The Nation Newspaper

Tag: OLD STUDENTS

  • Day Urhobo College old students gave back to their alma mater

    Day Urhobo College old students gave back to their alma mater

    The old students’ association of the prestigious Urhobo College Effurun, last week, held a special event to tell those coming behind them to pursue excellence and keep the tradition alive. BOLAJI OGUNDELE writes on the outreach

    Then mentioning old and prestigious institutions in Nigeria, one of the few that will come to mind, especially in the Niger Delta axis, is Urhobo College Effurun (UCE). It has spanned years and has produced some of the most beautiful minds that have come out of the region over the years.

    The UCE has for years been coveted, a development which makes primary school pupils always aspiring to be admitted to the school.

    The Urhobo College, unlike most of its contemporaries, is one with a passionate old students association, which remains concerned about the status of its alma mater and the standard it gives back to society. To keep its flame of fame and standard glowing, members of the Urhobo College Old Students’ Association (UCOSA) recently organised a special career talk/ prize giving day for the students, with the sole aim of challenging them to aspire to life’s greatness and excellence. The event, which drew personalities from all walks of life; all old students, took time to mentored the students on hard work, choosing a life career, their responsibilities to society and working to sustain their institution’s tradition of excellence.

    To charge the young ones to aspire to greatness at the special event were personalities in public and private life. The National President of UCOSA, Admiral John Kpokpogri, Special Adviser to the Delta State Governor on Education, Pastor (Mrs) Rhoda Ikide, Dr Henry Ejimudo, Sule Umoru, Engr Paul Oyibo, Kuzzy Oghenekaro, Prince Voke Edimu, who is the National Public Relations Officer of UCOSA as well as the school’s Principal, Edafe Udoma, were all among the old students who took the time to attend an event they described as critical to the future of their alma mater.

    To achieve the particular goal of mentoring the students and charging them to aspire to get fulfilment and prominence in life, the executives of UCOSA designed the programme to include talks and speeches on career by old students in their various fields. The process aimed at was crowned with the giving of prizes in various categories to more than twenty students and teachers, whom the school considered to have exhibited exceptional qualities in their studies and output towards sustaining the quality and standard the institution is known for.

    The National Publicity Secretary of UCOSA, Prince Edimu said the organisation, besides spurring the students and teachers to better performance, by giving out prizes and delivering career talks, also purposed to show the world that the quality and standards the Urhobo College were known for are still intact and to invite all to come and be part of its success story.

    “Today we are having a career talk/ prize giving day for the students and the whole essence of this is to inspire and motivate the students to work harder and also act as role models so that they can aspire to what old students who have distinguished themselves have achieved. Going further, this is also aimed at creating the awareness that this school is a citadel of learning and has produced distinguished personalities in and around the world. It is still in existence and people, especially the government and the populace, should key into it,” Edimu said.

     

  • FGC Old students inaugurate N92.7m projects in Warri

    FGC Old students inaugurate N92.7m projects in Warri

    The Old Students Association of Federal Government College (FEGOCOWOSA), Warri has inaugurated four projects worth N92.7million executed by it in the school.

    The ceremony, which was part of the events to mark the Annual General Meeting of the Old Students Association, was attended by old students from across the world.

    Outgoing National President of the association, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, the National President of the association, who presided over the ceremony, said the projects were executed to give back to the school which had given them so much.

    “My vision was to do everything we could to make Federal Government College, Warri, remain great, to inspire the next generation of the school’s Students to be the best they can be and to motivate them to aspire for greatness,” he said.

    The former Accountant General of Lagos State and Permanent Secretary in the State Ministry of Finance, described education as “the most potent weapon against poverty”, adding that “if the youths have good education, they will be better placed to overcome the challenges ahead”.

    The four projects commissioned include a new state-of-the-art Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) Centre, a 500KVA electricity generator, an expanded Infirmary (sick bay) and a renovated dining hall.

