Origin Of KALABARI National College (K.N.C)

The first secondary school in Buguma, known as Kalabari College, was opened by American Baptist Mission on February, 1938. A.B Batubo was requested to act as Principal of the College at that time in the hope that the Baptist Mission would provide an American Principal the following year. But when, in 1939, the American Baptist Mission could not provide a substantive Principal, the Buguma chiefs employed one Bankole Wright, a Jamaican graduate, to the post and took over both the proprietorship and management from the American Baptist Mission. The name of the School was in that year, 1940, changed to Kalabari National College. Later, Chief Jim George was appointed de jure proprietor and late Chief Charles Inko-Tariah became the manager. After Bankole Wright several other persons had became the principals of the KNC, including S.W Essien (now Justice Wai-Ogosu of the Rivers State Judiciary; C.A Oputa (retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria after serving as Chief Judge of Imo State), and the late distinguished educationist, D.D Tom-George and British principals like Mr Clayton, Mr Gibbs and Rev Fr Butler.

     With the extensive exodus in quest of learning described earlier, whose beneficial impact soon became self-evident, the Buguma Council of Chiefs approached the Baptist Mission to establish a secondary school for them on their own soil and name it the Kalabari College. The sense of patriotism as well as the urgent need underlying this move need to be mentioned.

     In the 1930s, the struggle for political freedom from Britain had started and the news of the struggles had reached Kalabariland. That those who had spearheaded the struggles could do so because of their education was a source of inspiration to the Kalabari who, for a long time, had resisted the white man's rule. Education to them in the new era was a white man's juju which they must have in order to fight for their identity. They realised that a new age had dawned and they must wake up and find their place in the scheme of things. To ignore colonial or missionary education was to resign oneself to rear of development.

    The Buguma citizenry had observed what modern medical science could do. The doctors they had, however, were all foreigners. They had a lot of land disputes among themselves, besides, they had court cases between them and their neighbours but the lawyers were Yorubas from Lagos in the former Western Region. It was a challenge to them. The chiefs no longer sent their wards nor younger sons alone to school but decided that their elder sons must also be trained to meet the challenge of the time. They had seen the difference education had made in the lives of those who had received it outside their clan. They needed to have a grammar school, and that was the reason for the urge which finally led them to have a secondary school of their dream.

BACKGROUND AND BEGINNING OF A SECONDARY SCHOOL

    In April, 1934, the Nigerian Baptist Convention held its annual session in Buguma. The meeting brought to Buguma several highly educated men and women from all over the country. While the Convention was in session, the Amanyanabo, his chiefs and elders of Buguma approached the leaders and officers of the Convention and requested the Convention to open a secondary school in Buguma.

    The request was discussed and noted. On the one hand, the Nigerian Baptist Convention at this time had just a few secondary schools in Lagos and Abeokuta. They had not actually embarked upon starting secondary schools generally. The people of Buguma, on the other hand, felt that the Convention was in a position to give them a secondary school. The Convention was unable to make a promise, except to say that the request had been noted and that members would pray about it.

     In 1936, Dr. William Henry Carson and his wife came to Buguma. For some time, they had served as teachers at the Baptist Theological Seminary and College in Ogbomosho. They had decided to come down to Eastern Nigeria to do the work of evangelism as resident missionaries. They lived in Buguma for a while, from where they travelled to the Baptist churches in Abua, Engenni, Ikwerre, Ekpeye and Owerri districts of the Baptist Missionary work. Not long after their arrival in Buguma, the Amanyanabo, chiefs and leaders of Buguma met them and again made the same request which they made in 1934.

     The people of Buguma had a meaningful discussion with the Carsons. During the discussion it was noted that the chiefs were ready to provide the land on which the building would be put up and that the people of Buguma would raise the funds to start the School. They also agreed to pay an unmarried missionary the sum of 'one thousand and six hundred dollars'. This missionary was to come and open the school and serve as the principal. The Carsons, on their part, promised to work for the approval of the school and to secure the services of a missionary to serve as principal. They also agreed that the Baptist Mission in Nigeria would serve both as manager and proprietor of the school. As a result, the school was started as a Mission College in 1938. This second milestone in setting up a secondary school in Buguma, was reached when Reverend Carson demanded four hundred pounds from the Buguma chiefs with which to establish the Kalabari College. The challenge was accepted and Buguma chiefs gladly paid up the entire sum.

