Meet 2 Nigerians who attended same college with former, current UK prime ministers
Eton College, established by King Henry VI in 1440 in Berkshire town is "an exclusively royal institution in England built by royalty".
It was"designed to produce pupils for leadership positions" and widely described as "Britain's best known private school".
The school boasts of an impressive list of alumni including Karl Marx, the famous economist and philosopher, David Cameron, former UK prime minister, George Orwell, author of Animal Farm and 1984, and Boris Johnson, the current prime minister of the UK and former mayor of London.
Source: Getty Images
Other popular alumni are Anthony Eden, Harold Macmillan, George Canning (all former UK prime ministers) and Robert Walpole who is regarded as the de facto first prime minister of Great Britain.
However, On April 29, 1964, a 13-year-old Nigerian made history when he was successfully enrolled in the prestigious Eton College. His name is Tokunbo Akanni Akintola and he was the first black to attend the school.
Tokunbo was the son of Samuel Akintola, the then prime minister of Western Nigeria.
Source: Getty Images
On his first day at school, Tokunbo was accompanied by his mother, Faderera Abeke Akintola, and a group from the Nigerian Embassy.
Tokunbo died In 1973, four years after he must have left Eton.
The second Nigerian/black to attend the school was Dillibe Onyeama who is now a renowned author.
Source: UGC
Onyeama got to Eton two terms after Tokunbo did. His first book, Nigger at Eton, sold out at the time it was published in June 1972.
He wrote the book at the age of 18. Onyeama has a total of 26 published books, including several biographies, a book on African humour and a collection of poems, to his credit. His other works are Sex is a Nigger’s Game, Juju, Revenge of the Medicinemen, Secret Society, Night Demon, Godfathers of Voodoo and The Flaming Sword.
This is how Onyeama described Eton in an interview he granted The Punch in 2017: “In the spirit of adventure, Eton College is the last place where you would expect a black African pupil to be found. This is primarily an exclusively royal institution in England built by royalty. It is not designed with an African background in mind. It is designed to produce pupils for leadership positions in England. That is the scene."
PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigeria’s #1 news app
Earlier, Legit.ng reported the story of a 78-year-old professor, David Jowitt, a British citizen who has stayed in the country for 45 years.
Jowitt spent the time teaching English at various universities in Nigeria and is presently holding an appointment at the University of Jos, Plateau state.
He came into the country in 1963 but started staying full time since 1974.
NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have upgraded to serve you better
Top 4 Most Influential Nigerians in the World: Nigerians in Top Positions on Legit TV
Source: Legit.ng
