About QCOGA

OUR HISTORY

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The birth of Queen’s College, the first government owned secondary school for girls in Nigeria, was established through the effort of the New Era Ladies Club. The Club, a coterie of enlightened women, argued that the government’s intervention in the provision of secondary education for boys must be replicated with girls. Their cause was what today’s feminist would term “discrimination in favour of the girl child.” The ladies’ club gave practical vent to its belief, raising funds and forcing the hands of the colonial administration to establish a full-term high school for girls.
Fortunately, the club had the wife of the then colonial governor of Lagos, Lady Hugh Clifford, as its chief patron, while Lady Oyinkan Abayomi was a prominent member. The women’s arguments were persuasive and rational, and the colonial government caved in. It was quite a revolution when, after some time, they convinced the colonial administration to establish the Government Secondary School for girls, which was changed to Queen’s College in the Nigeria official Gazette of April 12th, 1928. In 1925 Sylvia Leith-Ross was appointed “Lady Superintendent of Education” and she helped to establish Queen’s College as a girl’s boarding school. So, in October 1927, the College was born.
Queen’s College came into being to bridge the gap created by the limited scope of secondary education for girls at that time. It is to the credit of the New Era Ladies Club, a group of enlightened women that the provision of secondary education similar to what was obtainable at King’s College must be attributed. Twenty girls, a Principal and eight part-time teachers constituted the initial population of the school. 13 were admitted to Form One and seven into Form Two. Ebunola Ajagbe, Florence Williams and Oluyemi Alakija were some of the pioneer names, with Ajagbe as the first Head Girl of the school. It was also in history at inception, Queen’s college had 5 boys included in their pioneer students who were later transferred to another school. Amongst these boys was the late Steve Rhodes (April 1926 – may 2008) Nigerian broadcaster, Musician, Actor and founder of Steve Rhodes Orchestra in 1970.
A student’s school fee per term was three pounds, three shillings (three guineas), while another one pound five shillings per term was paid for lunch. Sports were introduced immediately, and the girls played hockey, lawn tennis and netball. When the school was established, it was initially situated at the corner of Force Road, parallel to the Government House. It was near the Old Charity Yard, opposite the then paddock where horses were assembled for races, very close to the Old RaceCourse of the present Tafawa Balewa Square. The first Principal of the school from 1927 to 1930 was Miss Faith Wordsworth, who later became Mrs. Tolfree. She worked with an initial team of eight part-time teachers, including Lady Abayomi, the only Nigerian member of the foundation staff. Together, they set the standards that the school boasts of today.
In 1927, the school had only one solid structure, a one-storey building. The classrooms were on the ground floor and the Principal’s office was on top. The other buildings were made of planks. The Principal’s house was adjacent to the school building, while the boarding house was behind her house. The boarding house was made up of only one long dormitory, raised on stilts, while the wall and floor were made of planks.
It was moved to Lancaster Road, Onike, Yaba in Yaba Local Government Area its present location in 1958. The school has produced many first women in Nigeria between when the school was established and now. Among them are the first woman editor – Mrs. Margaret Young; the first female Nigerian woman doctor to practice in Nigeria – Dr Elizabeth A. Awoliyi; the first Nigerian female professor – Prof, Adeotun Ogunsheye; the first female Nigerian judge – Justice Omo-Eboh; the first female permanent secretary – Chief F. A. Ighodalo. In fact, the oldest sickle cell patient in the world, Alhaja Asiata Aduke Onikoyi-Laguda, who died at the age of 95, also attended the school.
