The highly anticipated reunion of the 1964/1969 Alumni class of Ebenezer African Church Primary School (EBASCO), Oke Ado, Ibadan, was a day to remember, filled with glitz, glamour, and heartfelt gratitude.
The air was filled with excitement and nostalgia as the 1964/1969 Alumni class of EBASCO gathered under one roof. The event was a testament to the enduring bonds of friendship that have been forged through the years, and it provided an opportunity for old friends to reconnect, reminisce, and celebrate their shared experiences 60 years after.
A former Director General of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mrs Yetunde Oni, hosted the event at her Kolapo Ishola Estate, Akobo, Ibadan, and it attracted captains of industries, business mogul, top retired civil servants, government functionaries, philanthropists among others.
EBASCO, which was described as one of the best schools in town at the time and an “institution for caning” has produced men and women of great value to the society such as former NAFDAC DG, Oni, Dr. Demola Adegbile, Prof. Ayodeji Oluleye among others.
Speaking, the President, EBASCO 1964/1969 Alumni class, Mr Kehinde Awe, said that the school has greatly impacted and shaped their lives, hence the need to give back to the school.
“EBASCO was top choice school to attend in our time, the fact that the school was good was what brought us here together. The school has produced prominent Nigerians.
“What we are doing is to get ourselves together and make ourselves happy, see how to help the less privilege among us and give back to the society and our alma mater,” he said.
Awe decried the level of decadence in Nigerian schools, appealing to every individual to support government in restoring the lost glory of education in the country.
Also, the chairman, planning committee of the reunion, Dr. Adegbile, said the event was significant, due to the fact that the 1964/69 class met 60 years ago before parting ways to various secondary schools.
“Some of us have not seen ourselves since 55 years ago, but thank God for technology and everything, we were able to reconnect again and we have been finding ourselves here and there and we are almost 50 now. We are now growing steadily as an association.
“The essence of the association is this, when we were in school 60 years ago, most of what we did was free. Education was actually free, and we reckoned that with the way God has helped us individually to the point where we are today, we should give something back to the society and humanity, and one of the platform we can use is our alma matter.
“But before we can be effective in helping the school, we must first find ourselves, come together and be sure we have the same focus.
“We are still gathering ourselves. I recall that May 2023, we visited the school and distributed some materials for the teachers and students,” he said.
Adegbile, who lamented the current poor state of infrastructure at the school, promised that the association will try its best to resuscitate EBASCO.
“The whole place looked dilapidated and it is of great concern to us but I am sure our association is not focus on merriment alone. After all of these today, we believe that the association will be strengthened further to focus on how to get the school rehabilitated,” he added.
Credit: newspeakonlineng.com
