Worried over the harsh economic situation in the country, decaying infrastructure and falling academic standards, the Anglican Grammar School, Ubulu-Uku Old Boys Association (AGSUOBA), Lagos chapter, has called on old students to rally support for their alma mater and save them from collapse.

The association made the call at its monthly meeting held at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) Medical Staff Club, Idi Araba. President of the Lagos chapter, Mr Ben Omife, noted that alma mater, at all levels, remain reservoirs of fond memories, where old students should visit regularly to rekindle good old times, re-energise themselves and face current and future realities. He added, however, that the extent alma mater could effectively serve as a reservoir of fond memories would depend on the old students’ disposition to their schools.

“If old students abandon and allow their alma mater to deteriorate and collapse, then the schools cannot serve as reservoir of fond memories,” he said. Citing a prominent member of the Lagos chapter, Daniel Deiyi, who is planning to relocate to his state, Delta, after clocking over 80 years, Omife said Deiyi had demonstrated that there was no age limit to the contributions old students could make to their alma mater.

The President General of the national body, Dr Geoff Ohen, drove the point home, saying: “Whatever you are today, it is your alma mater that is the foundation. Neglecting your alma mater could be compared to despising the ladder one used to rise in life.

Ohen pointed out that no matter how difficult the economic situation in the country has become, old students should always bear in mind that it was their alma mater that prepared them for survival, even at tough times.

“They should, therefore, see it as mandatory to ensure their alma mater survives,” he said. Deiyi, who attributed his outstanding contributions to God, said:
He said: “I give God all the glory for keeping me alive, and for enabling me to contribute to the association. Even now, I am not tired, but duties require that I return home to lead my people at the community level.

“Like others have said, I urge all old students to take the business of giving back to their alma mater, seriously.” Similarly, the immediate past President of the association, Mr Okey Odibeli, stressed the need for old students to prioritise the survival of their alma mater.