An Interview With GCUOBA President General Worldwide

A past President of Nigeria Institute of Architects (NIA) and former President of Africa Union of Architects (AUA), it is two years since Arc. Charles Majoroh of GCU 1959 Class took over the mantle of leadership of Government College U g h e l l i Old  B o y s  A s s o c i a t i o n (GCUOBA)  as  President  General Worldwide (PGWW). However, many of our Old Boys see him only from the distance and are unable to engage him during GCUOBA social programmes that are  often  laden  with  multiple activities.

It is an open secret that GCUOBA has been transformed and effectively revitalized, but what brought about the remarkable transformation and how has the OBA been coping since the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic?  In order to access the mind of the current GCUOBA helmsman, Roy Odoko posed several questions to which the PGWW provided illuminating responses in an interactive session.

Below are excerpts from the interview:

Q: What impact did the covid-19 pandemic have on the Association and how did you handle it?

A: The lockdown came just after we held the March National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Lagos and we had to be innovative on how to move forward with our meetings and to coordinate our various activities. What we did therefore was to scale up our virtual interactions through zoom and we started with zoom NEC meetings every two weeks. This enabled us to keep tracks of various activities at the school. However, we could not do our national dinner, which is our major fundraiser; we could not also do the GCU Relays because those needed high physical presence and interactions. We strengthened our revenue base by contributions to the endowment fund by Classes.

We were also able to engage government on getting an ideal principal for the school and we got that. We were also able to get the Classes to undertake projects such as the renovation and upgrading of the pavilion by the class of 1971, the renovation of the library by the January 1991 Class and the water project by the 1995 Class, which have been completed, among other ongoing projects by Classes. So, it was on the whole not a wasted year.

 

Q: The annual endowment fund seems to have gained traction amongst GCUOBA Classes. How was this achieved?

A: I think the credit for the success will still go to my predecessor, Prof Omatete, and of course the current Exco, especially the 4th Vice President General (Omatsola Vincent) and National Financial Secretary (Dan Agbada), who have been pushing the collection of the endowment. I am really overwhelmed by the very senior Classes whom one would have thought will lag a little but are very forthcoming and contributing to the fund. Now that the endowment fund has been tied to Classes being made Ancient Mariners, there is awareness that the fund is a serious commitment. It has also received support because at least everyone is aware that the fund is not being spent on regular items but is being invested to create a pool for interventions in the school in the future

Q: There seems to be a healthy competition among Classes to undertake projects in the school. What is responsible for this?

A: We discovered that whereas the branches are a veritable medium for membership of the GCUOBA, the classes are more compact and members of a Class know themselves, bond together better, and have a great energy, so the Class as a level of organization had to be developed. We amended the constitution in 2018 and provided for Classes as a subgroup. T h a t f o r m a l i z a t i o n a c t u a l l y encouraged Classes to be more active because they saw that they had been formally recognised as a unit of the GCUOBA. That produced the healthy rivalry that we are seeing to make an impact in the school and be counted. Also, with the constitution tying the 40th anniversary and 50th anniversary reunions to Class projects and sponsorships, it has challenged classes to do more and have signature projects that project their images well.

Q: Since you became PGWW, what level of cooperation have you had from the Classes?

A: It has been cordial and I am virtually on a one-on-one with the Class chairmen. It has been a relationship of mutual respect. We talk and they have responded very well to our interactions because it is all for the benefit of the school and future generations

Q: In spite of the expenditure and effort of the GCUOBA and our friends to upgrade facilities at the school, academic performance has not been commensurate. Does this not bother you and what is being done to stem this negative trend?

A: Of course it does but you cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs. The greatest problem we had was that the entry standards into GCU were breached. If you have a school with all the facilities in place but meanwhile the students admitted do not have a commensurate ability, then you have a problem. That is something we have to work on and we are working on it. Secondly, if the good teachers can be transferred at a whim you also have a problem. If a school that is all male is left with 75 percent teaching staff that is female, you have a problem of discipline. This is not to say that female teachers are ineffective but in a boarding school such as GCU, female teachers cannot go to the hostel at night to supervise the students, they need. that male authority voice. So, with the poor enrollment, added to poor teacher quality and the disproportionately large number of female teachers, you are bound to have a problem of poor performance and indiscipline. However, we have tried to bridge that gap by putting up an Academic Improvement Initiative Committee to make suggestions and implement our interventions by way of extra classes for the final year students. Our problem is that we have not had cooperation from the PTA, because the students seem to be encouraged to register for their external exam in ‘miracle centres’ before the WAEC where they are guaranteed to pass, and so do not care to perform well in the school centre. However, because we have created a place fit for learning, a lot of parents want to send their children to the school. If our current initiatives on academic improvement succeed, then our efforts will not be in vain.

