Government College Ibadan, (founded February 28, 1929), is a boys' secondary school located on the hills of Apata Ganga in Ibadan, Nigeria.
The expatriate founding fathers were Selwyn MacGregor Grier, who conceived the idea of setting up the school, and V. B. V. Powell, the first principal of the school. Government College was modelled on the British secondary boarding schools of the era, and the first set of students numbered 29. During the Second World War, the school temporarily moved to several sites before finally resettling back at its original site.
All students were required to complete a number of core courses in the arts and sciences. The courses were designed so that all students, no matter what their strengths were, obtained the basic skills of critical thinking, effective writing, effective oral communication, library literacy, laboratory competency, creative thinking and problem solving. The school was a Centre of Excellence for cricket and field hockey. The school also had an Officer Cadet Corps that offered instruction camps in precision field drills, adventure training and the cadets were introduced to the principles of meritocracy.
In the period before the dissolution of the Western Region, Nigeria, the school earned the enviable fame of being the best secondary school in Nigeria. It had well-resourced classrooms and laboratories. As the school grew in numbers, in reputation and in fame, its students constantly achieved high scores for exam results at O-level and A-level. In the decade of the sixties, over 78 distinctions were obtained by Government College students in the examinations, an unprecedented achievement in Nigeria. Suffice it to say that the school boldly summoned in the decade of the seventies by upholding its laurels, in both the academic and extracurricular fields. The school has produced over 80% of the presidents of the Nigerian Society of Engineers since its inception, and one of only four Africans to be awarded a Nobel Prize.
Carr House
Field House
Grier House
Powell House
Swanston House
HRH Omo N'Oba N'Edo, Erediauwa, King of Benin, Nigeria
HRH Oba J. A. Andu, first Hydrophilic engineer in Nigeria
Dr Akinola Aguda, first Chief Justice of Botswana
Chief Ajibola Ogunsola, first actuary in Nigeria
Professor Wole Soyinka, first African ]iterary Nobel Laureate
Chief Adegoke Adelabu, distinguished politician
Chief Ayo Rosiji, Industrialist, Former Minister of Labour.
Chief Feyide, former Secretary General of (OPEC)
Chief E. L. Omitola, former Asst. Inspector General of Police
Chief Hope Harriman, Industrialist
Hon. Dr. Christopher Kolade, Nigerian Ambassador to the United Kingdom
Chief Olu Ibukun, former Director (UNICEF)
Late Ambassador Leslie Harriman, Diplomat
Ambassador Luke Osobase, Nigerian Ambassador to Romania, Bulgaria
Maj. General (Rtd) Olufemi Olutoye, former Federal Minister
Vice Admiral (Rtd) Michael Adelanwa, Chief of Naval Staff, Nigeria
Air Vice Marshal (Rtd) Bayo Lawal, former State Governor.
Dr Victor Omololu Olunloyo, former Governor Oyo State
Air Commander Kola Falope, former Managing Director, Nigerian Airways
James Obi, Professor of Pediatric Neurosurgery
Professor M.A. Bankole, pediatric surgeon
Dr Afolabi Ogunlusi, distinguished medical doctor
Professor Oluwasanmi, distinguished surgeon
Prince ABIOYE Abiodun Internet Protocol Engineer at Odua Telecommunication company,Ibadan.
Mr Seni Ogunkola, veteran copywriter
Sir Abel Guobadia, Ambassador, former Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission
Late Professor Saburi O. Biobaku, former Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos
Late Professor Ifedayo Oladapo, University Vice-Chancellor
Professor T. M. Aluko, eminent scholar and author
Professor Ayo Ogunye, university professor
Deji Sogbesan, entrepreneur and social critic
Professor Samuel Ola, Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering
Professor Femi Osofisan, Professor of Theater Arts
Dr M. O. E. Thompson, retired Permanent Secretary
Dr Lekan Are, pre-eminent agronomist
Dr T. S. B. Aribisala, pre-eminent agriculturalist
Mr. Joshua Adeniran Olarewaju, former Permanent Secretary
Abdul Umoru, Former Pro Chancellor, Univ. of Lagos
Late Mr Cyprian Ekwensi, distinguished author
Olumide Onakoya, Managing Director Mobil Oil Nig. Plc.
Bunmi Oni, Managing Director, Cadbury, Nig. Plc.
Dr Adesegun Oshinyimika, Permanent Secretary
Gbolade Osibodu, Managing Director VGO, Nig. Plc.
Adewale Sangowanwa, former Vice President, African Development Bank and Executive Director at Globacom Nig. Ltd
Sanjo Kanmi-Jones, first Nigerian to play professional hockey in the world; Nigeria Ambassador to the London 2012 Olympic For Hockey.
Dr Akin Olowofoyeku, university professor
Olanrewaju Bolarin, president, Majestic World of Business.
Professor Victor Ngu, physician and researcher, former Minister of Health, Republic of Cameroon
Dr Richard Oni, orthopaedic spine surgeon
Professor Raphael A. Odihirin, Professor of Biological Science, University of Port Harcourt
