Ososo Grammar School alumni celebrate 52nd anniversary

Old students of Ososo Grammar School, (formerly St Aloysius Grammar School), Ososo, Edo State, has concluded plans to celebrate the 52nd anniversary of their alma mater.

The anniversary was earlier scheduled for the year 2020, but could not hold due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the national president, Dr Lucky Idowu Ojo, events leading to the anniversary celebration started on November 12, 2021, with a seminar organised for current teachers and students in the school. The seminar was titled: “Education, a roadmap to development.” Over 800 students attended the seminar.

The second phase of the celebration would commence on Friday, April 15, 2022, with a yearly general meeting, a football match and reunion activities in the evening. On Saturday, April 16, the anniversary lecture/founders day would hold alongside traditional/cultural dances, goodwill messages, awards of honour, poetry session, dinner and variety night.

The event would be rounded off with the launch of a ₦15 million assembly hall building fund.

In December 1969, the Roman Catholic Church, Benin Diocese, approved the establishment of the school.

The school was founded in January 1970, as St Columbus Catholic Secondary School. Few weeks later, Bishop P. J. Kelly changed the name to St Aloysious Mixed Grammar School. During the acquisition of schools in 1975, the name was again changed to Ososo Grammar School, Ososo.

Sixty pioneer students were given admission as the first set. Fifty-four of these students wrote the first West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), with Cornelius Azegbeobo Iyogun, now General C. A. Iyogun, emerging as the best student.

Since then, old students of the school have excelled in their various fields of endeavour.

The pioneer/foundation teachers of the school includes: Mr J. B. Largu; Dr F. O. Obaitan, Rt. Hon. Tunde Lakoju, Mr J. Idaewor, Mr L. P. Ologun, Mr G. Otaru, Mr Ade Ajayi, and Mrs Ade Ajayi, amongst others. Some of these personalities started effective classroom teaching in the school on February 18, 1970.

In 1973, Professor Peter Okebukola came to serve in the school as a Youth Corper. Chief Wale Adenuga, the Chief Executive Officer of Wale Adenuga Productions Limited, and the founder of Ikebe Super, Binta and Friends and Super Story, also served as a Youth Corper in the School.

Ososo Grammar School is renowned for sound education. In many West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examination Council (NECO) examinations, it recorded 100 per cent and became the best among schools in the local Council. From its early beginnings, the school has been a household name in the council and many people, because of its quality of education, want their wards to come to the school.

The school has produced a lot of great men amongst whom are professors, numerous Ph.D holders, generals in the Nigerian Army, Airforce, Navy, commissioners of Police, international business men and women, editors of media organisations, principals of schools, amongst numerous others, who are positively impacting the world.