Ika Grammar School, Boji Boji Owa, Delta State, Nigeria, was founded in the  year 1960 as a non co-educational  secondary institution by Anglican missionaries in conjunction with eleven IKA clan heads. It’s mission and vision was to provide secondary education to the people of Ika, it’s environs   and indeed Nigeria,  to meet  the needed middle level man power in truth and excellence.  It’s  pioneer principal was   Mr. C.G.I. Eneli of blessed memory.

It is worthy of note that in the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s, IGS  was known and addressed as  ‘’Ika Grammar School, Boji Boji, Owa Agbor.  As at the time of this memoir and in the wisdom of the current school authority and the Anglican diocese,  IGS  is now  known and addressed as  ‘Ika Grammar School, Boji Boji, Owa. Delta state, Nigeria’.

In 1954, some missionaries met and collectively approached the various   Clan- heads  in the main axis of Ika  for land to build schools.  Consequently, land was provided to build schools such as St. Marymount, Baptist girls high school and St. Columbus  in Owa nta, Alihiame and Agbor-obi respectively.  Following the success of these schools,   the  then eleven clan heads initiated the development of another  secondary school in Owa community.  In  1960, a secondary school was establish and named Ika Grammar School.  Another school of thought claimed that Christ Missionary Society (CMS) approached the then eleven clan head and requested for a parcel of land at Owa where Ika grammar school was established.  When the community could not effectively manage  the school, they approached  the Christ Missionary Society (CMS) also known as the Anglican Church  to fund and manage the school for the community.  Over time, the issue of proper funding of IGS became a challenge and Ika local government council then sought to partner with the Aglican mission whose  headquarter was in Benin-city.  While this partnership was on, Anglican mission sought to build a church at the premises of IGS so that all the students could worship there as Anglicans every Sunday, this offer was however rejected by the Ika council as that was not part of the memorandum of association.  Consequently and arising from this disagreement, students were at liberty to worship at any church of their choice.  This led to the long queues of students  marching  to worship in Catholic church at Agbor in the earlier years of IGS.   In 1968, during the Nigerian civil war, the entire student population resident in the school hostels and boarding houses  were  sacked while the military took over the entire premises and used same  for accommodation.

After the civil war in 1970, the State Government took over the administration of all secondary grammar schools in the state. While IGS was being managed by the State Government, they were unable to effectively manage the institution as was envisioned by the original owners.  This was  evidenced by the fallen standards of education, infrastructural decay, high  turnover of students and staff with dwindling productivity level  of the school’s  graduates.   As if all these were not enough, students were enmeshed in cultism leading to increasing rate of drop out and high rate of failure in WAEC exams.  It should be noted that Ika  Grammar School was only handed back to the Anglican church during the  governance of Delta State by His exellency, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan  on 10th October 2011 due to the above pressure on the Government.

When IGS was handed over to the Anglican Missionary, the tutors and students were taken away by the state Government, Empty premises and dilapidated infrastructure were left behind and  handed over to the Anglican Bishop. In attempts to raise funds and restore IGS to  it’s  glory,  the then  Anglican Bishop, Rt. Rev. Onekpe,  unbundled our Alma-mater and  converted it  to a non co-educational school.  In fact, this was seen as a mere survival strategy rather than restoring it to it’s past glory.   The  lawn designated for Hocky, volley ball, basket ball was offered to the state Government for the building of a cathedral, the once beautiful Appian-way and dormitory buildings were  neglected and allowed to collapse and all the tall whistling pines were cut down.  These development created a different outlook for our alma-mater which alienated the entire oldboys and created an atmosphere of apathy among oldboys with an  impression  that portrayed a  none existence of IGS Oldboys Association.  According to available reports, the President of the oldboys association, Mr. Daniel Usiade  vehemently opposed the negative slide of  IGS which seemingly,   reversed  the vision of our Alma-mater.

