Our Lady of Apostles Alumni Members’ Call for Continuation of Governing Board

Ugo Aliogo

The alumni members’ of Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School, Maryway, Odo Ona, Apata, Ibadan has called for the continuation of the school’s governing board which is put in place to run the affairs of the public secondary schools in Oyo State by the Abiola Ajimobi administration.

The National President of the old girls of the school, Mrs. Valentina Solarin, stated this recently in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital during the presentation of NECO fees to support some indigent students in the registration of SS 3 class.

Solarin, who was represented by the second National Vice President of the body, Mrs. Modupeola Sodeinde; the National Financial Secretary, Ms Mary Woods and the National publicity secretary, Mrs. Bose Oyewole and Christy Akinniyi noted that as mothers, they are touched about the plight of the education system today.

According to her: “I, Modupeola Sodeinde; Joyce Woods and a few others were in this school together 60years ago. I left 51years ago, she left 53years ago. We just felt that we should come back to sow back into our school, because to the glory of God, God has given us so much that we believe that we have to be grateful. In order to show gratitude to God, we have to sow into the lives of these children.

“We have been here since last year September. God has been able to help us and is using us as old students to make impacts on this school. You can see the beauty, the painting of the school, the gates, the fence and the entrance of the school. That’s what God has been able to use us for.

“And we just felt that exam is one of the yardsticks to measure the success of the children. So, that’s why we are here to present a token to the school, because at the request of the principal, she said 20 students.

“So, that’s why it is limited, because if she had given us a longer list, possibly we could have accommodated all of them. But because she said there are some outstanding 20 students that needed to be helped. That is why we are here to give a token, at least to pay for their NECO exams, so this is what we have come here to do this morning.

“We believe that our coming together is the beginning of good things for the school and even for our own lives. Because when you sow into the lives of other people, God will also bless you. In sowing, we will reap in abundance. We know that in future, they can also come back to sow into the school.

“The morals our lady sisters gave us at that time have helped us a lot. When we were in school, we had our first principal, anytime we’re going out, she would say “ladies are to be seen and not to be heard’, that we shouldn’t go and act like ruffians. That has helped a lot of us in our day to day lives. So I’m just asking the students to be well behaved; because attitude and character take you a long way.

“You may be brilliant, but if you don’t have attitude, morals, it’s nothing. Another thing is that our first principal impacted so much into our lives that we can never forget her, may her soul rest in perfect peace.”

Solarin noted that they began the ETF Oyo state project, through the efforts of the wife of the governor, Mrs. Florence Ajimobi, who is also one of their members, “through her, we were able to bring in ETF.”

The national president explained that ETF has taken over the project of this school, adding that the government is playing its role.

She expressed hope that the incoming government would take examples from what the Ajimobis have done before they leave, “the little that they have done would be on forever.”

“There are a lot of things that the principal, even the members don’t know. Because what we now want to do is to bring back the glory this school has about 60 years ago. The school was established in 1958. We want the morals we enjoyed back in the days to be restored. So when an old student is part of the governing board, she will be able to have inputs,” she added.

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