Abstract:
Missionaries, as agents of European churches established schools because education was deemed integral to the main purpose of evangelization. As time went on, graduates from Methodist College, Uzuakoli that was established in 1923 began to make inroads into politics and civil service of pre and post independent Igboland and environs. The roles that the Methodist Missionaries played in manpower development through the Methodist College, Uzuakoli has not received the recognition it deserves. This study attempts to bridge the knowledge gap by outlining the history and achievements of the College in the period under review (1923-2002). The appreciation of the numerous contributions of the Methodist College, Uzuakoli to society in terms of manpower developments in Igboland and environs will greatly help to guide reformers and policy makers to draw a lesson or two from the achievements and failings of the College. The study applies an interdisciplinary approach from religion and education to complement the historicity of the work. Data from a variety of sources that includes Primary Sources (oral interviews, archival and official document) and Secondary Source (books, journals, articles, and project works, theses and dissertation as well as seminar papers) are explored to balance the outlook of the work.
