A Brief History of Immaculate Conception College (I.C.C.), Benin City

Immaculate Conception College (I.C.C.), Benin City was founded in January 1944 by the Late Bishop P. J. Kelly and its first Principal was Father Andrew O. Rourke- SMA, MA DIP Ed. At the inception, thirty (30) boys were admitted and the school operated as a day school. Classes were held at the former Holy Cross School, a site presently occupied by the Holy Cross Cathedral and subsequently at the premises of St. Paul’s Seminary, Airport Road, Benin City. The pioneering teachers were Chief D. N. Oronsaye, who taught Biology and the Principal, Father O’Rourke, who also doubled as class teacher, handling all other subjects. Father Joseph Stephens became the Principal in 1947 while Father M. Drew took over in 1948. From 1949 to 1951, Father M. Grace was the Principal. Father J. Donnelly took over in 1952. Father Stephens was in charge from 1953 – 1954.

Even though the school had registered its form three students for the Junior Cambridge Examination in 1946, it was not until 1954 that the Ministry of Education granted approval to the School to hold the Senior Cambridge Examination. In the interim, 1947 – 1953, the Proprietor, Bishop Kelly had to transfer the students to St. Patrick’s College, Asaba to undertake the Senior Cambridge Examination. It was the intake of 1954 that remained in I.C.C. and became the first set of graduates in 1958. Efforts were made to house the students as boarders on the grounds of St. Paul’s Seminary. This gave birth to College House (designated by the yellow colour), Mulumba House (Green) and Matins de porres House (Blue).

Due to the overcrowding at the Seminary, Father Donnelly negotiated for a new site of 25 acres in the Eastern suburb of Benin City, the present site, with his Royal Highness Akenzua II, Oba of Benin. Constructing the new school was so endearing to his Royal Highness that the Benin Community was encouraged to contribute three hundred pounds towards the construction of the school. The school opened in the new site in January 1960 with boarding facilities.

With the crop of dedicated staff as Mr. Emumwen (Vice Principal), Messrs Enemoh, Michael Ojo, Akpom, Osadebey, Esemwan (nicknamed Papasi, now late), Ogieriakhi, Mike Obi, Mrs. Danielson and Miss Ohalom, the school waded through its initial academic teething problems. It also began to excel in sports.

Father Donnelly went on leave for most of 1960 and Fr. Flanagan took over the running of the school until he returned in January 1961. A double stream was taken on from this year onwards. Student population was about Forty (40) in each Hostel at this time. With more students’ intake, more buildings were erected, three science laboratory blocks for Physics, Chemistry and Biology were completed. By 1965, I.C.C. has become a pace setter in sports and academics. The school had indeed become the cynosure of all eyes.

Goaded by a brilliant academic testimonial, in 1965, the school unfolded its plans to run the Higher School Certificate (HSC). In 1966, the first HSC students were admitted. The population at this time was about Six hundred (600). In 1967, Father Donnelly retired as Principal of the College to take up a post in Administration in Ireland. Father Casey succeeded Father Donnelly and Father A. Anglin succeeded him in 1968. Father P. Thompson in turn succeeded him in 1972. With the increase in student’s population during this period when the HSC programme began, another House called Kizito House was added to the former three.

1972 was a major turning point in the history of Immaculate Conception College as the State Government Policy sought to place all schools in the state under Government control. Father P. Thompson was the missionary transition Principal. On the 1st of August 1972, the first Nigerian Principal Mr. R. O. Asenime was appointed for the College and the school was renamed Kelly College. Dr. Joseph O. Itotoh took over administration of the College from Mr. R. O. Asenime on the 24th of August 1975 as the Principal and continued in office until the 31st of December 1987 when Mr. T. O. Oke took over the mantle of leadership in January 1988. In 1996, Mr. I. I. Ehigie assumed duty as Principal and in September 1999, Mr. M. Usiomoifo succeeded him as the first Old Boy of I. C. C. to head the school. He retired in 2002 and was succeeded by Rev. T. Uwagie until May 2004 when the school was handed back to the Catholic Mission.