     With this payment, what later became the Kalabari National College, Buguma, was brought into existence. Among the pioneer students were Graham Ekine Princewill, Godfrey Lulu Barango Tariah, Ferguson Isokariari, Sunday Jim George, Hebron Hutton George and Alexander Harrison Lawson. The institution was first housed in Theophilus Goodhead's building and then transferred to Horsfall's compound, and later to Abbiyiboye Abbi's building, from where it moved to its present permanent site. Students read up to class VI and sat for the Cambridge School Certificate, and some scored exemptions from the London Matriculation to get direct entry into universities.

PROGRESS OF THE INSTITUTION

When the idea of joint running of Kalabari National College was tabled before the Kalabari Sekobiri, it was unanimously accepted as there was no college then in the riverine territory of the Oil Rivers Protectorate of Southern Nigeria. Contract for the clearing of the permanent site was accordingly awarded to A.K Bob-Manuel of Abonnema. The school was to be sited at Hooper Kiri. It was later observed, however, that the other towns and villages began to develop cold feet toward the establishment of the school. Their reasons were unknown, but one suggest that the plan appeared to be too ambitious, and required a lot of money to be contributed by all. This was not going to be easy to effect. In fact, even in Buguma itself, some felt that they could not run the college on their own as a community. The financial burden in running a college would be too much for everyone. They were about right.

      According to Chief A.B Batubo, who was the first Nigerian on the staff of the college and a native of Buguma, but for timely intervention of the citizens of Buguma who were working in Lagos, the plan would have flopped. Members of BIAS, who were resident in Lagos taxed themselves and sent money to Buguma at different times to help meet the requirements of the college. It is largely to them that the credit for the sustenance of the college must go. For example, it was BIAS that put up the main school block and the principal's quarters. The school was transformed in 1940 from the status of a Mission to a Community Secondary School run by Buguma. It was approved and recognised by the Eastern Nigeria Government in 1954.

     Individuals also contributed commendably to ensure the continuity of the institution. It is on record, for instance, that at about 1958, the college was faced with financial crises. The principal, Mr Clayton, a Briton, was striving to maintain a high academic standard by appointing a level and quality of staff as were necessary to meet standards set by the Eastern Nigeria Government, Ministry of Education. This caused financial strain on the college. He soon left the college, however, and his successor, Mr Gibbs, found that he had no money to pay the salaries of the assembled manpower as well as meet other operational costs.

    At this time, a renowned Buguma educationist, Chief I.D Erekosima, was establishing a professional reputation as principal of such institutions in the upland parts of Eastern Nigeria as Government Secondary School, Owerri and Government College, Umuahia. He was also a member of the Governing Board of the Kalabari National College from its inception in 1938 until a Military Government Edict of the Rivers State declared all schools to be state-owned. From this vantage-point, Chief Erekosima was well-acquainted with the particular crisis in question, and with Chief A.B Batubo and the Amanyanabo, His Royal Highness Frederick Princewill Amachree VIII, rallied to mortgage their landed properties at Port Harcourt in order to raise a bank loan which was used to tide over the challenge. Their collateral remained in the custody of Union Bank, Port Harcourt for the entire period until the debt was fully repaid. Another prominent Buguma son that maintained keen interest in the affairs of the institution was Chief Opubo Inko-Tariah.

ACHIEVEMENTS OF KALABARI NATIONAL COLLEGE - KANACOL

The importance of Kalabari National College, Buguma, lies in the fact that it was the first community secondary school in Rivers State and one of the earliest in the former Eastern Region of Nigeria. At the time of its founding, only Enitonia High School existed in Port Harcourt, as a non-boarding private institution. As the first community secondary school in the area, the KNC attracted students from all over Rivers State and beyond. That a secondary school was within the community inspired many Buguma parents and relations to send their children to school, who would otherwise not have done so. It also saved the children from Buguma the trouble of having to travel out to distant places to look for schools even if their parents were capable of sending them there. Poor communication at that time and their tender age would have prevented many of them from acquiring an education.

