By 1975, Abuloma was a secluded enclave at the mouth of the waters that empty into the Atlantic Ocean through Okrika by the Port Harcourt River on the way to Bonny.
Anybody going to Abuloma was regarded as going to a lonely area. The only road to it from Port Harcourt from something like footpath from Ogbunabali through pathway that later cut through today’s Trans-Amadi.
The road would pierce deeply through swamps and forests until it would turn left to a vast area bordering waters.
The place was chosen by 1975 to play host to a girls college owned by the Federal Government when the idea of Unity Schools was hatched. It was suggested as a place to groom girls both in learning and character.
The period was still relative to a culture in the South-South and East known as fattening room. It had different names in different ethnicities but most parts of the region call ‘Mgbede’, though nobody knows which ethnic group coined the name. Girls during puberty were moved to ‘Mgbede’ or fattening rooms.
What was believed was that it was a place of feeding young girs fat to develop robust and rounded bodies with very smooth skins. That was on the surface. Truth was that the ladies were in a grooming centre for knowledge-acquisition and training to become successful wives, home managers, and great women leaders.
The fattening room system emphasized seclusion of location and exclusivity. Seasoned women of different capabililies and vocations such as native birth attendance, circumcision, managing minor ailments, use of food as medicine, understanding menstrual matters, understanding the creature called man (husband), protecting a man from himself, knowing what men want, etc, would be subjects of teaching.
They also learnt dances and songs plus making patterns on bodies and walls with colours (uri). On the day of unveiling, the now beautiful women are brought out and viewed by people from far and near, and wives are quickly picked.
So, distant and discreet location was the key. So, it was with Abuloma girls. It is a place of learning and training of young girls who come in as pre-teens and leave as pre-women. It was created when the quest for empowerment and enhancement of women to play roles in nationhood and national building was hatched, soon after the establishment of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in 1973.
Today, whereas the FG thought they created a school for girls, the people of the region, working with the ex-grads, created an elite ‘mgbede’ where ‘queens’ are made.
One of the queens, Opobo-born but Okrika-married Ibim Semenitari (nee Toby), tried to explain how the Federal Government Girls College (FGGC) Abuloma is far beyond a school.
She spoke at the ceremony marking the 50 years anniversary of the college, and explained how the place is making queens.
Semenitari is a former information commissioner in Rivers State. She is a queen in her own rights because she flew across schools to graduate in the University of Benin and became a seasoned journalist who won international awards and ended as a publisher (Business Eye). She is a trainer and resource person in Journalism.
Semenitari later served as acting managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), and is today a sought-after consultant on virtually every matter under the sun.
Semenitari, who is the chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Almunae said: “We are proud of the quality of girls that this school has produced. The Almunae was started in the early 1990s.”
This is the breeding home for ‘queens’:
Sementari said the children make the Old Girls proud with academic excellence. “In national competitions, they do well. This is the breeding home for queens: Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN), an old girl (senior prefect 1980) is the one in charge of electricity in Washington DC, an old girl was the very first black person (male of female) to be president of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association.
The most strategic aspect is what even the Federal Government recognized and commended going on in Abulomo. Apart from executing projects and doing stuff, the old girls have a scheme whereby they come back to mentor the students, thus playing the role of a guild where attitude and skills are created. They pass on the secrets of studying hard and hitting skyhigh grades.
The board chairperson tried to put the 50 years in perspective. She said the Old Girls decided to execute two strong legacy projects; the Legacy Park, and the Smart Classrooms for the girls.
“This is not the first time the Old Girls are executing projects here. We have a complete ICT Lab, Sick Bay, Tractors for the school, Scholarship Scheme that helps indigent children. We have even supported some Old Girls who found it difficult to go to the University to accomplish the dream. We have a mentorship programme where Old Girls mentor the younger ones.
“So, this 50th anniversary, we said, let us do something different. The Smart Classrooms are simply next generation, the most current you can have. It allows the children and teachers interface in realtime in manners that make the children enjoy the content, and to access virtual reality to make things happen.”
