The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Ilorin, Most Reverend Anselm Pendo Lawani has commended the members of the 1984 set of St. Anthony Secondary School Ilorin Old Students Association (SASSIOSA) who renovated two blocks of four classrooms and office spaces and handed it over for the use of students and staff.
The Bishop, who was represented by the dean of Ilorin Deanery, Very Reverend Father Titus Opadokun, gave the commendation Friday while commissioning the project in the school premises along Offa Road, Ilorin.
He appreciated the old students for their generosity and for the initiative of coming to give back to their alma mater even as he prayed for their progress in all their endeavours.
He then charged the crop of the present students who also attended the event to be inspired and emulate the old students in remembering their alma mater that gave them the foundation of whatever they might become later in life.
The school Chaplain, Reverend Father Ralph Ajewole, prayed for the old students for coming back to appreciate God by sowing seeds of progress in the their alma mater and prayed for the students present, urging them to take the giving-back-to-the-school as a challenge of what they could also do in future.
Speaking during the commissioning, the 1984 Set Head Girl and President of the set, Chief Mrs. Victoria Kehinde Afolayan (nee Oyeyipo), said that the event was to mark the 40th year anniversary of graduation from the school.
The president of the graduation set said the renovation gulped over N6.1 million, adding that the funding was purely by members and the project supervised directly them.
Her words: “You know fingers are not equal. Various sums of money were put together by members to raise over N6.1 million, while some gave physical support by moving materials to the site, before we could renovate two blocks of classrooms picking one block from each of the junior and senior session.
“The two blocks of classrooms were in bad shape and next to nothing, especially that of the junior class. Teachers and students had suffered injuries from big holes on the floors, while teachers were afraid to teach in the class due to bad state it was. So, we did terrazzo flooring of the classrooms and outside of the classrooms, wall plastering, replacement of doors and windows from louvers to metal ones and repairs of the ceilings”, she said.
The president 1984 set also said that activities to mark the celebration include award presentation, such as recognition to the Catholic Church for establishing the school, which she added “nurtured us to what we are today” and to the Chaplain of the school, Reverend Father Ralph Ajewole, for the spiritual aspects of our study.
“At the school today, we recognized our teachers and principals in the past 45 years, starting from when we began our studies here, using the sitting principals as form of contacts for them. We gave them awards of torchbearers for upholding the excellence of the school,” she added.
The 40th graduation anniversary celebration was rounded off with get-together dinner held at White Gold Guest House, near Atlantic Event Palace, Ilorin, where awards were presented to honour and recognize the first head boy, Mr. Julius Adeoye and first head girl, Dr. Mrs. Agnes Modupe Ajaga.
The first head boy, who came all the way from Lagos, and first head girl, were both appreciated for their pioneer leadership and presented Leadership Excellence Awards.
The second set of award recipients were the first two enrollees in the school, who were known as the Abayomi twins, the boy and girl, they were the first to be registered in school (student registration numbers: 001 and 002), now Mr. Charles Taiwo Abayomi and Mrs. Kehinde Adebayo represented by Mrs. Oyinloye.
The first head boy, Mr. Julius Adeoye, raised the toast in appreciation to God, while Mrs. Afolayan, who directed the get-together, appreciated God for raising up among them, medical doctors, nurses, lecturers, civil servants, teachers, traditional ruler, politicians, business men and women, among other professionals.
Other old students who were at the event included His Royal Highness, Oba Moses Oyinloye, Onigbesi of Igbesi; Hon. Afolayan O. G., Dr. Medubi Grace, Hajia Alemat Odeyemi Sanusi, Mrs. Funmilayo Akinola, Benjamin Oyinbo, Alhaji Olorunlogbon Moyo, Mrs. Oke Dorcas, Bayo Obasa, among others