    Ambode thanked Mrs Ifueko Omoigui-Okauru, the former Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and an old student of the college and other members of FEGCOWOSA for their cooperation and dedication towards the realisation of the projects and successful completion of his tenure.

    He assured that he will continue to support the incoming executive committee and the association in general to greater heights.

    The AGM was preceded by a procession held within the school premises in honour of the 59 students recently killed by suspected terrorists at the Federal Government College in Yobe State. The procession was concluded with a symbolic ringing of the school bell in the college assembly ground 59 times.

    Ambode during the solemn procession called on the Federal Government to protect students and youths, who are the future of the country by putting an end to their mindless killing in parts of the country by insurgents.

    The AGM was climaxed by a public lecture delivered by the Delta State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Prof Patrick Muoboghare.

    In his paper entitled, “Watering the Labour of Our Heroes Past”, Muoboghare, who is also an old student of the College as the Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, noted that Nigeria could only move forward as a nation if the people become more conscious of their history and were inspired by the sterling achievements of men and women who made sacrifices to keep Nigeria together after the amalgamation of 1914.

    Muoboghare stressed the importance of education in the development of the individual person, the family, community and the nation, stating that the contribution of Ambode to education must be acknowledged. He commended the leadership style of Ambode, which he noted not only led to the revival and expansion of FEGCOWOSA nation-wide, but the remarkable achievement that saw the completion of four major projects in the college within the three years he was the national president.

    He urged the new executive committee members to build on the achievements of the Ambode-led committee in the interest of education and national development.

     

     

  • Old students donate N20m to school

    The members of Old Boys Association of Igbo National College Aba [IgboNaco], now National High School have donated N20m to their Alma Mater to address infrastructural decay.

    This was disclosed by the president-general of the association, Mr Azubuko Udah after the National Executive Committee [NEC] of the association in Umuahia,saying that members have decided to give back to the school that made them what they are today.

    Udah said that government should not be left alone to handle school rehabilitation in the state, adding that the governor, Chief Theodore Orji has done well in this area, stressing that what they were doing is to complement governor’s efforts.

    The President-General of Igbonaco used the forum to praise the governor for his approval and prompt intervention in renovation of dilapidated structures in the school, saying that the move has helped to improve the standard of education in the state.

    Udah recalled that sometime in 2003, some hoodlums attacked and vandalised the school’s science laboratories which he said had remained one of the well equipped within the Southeast zone saying that the association intends to replace the items that were vandalised.

    He enumerated the achievements of the association in their old school to include the repair of Azikiwe and other dormitories in the school which had cost them about N8 million, while the fencing of the school premises had cost them N5 million, and other projects is costing them N5 million.

    The President-General said: “I know that the Azikiwe and other school hostels project that is almost completed cost N8 million, the parameter fence of the school has taken us about N5m, while the provision of security in the school and minor repairs of the NYSC Corpers’ Lodge and other repairs has also taken us another N5 million”.

    Udah reminded other old boy’s associations across the state of their role in the provision of infrastructure, stressing that people should give back to the society that made them.

    He said: “Various old boys associations have a great role to play in making sure that our education system is maintained and sustained so that generation next will not be handicapped in having the requisite atmosphere in learning”.

    Also speaking, the former deputy governor of Abia State who also is an old boy of the School, Chief Eric Acho Nwakanma, described the handing over of schools to their original owners in the state as one of the measures by government to improve the standard of teaching and learning.

    Nwakanma said, “It is the necessary thing to do, more so as a lot of people were clamouring for the handover of schools especially the religious institutions.They were clamouring that they need these schools to train children when they are young”.

    He praised Governor Orji for taking the bold decision when he handed over such schools to their original owners as well as in bringing sanity to the education sector in the state.

    In the same vein, thes State Commissioner for Housing, an Old boy of the school, Prince Kingsley Mgbeahuru, disclosed that the state government has begun the rehabilitation of some public schools across the state and the building of modern schools across the state.