FG hails Abuloma model:
The Federal Ministry Education has welcomed the model being implemented in the FG Girls College Abuloma, including their mentoriship scheme, the legacy projects, and creating a system of sustenance of good character and grades.
The FG also welcomed the digital classrooms as well as ICT Labs in the College which is located in the southernmost ends of Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Maruf Olatunji Alausa, the Minister, who rendered the commendation on Thursday, October 9, 2025, while speaking as special guest of honour to mark the 50th anniversary of the College said it was a big privilege for the College to be showered by smart classrooms and other sensitive projects which were executed by the FGGC Old Girls Association.
The Minister, who was represented by Inyang Ukpe, Principal of Federal Government College, Port Harcourt, mentioned the projects that set the college high as the 21st century leap which is the four STEAM-enabled smart classrooms.
The Minister said the N50m investment is not just about technology, but about preparing young girls for the future of work and innovation, ensuring they were globally competitive in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics.
The Minister said ICT and Infrastructure upgrade being embarked upon by the FGGC Old Girls was in addition to provision of 23 laptops for the ICT Lab and the crucial renovations of the Biology Laboratory and the school library. “Access to clean water, which you addressed through the repair of the water reticulation system in the hostels, speaks directly to student welfare, a top priority for the Ministry.”
The Minister mentioned other projects such as legacy of giving, a mentorship programme. He harped on the theme of this anniversary, ‘Roots to Golden Fruits: Remembering the Past, Celebrating the Present, and Empowering the Future’, saying; “The Roots are the pioneering efforts of the founders, the dedication of the early teachers, and the investment made by the FG 50 years ago.”
In a major speech, Itoro Clement Isong, the national president of the Association, said the school was founded to be a beacon of light that shaped young minds and molded future leaders. Thus, the school has produced doctors, engineers, teachers, artists, entrepreneurs, homemakers, beauty queens, politicians and public servants and all careers in-between, who she said were making a difference not just in Nigeria, but across the globe.
Isong went on: “Over the years, we have worked to support the school and its students. Today, we are proud to launch our two legacy projects: The Alumnae Legacy Park and the STEAM-enabled Smart Classrooms.”
She noted that the ‘Alumnae Legacy Park’ is more than just a beautiful space but a testament to the enduring bonds of friendship and sisterhood that were forged in the school years back. “The STEAM-enabled Smart Classrooms represent our commitment to the future. In a rapidly changing world, we must equip our students with the skills they need to lead and innovate.”
She mentioned how the projects were executed and mentioned Sterling One Foundation, BGI Energy Services LTD, Zomay Group, Seplat Cares -Seplat Energy’s comprehensive Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and sustainability initiatives, Sparkle MFB, WOWBII, Ceion Innovations Limited, and X3M Ideas.
Earlier in her welcome remarks, Orieji Uduma, the chairperson of the 50th anniversary planning committee their roots were planted and nourished in the knowledge shared by their teachers. “We were taught the value of smart work”. She explained the meaning of giving them roots and giving them wings to fly.
The highlight of the event was N20m donation by Dumo Lulu-Briggs, a chief and lawyer who said he married from the College. He called for reflections that would help return Rivers State to old values and dreams of unity and looking out for one another.
The monarch of Abuloma, Bright Ateke Fiboinumama, said the school impacted the community positively. He pledged the commitment of the community to continue to support and protect the school.
The event was turned to a carnival of sorts with Old Girls singing the songs of old and dancing their hearts out. They sang in all the major ethnic tongues in Nigeria and south-south and showed how they rolled life at school beyond academics.
The day was anchored by Chioma Aninwe, a communications expert and compere who has emerged as a state manager and content expert.
The anniversary was marked with publication that allowed reflective articles to show how the older ones perceived the school and life in the ‘mgbede’. Onyinye Udeh (nee Nwaozor) described her stay as a ‘bittersweet’ journey recalling bullying and injust treatments but admitted these things built them into the strong women they are today.
Others used poetry instead of prose to capture their experiences probably to hide the raw messages in parables and images.
Conclusion:
With FGGC Abuloma and some other Unity Schools, the FG beats its chest that the objective has been realized because the products fly high around the world.
