Meet Mazi Alvan Ikoku, the Education Pioneer on Nigeria’s ₦10 Note

Mazi Alvan Azinna Ikoku was the renowned educationist whose portrait appears on Nigeria’s ₦10 note. Born in Arochukwu in 1900, he built a life around teaching, public service and the push for an education system that reflected Nigerian needs. In 1932, he founded Aggrey Memorial College in Arochukwu, regarded as Nigeria’s first indigenous private secondary school. He promoted practical learning by introducing carpentry, believing students should gain useful skills alongside classroom knowledge. Ikoku also served as president of the Nigerian Union of Teachers and advocated for teachers’ welfare and the use of indigenous languages in schools. He later represented his community in the Eastern House of Assembly and chaired a major regional education reform committee in 1962. He died in 1971, and his image was placed on the ₦10 note eight years later. His legacy lives on through institutions named after him, including Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education in Owerri.

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