Did You Know? The First Primary School in Nigeria Was Established in Badagry

Badagry is situated in the coastal area of Lagos State, Nigeria, directly bordering Benin at Seme. The Wesleyan Mission (Methodist Church), during the British Colony, established the first primary school in Nigeria in 1843. In 1845, the school was named St. Thomas Anglican Nursery and Primary School by Rev. Golmer of the Church Missionary Society (CMS), founded inside the first story building in Badagry. Here are four other facts you probably didn’t know about Badagry:

The town is over 600 years old

Badagry was founded in the early 15^th century by a farmer called Agbedeh. Because it was a corrupt town, it was named Agbedagari by Yoruba settlers and then later changed to ‘Badagry’ by the European slave traders.

‘Oba Akran’ in Ikeja is named after the King of Badagry

Kingship titles are named an area. The same is with the king of Badagry. It is a monarchical area and the king is called the “Akran of Badagry”. This kingship is very influential; hence one of the longest commercial avenues in Ikeja, Lagos, was named after it. The place is called “Oba Akran”. Currently, the Akran of Badagry is De Aholu Menu-Toyi I.

Badagry was an international annex

Prior to the slave trade era, the city was known for its subsistence farming and fishing.  Tragically however, this same port became a port for slave trade and export of slaves. In 1863, Badagry was annexed by the United Kingdom and incorporated into the Lagos colony.

Christianity was first preached there

The spot where Christianity was first preached is known as ‘Agia Tree’ and the sermon was preached by Rev. Birch Freeman of Methodist Church.   Feature Image: The234project