ST. MARTINS DE PORRES GIRLS GRAMMAR SCHOOL: DEBATE RAGES OVER WHO ESTABLISHED THE SCHOOL BETWEEN THE COMMUNITY AND THE CATHOLIC MISSIONARY

 ST. MARTINS DE PORRES GIRLS GRAMMAR SCHOOL: DEBATE RAGES OVER WHO ESTABLISHED THE SCHOOL BETWEEN THE COMMUNITY AND THE CATHOLIC MISSIONARY

* How the King of Onicha Olona Was Compelled to Declare for Action Group to Have the School Established

* A Single School with Three Different Names

Story by Emeka Esogbue

It is not about whether the school is in the  Onicha Olona community or not; it is not about whether the school is prestigious enough or not. It is not about whether the school existed or not. It is about claims and counterclaims over who between the indigenes of Onicha Olona and the Catholic missionaries founded the school. How the Onicha Olona community has become enmeshed in the limbo of who originally established the school between the community and the early Catholic missionaries that visited the community has become a thing of interest to historians outside the Aniocha North community. 

Onicha Olona is a prominent Anioma community in Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State with a history of a high level of social development in education and human resources but the recent controversy about the ownership of a secondary school in the community is a thing of amazement as the history of the foundation of the school equally presents interest to history and socio-political studies of the community.

As the popular account goes in the community, the establishment of Olomina Girls Grammar School, Onicha Olona involved some major actors of the community and nearly every elite of the community's extraction including the monarch of the kingdom. From the various types of research on the school, conducted by Pen Master, HRM Obi Nwachi Odor, the Obi of Onicha Olona Kingdom approached Bishop Patrick J. Kelly, a Rev Father within the Region who later rose to the position of the Bishop of Benin Diocese, appealing to him that his Onicha Olona community needed a secondary school but Bishop Kelly sarcastically replied the Obi that the key to establishing the school in the community had been thrown away. 

This puzzled the Obi who had to immediately invite his Personal Secretary and the well-known Onicha Olona local historian, Mr. Erasmus Nduka Nwabuokei. Mr. Nwabuokei had been a reliable source on matters of oral history within the Ezechime Region. He now needed to find means by which the situation could be salvaged. Once briefed, Mr. Nwabuokei hurried to Chief Nduka Eze, an influential politician from Asaba for talks on the issue with the ace Trade Unionist, one of the greatest Anioma politicians of his time, Mr. Erasmus Nduka Nwabuokei, Chief Nduka Eze and Chief Anthony Enahoro went to Ibadan to see the then Western Region Minister of Education for assistance on the issue that now bothered the community. However, all didn't seem well for the community as Chief Nduka Eze's response was that HRM Obi Nwachi Odor the Obi of Onicha Olona would have to give his political loyalty to Action Group to have his secondary school establishment wish in the community fulfilled. 

Consequently, the melancholic and patriotic Obi of Onicha Olona called for a meeting that was attended by political stakeholders in the region and wasted no time in declaring for the Action Group in their midst just to have the school established for his community. Nevertheless, raising the fund for the establishment of the school after the government approval became a communal issue for all. After the public declaration, the Obi would now monetize traditional title-taking in the community to raise the necessary funds for the school to be built. This strange process threw up what became known as "Nmor College" in the kingdom. 

To gather more funds that would complement it, Mr. Ojame who was the then President-General of Onicha Olona Progressive Union (OOPU) came up with a pattern of levy that was made compulsory in which the indigenes of the community were categorized. The category determined the amount to be paid by any individual. For instance, Category A members were expected to pay £30 and this was the highest of the levy as they were adjudged the richest set of people in the community. 

A renowned soldier from the community, Col Nwawo was one of the prominent Onicha Olona indigenes who fell within Category A and had to pay this particular sum. Other categories were B, C, D, D1, D2, D3, and so on. The category that paid £10 included Beauty Queen, Rosemary Anieze also from the community who was a newly crowned Miss Independence because the pageantry had exposed and brought her to the limelight. Category D was a class of Onicha Olona market women and the figures added to the D category were determined according to the financial strength of the market women with the nature and financial buoyancy of the trade. 

With the contributions received from 1961-62, works started on the school and it was formally opened in 1963. Upon completion, the school became originally known as Onicha-Olona Girls College. The account further claimed that Onicha Olona Girls College was handed over to the Catholic Missionaries on a contract basis and it was the Catholic Church, according to the account again that changed the name of the school to St. Martins de Porress which is now born to date. When the Onicha Olona discovered the change in the name, they were said to have registered their protest and insisted that if there was any need for the change of name, the community should have been duly informed so, the Onicha Olona people renamed the school, “Olomina Girls Grammar School” but this turned out to be for a short while as the account further reported that Rev Fr Ochei who later emerged as the Principal of the school, returned the name of the institution to St. Martins de Porres, the name that it presently bears.

The controversy today is about the true founders of the school that has graduated very prominent women today between the Onicha Olona community and the Catholic Church especially Obi Nwachi Odor, legendary Nduka Nwabuokei, political figure, and unionist Nduka Eze, with Elder Statesman, Anthony Enahoro, the Onicha Olona Progressive Union and others, all contributed to founding the school. It is what the Anioma historians are seeking to unravel because the past must be made manifest for tomorrow to be known. Worse still, like everything else in the community,  written sources in the public domain that would encourage students of Anioma history to dig deep into the actual situation for the sake of history are missing. Obviously, not many historical works on Onicha Olona are available on our shelves. Luckily, there exists the Onicha Olona Annual Report of 1961-1962 that bears the information about the school and the lists of contributions with contributors at the time quite useful to this subject of interest as well as curiosity.

Similarly, St. Augustine's College, Ibusa was established by a group of individual indigenes of the community. Indeed, as reported by Mr. Peter Chigbue, published in Ibusa Voice, a former student of the college, "the resolution to form the college came through various conferences of highly placed Ibusa indigenous from various walks of life who's chairman/president then was Chief J. C. Odia of Umuogwo - Umuekea Quarters, Ibusa. Other distinguished members of the team just to mention a few were Obi Paul Nwanze (Umueze), Oni Highness Adigwe (Iyase), Ogbeowele, Chief Egbuchua (Umuekea), Chief S. N. Nwanze (Umuisagba), Chief Nkeaka Oshimili (Umueze), Chief Osotule (Umuodafe), Obi Uwaechue (later Diokpa of Ibusa), Umuodafe, Obi Nwanze (Ezukwu), Dr. (Chief) M. D. Chigbue (Umuekea), Chief Lawrence Egbueze (Achala) and Chief Ogadi (Umueze). However, Ibusa was in partnership with the Catholic Mission Authority."

The St. Martins Girls Grammar School, Onicha Olona is today a senior and junior secondary school. In 2003, it was among the 25 schools that Chief Judith Enamuotor, the Delta State Commissioner for Information reported that the Delta State Government would hand over to the missionary alongside 24 others. The school is currently under the Issele-Uku Diocese.

Now, one will have to also listen to the claim of the Catholic Church to also view the other side of the establishment of St. Martins De Porres by them, a school with three different names and at different times in her history - Onicha Olona Girls College, Olomina Girls Grammar School and St. Martins De Porres Girls Grammar School. This will not only enrich the knowledge of the school but help to balance one's opinion.