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Claim: A Facebook post claims that Mr. and Mrs. De Graft founded Nigeria’s first primary school in 1843 in Badagry.
Verdict: Misleading! While the school was established in 1843, it was not by Mr. and Mrs. De Graft. It was created by the Wesleyan Mission, headed by Rev. Thomas Freeman.
Full Text
A Facebook page, Historical Nigeria Yoruba, posted a claim on Aug. 8, 2025, that Mr. and Mrs. De Graft founded the first primary school in Nigeria in 1843 in Badagry, Lagos State.
The post reads, “Nigeria’s First Primary School: Founded in 1843 in Badagry by Mr. & Mrs. De Graft, the ‘Nursery of the Infant Church’ was later renamed St. Thomas Anglican Primary School.”
The post featured a picture of an old school building with the caption, “FIRST PRIMARY SCHOOL IN NIGERIA. FOUNDED IN 1845,” painted on its wall.
As of Aug. 12, 2025, the post had gained over 1,400 likes, 128 comments, and 292 shares.
A survey of the comment section shows mixed reactions among users. While some believed the historical claim and praised the church, others expressed counteropinions and requested clarification.
One of the users, Faro Mutui, wrote, “Good History. Lagos State is the number one state in Nigeria. (sic)”
Another user, Joseph Dooshima, added, “I don’t know which is correct. The inscription on the building states 1845. The poster stated 1843, which one do we want to believe now?”
Ariyo Ebenezer commented, “Mr. and Mrs. De Graft were never members of the Anglican Church in Nigeria. They accompanied Thomas Birth Freeman of the Methodist Church in Nigeria to Badagry. Do not distort HISTORY. (sic)”
The post was shared by other Facebook users here, here, and here.
DUBAWA decided to fact-check the claim due to its significance and to avoid historical distortion and misinformation.
Verification
To set the record straight, we conducted a keyword search on Google. Findings revealed that while the year 1845, seen on the post’s image, is significant to the school’s history, it represents a different milestone.
The Guardian and the Sun confirm that the first primary school in Nigeria was indeed founded in 1843, but by the Wesleyan Mission of the Methodist Church. The school was initially named the “Nursery of the Infant Church.”
Reverend Charles Gollmer renamed the school “St. Thomas Anglican Nursery and Primary School” in 1845.
The Sun reported that the school initially operated within Nigeria’s first storey building, completed in 1845, before it was relocated to another location.
The claim that the school was founded in 1843 is correct, but the image showing it was founded in 1845 is misleading without context, as it likely refers to the year the school was renamed.
Who then are Mr. and Mrs. De Graft?
The post credits Mr. and Mrs. De Graft as the founders of the first primary school. However, our findings revealed that the couple were part of the early Wesleyan Methodist missionary team that arrived in Badagry in 1842.
The couple accompanied the mission’s leader, Reverend Thomas Freeman, who is widely credited as the pioneer of the Methodist Church in Nigeria, and his associated educational efforts in the country.
The school’s establishment was an initiative of the Wesleyan Mission as a whole, not the sole effort of the De Grafts. Historical accounts name Rev. Thomas as the mission’s pioneer. Later, Rev. Gollmer of the Church Missionary Society (CMS) renamed the school an Anglican entity.
Attributing Mr. and Mrs. De Graft as the sole founders is an oversimplification that ignores the central role of the Wesleyan and Anglican missionary societies and their leaders.
Conclusion
The Facebook post that claims Mr. and Mrs. De Graft founded Nigeria’s first primary school in 1843 in Badagry is misleading. While it is true that the school was founded in 1843, multiple sources reveal that the school was established by the Wesleyan Mission, led by Rev. Thomas Freeman.
Although Mr. and Mrs. De Graft were members of the missionary team, attributing the establishment of the school to them is misleading.
