Allow Old Boys Associations to Restore Glory of Govt Colleges, Okoigun Pleads with FG, States

Sylvester Idowu in Warri

The Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of ARCO Group, Alfred Okoigun, has stressed the need for federal and state governments to collaborate with old boys and girls associations towards restoring the past glory of government colleges across the country.

He said such collaboration would ensure urgent return of sanity as well as revamp decay dogging the various government colleges in the country.

Okoigun made the appeal at the weekend during an award bestowed on him by the Government College, Ughelli, Delta State, Warri branch during its 2021 luncheon/award ceremony held at Orhuwhorun near Warri in the state.

He said most old boys associations, particularly that of Government College, Ughelli, would be delighted to renovate and upgrade the standard of education to the level enjoyed in the 50s, 60s and 70s.

“We call on the federal and state governments to support those old boys and girls associations which are ready to help restore the glory of their old schools. We can use the Government College, Umuahia, as an example of what old boys can do. They took over the school from the government, revamp and renovated it to that high quality we knew in the past,” he said.

In his remark, the President of Government College, Ughelli (GCUOBA), Warri branch, Mr. Paul Gbemre, urged the government to grant principal of schools some level of power to instill discipline on errant students to save the society from what the country is going through with rampant cases of cultism, beating of teachers and other vices among the youths.

He decried situations where a principal or teacher would discipline a student, and in the next hour would receive a threat or warning from those in government, noting that this has made school management to be afraid in carrying out their functions properly.

Gbemre said the Government College Ughelli, Warri branch 2021 luncheon/award ceremony is an annual event to bring old boys together for interaction and also raise funds to give back to their school.

“We meet once in a year. It is for old boys to interact. Beyond that, we also find a common front to give back to our school. We have a project, which is to renovate a building in the school for newly employed wardens,” he added.