Association of Old Students of Okene Secondary School in Kogi State has appealed to the State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello to renege his plan of converting the school into Military Barrack.
Class of 1976 – 1981 of the School, made the appeal in Ilorin, Kwara State Capital, during their reunion held at the E- PHOENIX Hotel , Ilorin on Saturday, 17th of July, 2021.
Addressing Pressmen, the newly elected chairman of the of the set, Prince Ekundayo Asaju, who is the Publisher of First Weekly Magazine said they have decided to kick against the idea of turning the school to military barrack ‘whole heartedly’ because there was no plausible reason to end the school’s existence.
“We sent a letter to the Governor last year, later we followed up with an open letter in some major newspapers, appealing to him that he should grant us audience since that time we have not heard from him but there has not been formal takeover of the school anyway, but the implementation is what we don’t want to happen, students are still in the school and that will be the major focus of my tenure, to ensure the school survives’ he said.
Ekundayo, who expressed gratitude to his former classmates for choosing him as the chairman of the association also gave reasons for the reunion.
“we have not seen each other for 40 years we have not interacted face to face the only thing we have been doing was our interaction on Social Media and Phone conversations, once in a while. This is the first time we are physically coming together apart from us coming together again as a family, we are coming together for the sake of Okene Secondary School”
“We need to do the needful in respect of the school, the school as we speak is endangered and this is not the kind of school that one person or one administration can just cancel out it is bad for the system and it is a very big blow to the people that has passed through that institution we are kicking against it we are pleading with the governor of Kogi state, Alhaji Yahaya Bello to give us a listening ears”
“we are ready to intervene on behalf of the school we have already made commitment that we will be part and parcel of the running of that school we are ready for any kind of negotiation just for the sake of the school”
“From available information the school is about to be turned into a barrack it has been handed over to the military, just that the military have not moved in yet if Abdulazeez Attah Memorial Secondary School is still there standing, Okene Secondary School too should still be standing, if GSS Ilorin is still there standing, Okene Secondary School should be standing, if Tincomb College, Egbe is still there standing, Okene Secondary School should not be an exception”
“This school has also excelled in all spheres of life. You need to see Okene Secondary School, we have the brightest brains it has turned out the best and it is still working we are ready to make commitment, contribution to the discovery and the regeneration of Okene Secondary School” he said
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