Immaculate Conception College under Government control witnessed an era of massive explosion in students and staff population. There was neither corresponding improvement in infrastructure nor improved student discipline. In particular the New National Policy on Education in 1984 and its implementation by States led to the creation of the Junior Secondary School and the Senior Secondary School of three years each, leading to a total of Six (6) years, unlike the previous secondary school system of Five (5) years. This had the effect of increasing the school enrolment, subjects taught and the development of new curricula. As facilities became overstretched, all hitherto existing administrative and physical structures were dismantled and dysfunctionalised in an attempt to cope with the new overwhelming demands. The boarding house system collapsed with dormitories, dining hall, sport pavilions, church building and in fact, any conceivable space including the school library, whose book holding had been completely decimated were converted into classrooms while the old water tanks served as dust bins. The missionary ethics was dead. The school was bandied with despicable acts as cultism, a phenomenon which was raging rapidly through the entire school system in the state and beyond. Past enviable heights attained in academics, sports and other extracurricular activities became difficult to maintain. The initiatives by staff and the responsible students in setting up Cadet Corps for discipline, Junior Engineers and Dramatic and Science Clubs for the resuscitation of academics, reeled under the overwhelming pressure of the awesome indiscipline that had pervaded the school. As the school population soared from 600 in 1972 to 7,500 in 1993 and with continued progression over the years, a state of complete anomy had come to envelope the school.

The Old Boys Association (ICCOBA) Nationwide could not watch its once glorious Alma mater reduced to ruins and it intervened. The approach was two-pronged. The first, the short term one which was the rehabilitation and emplacement of infrastructure. Second, the return of the school by Government to the Catholic Mission. On the first agenda, the Association secured the conversion of the name of the school from Kelly College which the government had named it to its old name Immaculate Conception College. It proceeded to try and rekindle learning in the school by building for the school a new library complex equipped with furniture. The Benin Branch of the Association donated books worth about One hundred thousand Naira (N100,000) to the library. The library complex was commissioned on Friday 29th May, 1992 by the then State Governor, Chief Dr. John Odigie Oyegun.

Also, sports equipment comprising table tennis board, footballs, chess, etc. were purchased for the school by the branch. A member of the Benin Branch with admission No. 001, Mr. B. Akhile of the 1964 set donated three giant microscopes to the school on the 8th of December, 2002 during an annual dinner. A borehole was graciously donated by the 1972 set to the school authority on 21st December, 2002. Again, through the help of Dr. J. E. Egharevba in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), a lot of Science equipment was supplied to the school at the close of 2002. The Lagos Branch of the Association completed an ultra-modern gate complex for the school while the Port-Harcourt branch constructed the ultra-modern school barge for the school. The 1972 set built a Virgin Mary Statue at the three way round-about in front of the Akenzua II Hall in 2002 in an effort to relive and remind the students of the Catholic concept which was desired by the original founders of the School.

The agenda to return the School to the Catholic Mission was undertaken in conjunction with the Catholic Archbishop of Benin City, His Grace P. E. Ekpu. In spite of resistance, particularly from the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), the Edo State Governor, Chief Dr. Lucky Igbinedion took the logical and bold steps of acceding to the request to hand over the school to its original owners. The entire work staff and students in the school were withdrawn and redistributed by the Edo State Government and what remained of the physical structure of the School was handed over to the Catholic Mission in 2004. A new Principal, Rev. Fr. Dr. Isaac Prest Ebeigbe, with several years of experience in school administration as the Principal of Lumen Christi Secondary School for several years was posted to pioneer and jump-start the new I. C. C. The Archbishop set up a working committee with a strong representation of the Old Boys to rehabilitate the school’s infrastructure and recruit new staff. I. C. C. has since reopened in October 2004 with new intakes into J.S.S. One and Two as well as S.S.S. One as the pioneering students of the School.