Baptist Boys’ High School is a Baptist secondary school in Abeokuta, Ogun State, south-west Nigeria. It had a student body of 1,100 students as of the 2011–12 academic year.[1] The student population has decreased by almost half from the peak of 2155 in 1998–1999 academic year,[2] partly in response to a concern about overcrowded facilities. BBHS is on its permanent site, Oke-Saje. It is affiliated with the Nigerian Baptist Convention.

History

Baptist Boys’ High School was founded by the American International Mission Board,[3] whose Foreign Mission Board started work in Abeokuta on August 5, 1850, with the arrival of the first missionary, Reverend Thomas Jefferson Bowen[4][5] As well as preaching the gospel, the American Southern Baptist mission to Nigeria provided schools, hospitals, teacher training and theological colleges.[4][6][7] The Nigerian Baptist Mission, an arm of its American counterpart, established three primary schools at Ago-Owu, Ago-Ijaye and Oke-saje.[8]

After rapid growth of the Owu school to about 150 students,[9] Reverend Samuel George Pinnock was directed by the Mission to set up a post primary school to educate children from the three feeder primary schools.[8] In 1916 Pinnock identified and chose the site, Egunya Hill, and negotiated the purchase of the land. The building of the school was delayed because of the effect of World War I on the cost of building materials.[9] However, in early 1922 Pinnock oversaw the construction of the Principal's Quarters, which also doubled as Abeokuta Mission House; a block of five classrooms, a chapel, and a dormitory for boys.

In 1922 Pinnock selected a group of advanced students from the three feeder primary schools at Ago-Owu, Ago-Ijaye and Oke-saje, and these formed the first class of the school.[8] He opened Baptist Boys’ High School on January 23, 1923, with 75 students and four teachers (including his wife, Madora Pinnock).[8] The opening ceremony attracted 2000 guests. The guest speaker was Professor Nathaniel Oyerinde,[8] a teacher at the Baptist Academy,[9] Ogbomoso, and Nigeria's first Baptist Professor.[10]

Baptist Boys’ High School was set up as, and still remains, a boys-only school, although it became a mixed school very briefly in 1969 and 1970 following the introduction of the Higher School Certificate by the school board of governors.[11] The school grew to 400 by December 1946,[12] and to 1110[1] as of 2011–2012 academic year.

The school remained at Egunya Hill until 1969, at which time it was moved to Oke-Saje. Boarding students are accommodated in hostels, but the number of boarding students has declined progressively over time – from 513 in 1998-1999[2] to 36 in 2011–2012 academic year.[1]

Organisation

  • Schools: BBHS has two divisions, the Junior Secondary School and the Senior Secondary School, each of three-year duration.
  • Houses: Students are grouped into four houses appropriately for ‘inter-house’ sports competitions. Bowen House is named after Reverend Thomas Jefferson Bowen, pioneer American Southern Baptist missionary to Nigeria.[13] Pinnock House is named after the founding principal of BBHS, the Reverend Samuel Gorge Pinnock.[8] Agboola House is named after the Reverend Emmanuel Oladele Agboola; he was the chairman of the board of governors of BBHS (1958-1971)[11] and a Baptist preacher.[11] Aloba House was named after a former BBHS teacher.

Alumni Association

BBHS Old Boys Association has branches in the UK/Ireland, USA/Canada, Abeokuta, Ibadan, Ijebu Ode, Lagos and Abuja.

Notable alumni

Further reading

  • The School History Book 1923–2007, BBHS, Abeokuta, Nigeria.
  • Tepede, A. (1999) Our Own Time on the Hill, Nulli Secundus, Annual Magazine of the Baptist Boys’ High School Old Boys Association, Volume 1, Number 1, January 1999, p. 27.

References

  1. 1 2 3 The Trumpeter (2012) ‘Students in the boarding house’, The Trumpeter, Volume 14, Issue 3, p. 2, Summer/Spring, 2012; BBHA OBA: London, UK.
  2. 1 2 Aroyeun, G.O. (2000) School Situation Report, Nulli Secundus, Annual Magazine of the Baptist Boys’ High School Old Boys Association, Edition II, Millennium 2000, pp.15-17.
  3. ↑ The School History Book 1923-2007, BBHS, Abeokuta, Nigeria.
  4. 1 2 Ademola, A. S. (2010) Baptist Work in Nigeria, 1850-2005: A Comprehensive History Ibadan, Nigeria: Book Wright Publishers.
  5. ↑ Sprenkle, S. (2000) ‘Nigerian Baptists Celebrate 150 Years of Gospel Witness’, the Commission, September, 2000; available at: http://www.bobsiddensphoto.com/pdf/nigeria_baptists.pdf; accessed: 2.12.2000.
  6. ↑ Akande, S.T.O. (1978) Presidential Address, 65th Annual Session of the Nigerian Baptist Convention, Kaduna, April 5, 1978, The Nigerian Baptist, June 1978, p. 13.
  7. ↑ Griffin, B.T. (1939) ‘New Missionaries Teaching in Nigeria’, Baptist Messenger, The First Baptist Church, 7 December 1939. Available: http://ds.bgco.org/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-8651/December%207,%201939.pdf; accessed: 12.1.13
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ogunleye, J. (2012) ‘Rev S.G. Pinnock – a focus on the pioneer principal of BBHS’, The Trumpeter, Volume 14, Issue 1, Winter, 2012; BBHA OBA: London, UK.
  9. 1 2 3 Pinnock, S.G. (1917) The Romance of Missions in Nigeria, (Bibliobazear) Educational Department, FMB, SBC, Richmond, Virginia, USA.
  10. ↑ Ademola, A. S. (2011) The Place of Ogbomoso in Baptist Missionary Enterprise in Nigeria, Ogirisi: a new journal of African studies, Volume 8; doi:10.4314/og.v8i1.2; accessed: 11.1.2012
  11. 1 2 3 Akano, O. O. (2010) ‘Agboola, Emmanuel Oladele (1903 to 1988) Nigerian Baptist Convention’, Dictionary of African Christian Biography, available at: http://www.dacb.org/stories/nigeria/agboola_emmanuel.html; accessed: 14.1.2013.
  12. ↑ Southern Baptist Convention (1947) ‘Annual of the Southern Baptist Convention Nineteen Hundred and Forty-Seven, Ninetieth Session, One Hundred Second Year’ , St Louis, Missouri, May 7–11, 1947; available: http://media2.sbhla.org.s3.amazonaws.com/annuals/SBC_Annual_1947.pdf; accessed: 11.1.13.
  13. ↑ Sprenkle, S. (2000) ‘Nigerian Baptists celebrated 150 years of Baptist witness and ministry’, IN BRIEF, April 15–20, 2000; available at http://www.imb.org/main/news/details.asp?LanguageID=1709&StoryID=518%5B%5D; accessed: 10.1.13.

9°34′43″N 8°06′12″E / 9.57860°N 8.10346°E / 9.57860; 8.10346

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