Edo Government lauds USSOSA on ₦122m classrooms block

The role of alumni associations as agents of development not only of their alma mater but also of the larger society came into focus recently when the past students of Ujemen Secondary School in Ujemen-Ekpoma, Edo State, gathered to celebrate the 44th anniversary of the founding of the school.

The past students, under the umbrella of Ujemen Secondary School Old Students Association (USSOSA) Inc., commissioned a ₦122 million ultramodern classrooms block built by them and also launched the maiden edition of the USSOSA Magazine.

The event, which was held on the school ground on December 27, 2024, was also an opportunity to recognise and reward the founding parents of the school as well as some outstanding past teachers.

Speaking at the event, the Secretary to the Edo State Government, Musa Ikhilor, who represented the governor, Monday Okpebholo, commended the old students for undertaking such a laudable project.

He said the project was in tandem with one leg of the five-point agenda of the governor, which is to have functional and value-driven education in the state.

“When we saw that the old students association of this school came together to improve the situation of the school and tackle some of the challenges of education in the school by making their own contribution to constructing this wonderful edifice here, we thought that yes, this is something very commendable and something that everyone should encourage, including the government,” Ikhilor said.

“This is an attempt by the old students association to partner with government to provide functional and quality education to its citizens. And I will say that Ujemen Secondary School Old Students Association (USSOSA) is playing its key role in partnering with government to provide functional education and bring about socio-economic development. We are very proud of all they have done. To have mobilised and organised themselves to raise such amount of money, over ₦100 million, to put this structure on ground is something that is commendable and something that the state government will support. And that’s why we are here,” he said.

Ikhilor stated that what USSOSA has done is in line with the model practised by alumni associations all over the world who are known to contribute to the development not only of their alma mater but also of the society at large.

He, however, encouraged the USS old students not to rest on their laurels but to continue to do more, adding that beyond erecting structures, they should also ensure that they improve the quality of teaching in the classrooms either by contributing to engaging qualified teachers or by devoting time to inspire the students.

Ujemen Secondary School, established in 1980, was conceived with the intention to address or alleviate the challenges the people of the community experienced in securing admission for children of college age into the existing grammar schools at the time that were located in the neighbouring communities.

Recounting the history of Ujemen Secondary School, the USSOSA BOT Chairman, Mr. Johnson Dion, wrote that unlike the existing colleges at that time that were built by Christian missionaries, the school was conceived, nurtured, hatched and midwifed into a full-fledged secondary school by the Ujemen Elders-in-Council and the Grammar School Working Committee members. The school admitted its first batch of about 150 students on 10 October 1980, with Mr. Jacob Azubuike Ofune, author of Modern and Regional Geography, as the pioneer principal.

“It was one challenge for their children to pass the common entrance examination, but an even more herculean task to get admitted into a secondary school of their choice as they were usually screened out through college-imposed aptitude and interview tests in preference for indigenous pupils that hailed from the college community,” Johnson said.

“This placed Ujemen indigenes at a huge disadvantage. As a consequence, many children from Ujemen ended up learning a trade after years of concerted efforts to secure admission into a secondary proved abortive,” he said.

According to Johnson, in order to actualize the noble initiative of establishing a secondary school, Ujemen Community levied every adult male and female the sum of ₦20.00 and ₦6.00, respectively, to raise the money required to register and construct Ujemen Secondary School at the then Bendel State Ministry of Education.

“Indeed, these seminal seeds they sowed in 1979 have shaped our destinies today in various walks of life. They open the door for us. They saw then who we are now. They were selfless and visionary. They altered the course of Ujemen’s history for the better. Their legacy will keep serving as an inspiration for future generations. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude,” he said.

The event, which was chaired by Elder Pius Omofuma, Founder and CEO, GT Foods, represented by his son, Mr. Osemudiamen Omofuma, was well attended by past and present students, government representatives, traditional and community leaders, among others.