By Robert Egbe
A funeral programme for foremost school administrator and emeritus principal of Ajuwa Grammar School, Okeagbe-Akoko, Ondo State, Mr. Guy Gargiulo, will hold simultaneously today in Nigeria, the United Kingdom (UK) and Italy.
Gargiulo, 87, died in England on December 2, 2019.
His remains will be cremated today in Hove, UK, after a commendation service at All Saints Church, The Drive, Hove, UK, at 2 p.m. Concurrent services will also hold at 31 Marine Road Capri, Italy, and at St. George’s Anglican Church, Okeagbe-Akoko at 1 p.m.
The ashes will be brought to Nigeria to be interred on the school premises in Okeagbe-Akoko during week-long ceremonies between February 17 and 23, 2020. Current pupils of the school were billed to hold a candle light procession round Okeagbe town yesterday.
President of Ajuwa Grammar School Old Students’ Association (AOSA), Rear Admiral Sanmi Alade, in a statement, urged all old students, who are scattered around the world, to participate in the programmes at the nearest centres to their residence.
The British educationist of Italian descent came to Nigeria in the early 1960s and worked briefly at Igbobi College in Yaba, Lagos, before moving to Okeagbe–Akoko, where he served as Principal of Ajuwa Grammar School between 1963 and 1978. He remained connected to the school and lived within the premises whenever he was in Nigeria.
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The Federal University of Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) awarded him a honourary Ph.D last year.
He was also honoured by the Okeagbe community with a chieftaincy title more than 10 years ago.
Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Donald Omotayo Alasoadura, yesterday praised the late Gargiulo for his contribution to education and humanity. The Minister of State was a member of the school’s 1967 set.
In a tribute, titled: Celebrating the Life and Legacy of an Icon, Alasoadura wrote: “With this epitaph, I celebrate the passing into eternity of an exceptional icon, teacher of teachers, moulder, counsellor, discoverer of talents, a compassionate man and a philanthropist, Chief Guy Gargiulo, whose exceptional brilliance and contributions towards shaping lives and humanity remains incomparable.
“The former Principal of Ajuwa Grammar School Okeagbe, Akoko, GG, as fondly called, was a great man. He was a man whose life was in strict compliance with core values of life.
“He worked strictly for the development of man and his environment. He was a lover of sports. He was the one who honed my interest in football, making me to play in the school’s Mosquito Team, Intermediate Team and for a brief spell, the Senior Team. What are we to say about swimming, basketball, volleyball, among others?
“I commiserate with the students, members of staff, the Old Students’ Association of Ajuwa Grammar School, Okeagbe-Akoko and the good people of Okeagbe where he lived the large chunk of his life on planet Earth and left a strong legacy of service to humanity.
“I remember a lot of things about GG, the compassionate. He gave me double promotion from the first Form to the Third Form as evidence of his talent development and I didn’t disappoint him. Woe betides you if you were singing in the choir and you didn’t open your mouth wide and with a smile on your lips.
“He was an educationist per excellence, a father to all his students and a super community relator.
“To my dear teacher, as you embark on this homeward journey, ride on the wings of angels for you lived a life deserving of a triumphant entry into His kingdom.
“I cannot thank you enough for the opportunity you gave me, despite the fact that my parents couldn’t afford my school fees, and for your kindness and attention to details, which eventually moulded my journey in life so far. I wouldn’t trade that memory for the world.”
“You touched so many lives, like mine. You produced a messenger in me and later a Chartered Accountant, a CEO, a commissioner, a senator, and now a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Adieu, my dear teacher and mentor.”
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