The Old Boys

GCU’s illustrious old boys have excelled and continue to excel in different spheres. In the arts, notable old boys include Chinua Achebe, foremost novelist, social critic and author of Things Fall Apart; Christopher Okigbo and Gabriel Okara – two of Africa’s foremost poets of the 20th century; and the novelists: V.C. Ike, Elechi Amadi, I.N.C. Aniebo, and Ken Saro-Wiwa, amongst others. Ben Enwonwu, painter, sculptor and one of the first African artists to gain global visibility was educated at GCU. Professor Laz Ekwueme, foremost music composer, choir conductor, teacher and actor is also a distinguished alumnus of the great GCU.

Our old boys include distinguished jurists like Justice Charles Onyeama, the first African to serve on the World Court at the Hague; Justice Anthony Aniagolu, retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Mr. G.K.J Amachree, the first African Under Secretary-General of the United Nations who had also served as Nigeria’s Solicitor General. GCU has also produced distinguished statesmen and government functionaries like Dr. Jaja A Wachukwu, Nigeria’s first Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, first Ambassador and Permananet Representative to the United Nations and first Nigerian Foreign Minister and Dr. Okoi Arikpo who succeeded him as foreign minister. In the military, George Kurubo, was the first Nigerian Chief of the Nigerian Air Force.

GCU alumni have also served as distinguished government functionaries and public servants in other African countries. Dr. E.M.L. Endeley was first prime minister of Southern Cameroon, Victor Mukete, another Cameroonian, had served as Minister of Information in Nigeria. Dr. Peter Katjavivi, was the founding Vice-Chancellor of the University of Namibia, former Ambassador to the European Union, and Speaker of the National Assembly of Namibia.