Our History

Christ the King College, Onitsha, popularly known as C.K.C. Onitsha, is an all-boys secondary school. It was founded on 2nd February 1933 by an Irish Catholic Missionary, the Most Rev. Charles Heerey, C.S.Sp. At the time he was Archbishop of Onitsha. He passed on in the Spring of 1967.

Excerpts from the 85th anniversary special commemorative brochure of the school in 2018 says that the college shared the same premises with St Charles Teacher Training College (TTC), Onitsha at inception. When this shared arrangement became inconvenient for the young students of C.K.C., effort was made to secure a place for the college at Awka town. The effort failed and resulted in the missionaries approaching the Modebe family of Onitsha, who magnanimously provided the present site of the college at Oguta Road.

C.K.C. was initially placed under the management of the Congregation of Holy Ghost Fathers. The first Principal was Rev. Fr. Leo Brolly, ably assisted by a team of Fr. J Keane, Fr. Bock, Fr. Kirsten and the science master, Fr. Ragan. Early in 1938 Fr. Brolly retired and was replaced by Fr. M. Flanagan, who came over from St. Charles TTC Onitsha. 

The foremost priority of the founding Fathers was the development of leadership skills and indigenous manpower from the vast pool of Nigerian youths based on Roman Catholic tradition and principles. C.K.C.’s excellence and niche manifested very early in its existence, which has made it a leading academic institution. By 1937 it took the first position among all Nigerian schools that took the Cambridge Senior Certificate Examination. 

In 1963 Rev. Fr. N. C. Tagbo (OON), an old boy of C.K.C. was appointed its first indigenous principal. Known worldwide by its characteristic colours of White and Royal Blue, C. K. C.’s legacy continued on all fronts until the Nigerian Civil War of 1967. At the end of the war in 1970 the college struggled to regain its pride of place. Between the years of 1972 and 1973 a handful of female students were admitted into its Advanced Level (AL) programme. In 1972 the college was among the institutions that were appropriated by the East Central State Government at the time and renamed Heerey High School. However, on 1st January 2009, the school was handed back to the original owners, the Catholic Mission. In 1977 C.K.C. became the first African side to win a global competition when it won the World Secondary Schools football tournament in Dublin.

Since its inception C.K.C. has had a succession of capable, visionary and dedicated principals, educationists and administrators consisting of the Clergy and laity. They have been entrusted with running the elite academic institution that the college has evolved into. Among its old students are globally acclaimed university professors in different disciplines, leading bureaucrats across the globe, top military officers, successful business men and leading corporate managers, eminent lawyers and jurist of which are five Nigeria Supreme Court justices, leading professionals in most fields of human endeavour, among others.2