Blog Details Home / Blog Details

St. Finbarr’s College, Akoka, Lagos is a premier Catholic mission secondary school founded in January 1956 by the then Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Archbishop Leo Hale Taylor. The school was established to provide quality academic instruction grounded in deep moral and Christian values.  

Key historical highlights include:

The Founder: The college was named after St. Finbarr, the patron saint of Cork, Ireland—the homeland of its founding Irish missionaries. It was famously nurtured and built into an elite institution under its first principal, Rev. Fr. Denis Joseph Slattery (SMA), an iconic missionary, educator, and football referee.

The Technical Pioneer: Unlike many traditional grammar schools of its era, St. Finbarr's was a pioneer in introducing a dual curriculum that combined rigorous academic subjects with robust technical and vocational training, ensuring students graduated with practical engineering and craft skills.

A Sports Powerhouse: The college holds a legendary status in Nigerian youth sports history. Under Fr. Slattery’s guidance, St. Finbarr's became the dominant force in the Principal's Cup football competition, producing iconic national team players and captains, including the late Stephen Keshi and Henry Nwosu.

Government Takeover and Return: In the late 1970s, the Lagos State Government forcefully took over all mission schools, which led to a period of structural and academic decline. However, following years of advocacy, the school was officially returned to the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos in 2001, sparking a major era of infrastructural modernization and academic revitalization.

Today, the college remains a benchmark for academic excellence, discipline, and holistic male education in Nigeria.