7 Things You Should Know About Alvan Ikoku, The Man On The 10 Naira Note

10 naira notes are not everywhere like they used to be before.

But at some point or the other in your current affairs life, you must have seen it and known that Alvan Ikoku is the man on it.

Alvan Ikoku was a Nigerian educator, statesman, activist and politician. Here are 7 facts you probably did not know about her.

1. He was born on 1st August 1900 to a rich merchant family in the tiny town of Amanagwu, Arochukwu, Abia State.

2. He established one of Nigeria’s very first private secondary schools, Aggrey Memorial College in Nigeria in Arochukwu, Abia State in 1931.

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3. At this school, he introduced carpentry as a subject, where he called it ‘the Education of the Hand.” The most interesting aspect of this is that the students were able to make their desks, lockers, chairs, bookshelves and tables all by themselves.

4. In 1962, he called for an ‘Education Bill of Rights’ for primary school education to be free for six years nationwide in Nigeria which was later accepted by the Federal Military Government as from 1976. 

5.  Alvan was a recipient of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).

6. He was always at the forefront championing the causes of things dear to his heart – education

IMAGE: GIFS ME

7. He is the first Nigerian to earn a university degree as an external candidate when he bagged a philosophy degree from the University of London in 1928.