     Students came from far and wide to the institution. Although it was community-owned, its gates were flung wide open to students not only from the Kalabari family but also from Ahoada, Ikwerre, Ogoni, Bonny, Brass, Ijaw, Umuahia, Aba, Okrika and the entire neighbouring region. Kalabari National College became a melting pot, welding together the many peoples of the Niger delta. Its motto is 'Per Aspera Ad Astra' meaning 'To the Stars through Bolts and Bars', and one of its popular songs partly reads in testimony:

          The fame of the Kanacol

          Has brought us here one and all

          May we drink thy bounty store 

          As others have done before

Refrain

          Kalabaris and Ogonis

          All the Ibos and Ibibios

          Make the school resound with song

          With the ringing farewell song

          Years ago we came to school

          Knowing not of Prefect's rule

          In the life and labour there ...

The college could not board all its teeming student population, and so many of the students from outside Buguma rented accommodation among the families in the town. Relationships developed in most cases which became enduring. The Buguma families in which particular students from clans lodged, also got to be reciprocally known and were well-received at the homes from where the students came thus forging a wide network of amicable ties through much of Eastern Nigeria.

    Even those who taught in the school found inspiration and opportunity from that process to go further in their educational endeavours, while those who became old boys proudly referred their children and relations back to the college.

    The challenge of supporting the school also helped develop a sense of community responsibility in the Buguma population.

     To crown these multifarious benefits which the school has provided, is the fact that numbered today among its products are hundreds of people occupying important positions in the services of the country. Included among them are a former Federal Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, the late Chief (Dr) N.B Graham Douglas; a Federal Solicitor-General, Chief Howard F. David-West; a Minister for Petroleum and Energy, Prof. Tam David-West, several judges such as the Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Adolphus G. Karibi-Whyte and Hon. Justice Donald Graham Douglas, Chief Judge of the Rivers State; and Hon. Justice W. H Kio Lawson and Hon. Justice M. D Goodhead, bishops such as His Lordship the Rt. Rev. S.O Elenwo; the late Bobby Benson, premier Nigerian highlife musician and doyen of contemporary music in the country; top administrators such as S. K Dagogo Jack, former Head of Service and Secretary to the Rivers State Military Government.

     The list needs to also include the Dambos from Brass, one of whom was a Permanent Secretary in the Rivers State Civil Service and the other a former Accountant-General of Nigeria and Mr. I. C Inko Tariah, a Director General and Solicitor General, Ministry of Justice, Rivers State. Still others are Surv. C. T Horsfall, the first Surveyor General of the Rivers State and D. Kelsey David-West, the Federal Director of Veterinary Services. One of first set of lawyers in the northern part of Nigeria, Alhaji Abudul Rasaq, was a product of this institution, as well as G. A Graham-Douglas, the second Senior Advocate of Nigeria produced by Rivers State. There were some successful businessmen like Chief E. Flag Amachree and O. K Isokariari. Also to be mentioned too are several distinguished academics like Prof. Geoffrey Ibim of Atlanta University, Prof. Igolima D. Princewill also in the United States, and Prof. Orlando George, the mathematician, as well as several other outstanding achievers.

Note:

The education of Buguma women was largely taken up by the Kalabari National College which was later founded and served as a co-educational institution. Through its portals came up such able women as Priscilia Gillis Harry, Gloria A Inko-Tariah (wife of W. H Kio Lawson), Faith Bob-Manuel (wife of Hon Justice Karibi-Whyte) and Agnes George (now Mrs R F David-West). Prominent among the eminent women of the period would be Christiana Owiyeba Amachree (wife of the late Chief (Dr) Nabo Graham-Douglas) who became the first female graduate of Kalabari in 1953. Others among several that cannot be recounted here are Mrs Florence Daisy Ajumogobia and Mrs Bilaye Tariah who gone on as professional teachers.

The Catholic Mission, under Bishop Okoye, came to run the Kalabari National College (hitherto a mixed school) in1964, when the people of Buguma voluntarily handed it over because of another hectic period in the life of the institution. The Mission decided to move out the girls, and so set up a separate school for them which came to be called Marywood Girl's College. This was carried out under the headship of Rev. Fr. Butler and his Vice-Principal, W. H Kio Lawson.

Source: Hundred Years of Buguma History in Kalabari Culture.

 Editorial Sub-Committee

   Tonye V. Erekosima

   W. H Kio Lawson

   Obeleye MacJaja

Under the Auspices of the Buguma Centenary Committee 1984.