Queen’s College has provided education for girls in Nigeria – creating equal gender opportunities for them in professional fields. Girls are given the opportunity to pursue courses in the Sciences, Medicine, Engineering, Law, Architecture, the Arts, etc. Queen’s College has grown to a population of 3000 students, and a staff strength of well over 300 full-time teachers.
Name Year(s)
Miss F. Wordsworth (later Mrs. Tolfree) 1927 to 1930
Miss W. W. Blackwell 1931 to 1942
Mrs D. Mather 1942 to 1944
Dr. Alice Whittaker 1944 to 1946
Miss Ethel Hobson 1946 to 1950
Miss Mary Hutcheson 1950 to 1954
Miss Joyce Moxon 1954 to 1955
Miss Margaret. Gentle (later Mrs. Harwood) 1956 to 1963
Mrs. I. E. Coker 1963 to 1977 (First Nigerian Principal of Queen’s College)
Mrs. T. E. Chukwuma 1978 to 1982
Mrs. A. A. Kafaru 1982 to 1986
Mrs. J. E. Ejueyitche 1986 to 1987
Mrs. J. Namme 1987 to 1991
Mrs. H. E. E. Marinho 1991 to 1996
Mrs. M. T. F. Sojinrin 1996 to 2001
Mrs. O. O. Euler-Ajayi 2001 to 2004
Mrs. M. B. Abolade 2004 to 2006
Mrs. O. Togonu-Bickersteth 2006 to 2008
Mrs. A. C. Onimole 2008 to 2010
Mrs. A. Ogunnaike 2010 to 2011
Mrs. M. O. A. Ladipo 2011 to 2012
Mrs. E. M. Osime 2012 to 2015
Mrs Lami Amodu 2015 to 2017
Mrs B. A. Are 2017 to 2018
Dr Mrs Oyinloye Yakubu 2018 till date
Download Queen’s College school song
Composed by: MISS DOROTHY PEEL
Pass on the torch still brightly gleaming,
Pass on the hopes the earnest dreaming,
To those who follow close at hand,
Pass on the thoughts, the skills, the learning.
Pass on the secret inmost yearning
that they may build where we have planned.
Pass on the songs, pass on the laughter,
Pass on the joy that other after,
May tread more lightly on their way,
Pass on the faith, that naught can alter,
Pass on the strength lest they should falter,
In hours of stress some future day.
Pass on the firm determination,
To guide a later generation,
By gentle influence in the home,
Pass on the health, the youthful vigour
Pass on the love that can transfigure the darkest hours that yet may come.
Pass on the torch’ the cry inspiring,
Unites us here in hopes untiring,
In bonds no future years can sever
We forward press not backward turning,
That this our torch more brightly burning,
May yet pass on and on forever.
Queen’s College Earlier School Song by Sebastian W. Meyer (1908)
We build our school on thee, O Lord
To thee we bring our common need;
The loving heart, the helpful word,
The tender thought, the kindly deed.
Dear Lord, we pray thy spirit may,
Enrich and bless our school alway.
We work together in thy sight,
we live together in thy love;
guide thou our faltering steps aright,
and lift our thoughts to heaven above:
Dear Lord, we pray thy spirit may,
be present in our school always.
Hold thou each hand to keep it just,
touch thou our lips and make them pure;
if thou art with us, Lord, we must
be faithful friends and comrades sure:
Dear Lord, we pray thy spirit may,
be present in our school always.
We change, but thou art still the same,
the same good Master, Teacher, Friend:
we change, but Lord, we bear thy name,
to journey with it to the end:
and so we pray thy Spirit may
be present in our school always.

Oh Lord, by whose manifold grace

All things work together for good to them that love thee,

‘Stablish, we pray thee, the things that thou hath wrought in us.

And make this school a field which the Lord hath blessed

That whatsoever things are true, pure, lovely and of good report,

May here forever flourish and abound.

Preserve in it an unblemished name.

Enlarge it with a wider usefulness,

And exalt it with the love and reverence of all its members

As an instrument of thy glory. 

Amen.

Motto   –  “Pass on the torch”
Danfodio – Red
Efunjoke – Purple
Emotan – Green
Obasa- Blue
Obi – Yellow
Obong  – Orange (previously turquoise then brown)