ekpe, banker

Chief Anthony Enahoro, journalist and democracy advocate

Ibrahim Gambari, United Nations representative