eciosaigbajaPAST GLORY OF IGBA OJULE by ELDER OLAITAN JOHN MAKANJUOLA 1967 SET
ECWA Secondary School Nigeria was founded by the Sudan Interior Mission (S. I. M) as a Teacher Training School (T.T.S.) in March 1944, later renamed Teacher Training College (T.T.C). It was the second secular post primary institution in the present Kwara State, after Offa Community Grammar School that was established in 1942. Rev. William Crouch, who was the Principal of S.I.M. Seminary, also in Igbaja doubled as the protem Principal Teacher Training College Soon after, Miss Mary Laity a Canadian, became the first substantive Principal. She handed over to Rev. Albert F. Wylie in 1947.
At the beginning, couple of years, the teaching staff of the college was wholly comprised of white missionaries. But as time went by, indigenous teachers were taken on board. In fact, Mr. Daniel Iluromi, College No. 04 of the First Set, was the first non-white teacher in 1951 Also, as a faith-based institution, its students were drawn from Christian communities across the old Northern Region of Nigeria: but the former Ilorin and Kabba provinces were its catchment areas. The college was located at the northern end of Igbaja town, on the road to Oke-Ode. And that quite a number of buildings were constructed at the same time on the compound (the buildings were for classrooms, dormitories and staff quarters) was bewilderment to the host community; hence the people of Igabaja gave it a cognomen. O-NIGBA-OJULE, which literally means “a compound with two hundred doorways”.
In the course of time, the glory of the college began to show prominently in the 1950s when the students highly impressive performances in academics, sports
and other competitions, as well as in evangelism outreaches in the locality, manifested greatly. And indeed, the trend continued up to the 1980s when the
school experienced a phenomenal increase in students enrolment that almost reached 1,000 with some class sets having four arms (A to D)! That was also a
period of the state Government carried out unprecedented infrastructural works on the compound. It is instructive that that was during the military era!
It is gratifying to note that one outstanding feature of the school in the period was the high sense of discipline in the school, instilled in its students through the Word of God. In addition, what is called comprehensive education was given to the students, by which the school inculcated practical agriculture in the
students, to the extent that the school was engaged in commercial poultry and fishery! As a reflection of high discipline, the school compound was very well kept, with beautiful flowers in places, giving a serene environment that was very conducive to learning and teaching.
It should be noted that the institution had been transformed to a secondary school in 1970 as a result of change in national policy on education. And shortly after, it was turned to a mixed school. Also, the administration of the school had passed to the indigenes in 1968, when Mr. Williams A. Balogun became the first indigenous principal.
It is worthy of mention that the administrations of Rev. Albert F. Wylie and Mr. James R. Custer, as missionary principals of the College, were the most glamorous. Similarly, it is worthy of appreciation that Miss Elizabeth Webb, a Canadian, was the longest serving missionary-teacher at the School, having served for 33 years! She left the School finally in 1983.