The news of these development spread to the entire oldboys  like wild fire, vexed by the news and  developments, Chief Olofu Felix in reaction,  initiated moves to  reach out to all oldboys  through the instrumentalities of information and communication  technology and social media.  On 20th April 2019, a successful reunion was converned  by Chief Olofu Felix at the ultra modern auditorium, constructed and donated by one of our distinguished oldboys  Mr. Jim Ovia.  This reunion was crowned  with  a gala-nite by  the oldboys, where our interactions were further deepened. On the early hours of the reunion day, the oldboys, including the  National President Of IGS oldboys Association, made a courtesy visit to the Aglican  Bishop  and obtained audience with the incumbent Bishop of the diocese,  Rt.Rev.Godfrey Ifeanyichukwu  Ekpenisi.   During our conversation with him, the President of our oldboys association, Mr. Dan Usiade, made it abundantly clear the  level of our  indignation over the coeducation policy of the Anglican mission and the present state of the school.  At the end of the meeting, Rt. Rev. G.I. Ekpenisi assured us that come September, 2019, the management of IGS  shall abate the coeducation policy  and  restore  IGS to it’s  previous status of a none coeducational school.  He also enunciated his plans to address the dilapidated state of the school’s  infrastructure. To further cement this conciliatory posture, he voluntarily offered  to  officiate and be part of our devotional service prior to  the reunion  formalities and ceremony. In fact, he officiated at the opening devotional service of  the re-union to the pleasure of the entire oldboys.

While the oldboys look forward to the abatement of the coeducational policy, we  appreciated the offer of  Rt. Rev. G.I. Ekpenisi to restore the school to it’s enviable status.  We also recognised that he needs help from the  oldboys.  The oldboys on the other hand are currently busy strategizing on how  to creat a formidable forum as a rendezvous where issues affecting IGS as our alma- mater  can be discussed more robustly. In view of the above, the IGS Oldboys Reconnect Whatsapp forum was created by Chief Olofu Felix where most issues concerning our Alma-matter and our oldboys are currently being discussed by the oldboys, not minding the part of the globe they  are located. At the date and time of this memoir, the membership strength of the oldboys forum is growing geometrically.

In spite of the challenges faced  by our Alma-mater in educating Nigerians, she has successfully   contributed an average of 175 secondary school graduates per annum  and  over  10,000 man power  needs of our nation in the  middle and senior management  categories since  1965. Ika grammar school had since inception, produced middle and very high level manpower needs of the Federal republic of Nigeria, these man power include Professors in the academia,  medical doctors, Lawyers and senior advocates, Generals in the armed forces of Nigeria, management staffers in federal parastatals like NNPC, permanent secretaries in the Nigerian civil service and  reknown diplomats within the diplomatic circles.  In the private sector, IGS produced prominient entrepreneurs in the likes of Mr. Jim Ovia, chaiman, CEO, Zenith Bank Plc. Beyond the shores of Nigeria, our oldboys are also seen to be occupying and holding command positions in the diaspora.

In January 2020,  one of our 1993 set oldboys, Dr.Kingsley Isitua Obiora, was nominated for appointment as The Deputy Governor of the Central Bank Of Nigria, by the President, Commander In Chief of The Federal Republic Of Nigeria, Muhamadu Buhari. His appointment was confirmed by the Senate of the Federal republic of Nigeria on 28th January, 2020.  Until  his nomination and appointment, he was the Alternate Executive Director in the International Monetery Fund (IMF) in Washinton, DC, USA. In the states and National houses of assembly, IGS oldboys are occupying pride of places.  IGS has indeed produced  highly qualified man power to support the global economy and indeed Nigeria.

In the area of sports, IGS  has done great exploits, IGS was the first winner of Omo Osagie cup in football in 1964,   winner of Greier cup in athletics and contributed the greatest football players in the then Nigerian football academy. These IGS  boys were  then referred to as ‘’the bright eaglets of Ikagrams’’ in the then Mid western region before the civil war.  In the post Nigerian civil war IGS was also very popular in the games of hockey, cricket,  volley ball, Basket ball and featured very prominently in inter school cultural dance competitions and drama. During the 1975 Midwest sport festival, IGS  won the silver medals in Crickets.  During independent days march processions, IGS green and white uniform was the envy and cynosure of all eyes.  IGS was noted as one of the schools adorned with great cardigans and cap. It was indeed a pride to be a student of IGS  while on such outfit then.