History: He Introduced Carpentry As School Subject and 6 Other Facts About Alvan Ikoku, the Man on N10 Note

Many people who spend the 10 naira note can identify the face on it but not everyone knows the personality behind the image. His name is Alvan Ikoku and there are so many interesting facts about this man.

Legit.ng present seven interesting facts about Alvan Ikoku.

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1. He was a teacher

Alvan Ikoku, who was born on August 1, 1900, was a Nigerian teacher. He received his first teaching appointment with the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria and Church of Scotland at Itigidi, according to Wikipedia.

2. Established the first indigenous private secondary school

In 1932, Ikoku founded the first indigenous private secondary school in Nigeria, Aggrey Memorial College, Arochukwu, present-day Abia state.

3. Introduced carpentry as a subject

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Ikoku introduced carpentry as a subject, which he called the education of the hand.

4. He was also a politician

Ikoku was nominated to the Eastern Nigeria House of Assembly. In 1947, he became part of the Legislative Council in Lagos as one of three representatives of the Eastern Region.

5. He was a political enemy with his son

He and his son, Samuel Goomsu Ikoku, were political enemies. Samuel won against his father at the Eastern Regional Assembly elections on March 15, 1957, Historyville reports.

6. Ikoku was a national president of NUT

He was the national president of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT). While he held the NUT helms of affairs, Ikoku championed the cause of Nigerian teachers and criticised the educational system at the time for its failure to teach indigenous languages.

7. He had 7 children with his wife Goomsu

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Ikoku, whose face has been adorning the 10 naira note since 1979, was married to Goomsu, who was an Efik woman from Calabar. The couple had six children.

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Legit.ng previously highlighted seven interesting facts about Nigeria’s 2nd richest man Mike Adenuga who celebrated 68 years on April 29.

Mike Adenuga attended Ibadan Grammar School for his secondary education and proceeded to Comprehensive High School Aiyetoro for his Higher School Certificate.

Source: Legit.ng