Baptist Academy

Baptist Academy, Lagos is a secondary school located in Obanikoro, Lagos, Nigeria. The school was established in 1855 by the American Baptist Missionaries.[1][2]

History

The school's history can be traced to the establishment of First Baptist Church Mission in Lagos by an African-American missionary. The mission was given a parcel of land by Oba Dosunmu and structures were soon built on the land. Educational activities started after the completion of the buildings and the expansion of missionary activities led to a gradual growth in the school's population. By 1886, the school had about 129 boys and 95 girls in the primary section and about 14 boys and 3 girls in the secondary section. Prior to 1926, American pastors of the Baptist Mission acted as principals for the school but in January 1926, Eyo Ita and E.E. Esua joined the staff and in August of the year, Ita became the headmaster. [3]

The initial venue of the school was on Broad Street, Lagos and later moved to a new location along the Ikorodu Road, Lagos. The Primary School section remained at that location but was renamed.

Rather than close the Primary School on Broad Street, Lagos; only the secondary school moved to Ikorodu Road in Obanikoro. The Primary school remained at Broad Street and was renamed W.J David (William Joshua David) Memorial Baptist Primary School after one of the American baptist missionaries that started the baptist Mission in Nigeria. The Primary school remained at the Broad Street location until the late nineteen eighties when its building was pulled down in anticipation of expanding the First Baptist Church (adjacent to the school) to include a high-rise business building. All the students at W.J David were transferred to other Baptist primary schools in the area.

References

  1. Allen Timilehin Olathunde. Missions in the Dark Soil: Life and Work of Thomas Jefferson Bowen in Africa. aiconcept. p. 33. ISBN 9789785238761.
  2. Hollis R. Lynch. K. O. Mbadiwe: A Nigerian Political Biography, 1915–1990. Palgrave Macmillan, 2012. p. 18. ISBN 9781137002624.
  3. Increase Coker (1955). "Our Secondary Schools, 'Baptist Academy'". Daily Times of Nigeria. p. 5.

External links


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