Q: What happened to the initiative to have entry year students tested before admission?

A : That is going on . Our representatives are there to monitor and ensure that the standards of the common entrance selection process are upheld but we do not have the power to decide on who is selected eventually. Nothing stops someone from sending names of people for enrollment even where they do not meet the cutoff mark. So what we do is just to moderate the excesses.

Q: The School Based Management Board was presented at the 2020 Founder’s Day reunion as a unique arrangement by the state government to involve the alumni in the management of the school. Has it taken off?

A: No, the Board has not been set up a n d I c a n ‘ t r e a l l y b l a m e t h e commissioner or the state government for the delay. This is because the Covid-19 pandemic took everyone by surprise and physical distancing meant that only so much could have been done. We have engaged government officials on this and others and hopefully when things go back to normal we can see some action there. However, there is an informal arrangement whereby the Home Desk Administrator, the AIIC Chairman and the Home Branch President meet with the school management from time to time.

Q: We read of the reintroduction of house inspection after the new principal assumed office. Is this one of the positives we are getting from the GCUOBA Worldwide effort in headhunting this new principal?

A: Yes. We set up a committee to get someone who will understand the efforts we are making and is ready to work with us to raise the standards and performance. We try to have a good relationship with him from the get go. But let us also give kudos to the Home Desk Administrator (Wilson Egbodje) and the Home Branch President (Prince Donatus Ejomarie). They have been very active and now we have the Saturday inspection where all students must be by their bunks.

Q: Are you confident that the new principal will deliver on the expectations for improved performance and discipline in the school.

A: Yes. Though he is not an old boy, we were encouraged by his track record in the schools that he has been principal, which is why the Committee that we set up to headhunt for a new principal picked him. And we are grateful that the State Government acceded to our request for him. Though it is early days, we can see the immediate impact of his coming

Q: People have said that because GCUOBA spends so much resources on the school, the state government has reduced the subvention to the school. Are you worried about this?

A: I have heard it said but, without concrete facts, it is in the realm of speculation. Except we see a report that supports this, for instance that similar schools are getting more money than GCU, I don’t see why that should bother us.

Q: What spurred you to the idea of introducing “The SHIP” as a graduating magazine for GCU, and to sponsor the first edition of the magazine?

A: My children attended some of the best schools in Nigeria and then went abroad to study. Those schools have their yearbooks and my children treasure them because there you have the details of all their classmates. We never had that in GCU, and, though it is a public school, I felt it would be good for graduating students to have a magazine that contains their names for reference purposes. We graduated from school and it was by some considerable effort and sheer luck that we can recall all our classmates. If we had such a book I’m sure it would have been much easier. Since we have now put the Class as a formal unit of GCUOBA, we want to start recording the names for all graduates and with that they can keep in touch and work together to build their class platforms after school. Also, it becomes a record for future NEC to authenticate old boys of the school. And I must say that the National Publicity Secretary, Obed Awowede, has been fantastic in producing these magazines both in soft and hard copies for widespread distribution across the world. I have the ideas but if I don’t have people to execute them they will be dead on arrival.

Q: How would you assess your first term as PGWW and your experience leading the OBA?

A: The Old Boys Association is a beautiful place to be because it is one where there is civility and mutual respect. By the natural order of things, people respect you for your Class and age, and your personal achievements and commitment to the OBA and the school, aside other things. So, it is a place where there is order and mutual respect. It has been encouraging and we have achieved the much we have because of the people in this Exco. They have all been wonderful and have worked to execute their various portfolios creditably, especially my 1st Vice President General (Akpomudje SAN), 4th Vice President General (Omatsola Vincent), Secretary General (Roy Odoko), National Financial Secretary (Dan Agbada), National Publicity Secretary (Obed Awowede), National Treasurer (Robert Oviri), C h a i r m a n o f t h e A c a d e m i c Improvement Initiative Committee (Dr Richard Obiuwevbi), National Dinner Committee Chairman (Alfred Okoigun), Co-branded ATM Card Chairman(Gordons Egbedi) and others.

Q: Covid-19 lockdown was a period of challenge for younger and indigent old boys. Are you satisfied with the palliatives given by the branches?

A: I am aware that some branches and classes did a lot for their members and this is encouraging. What we did at the level of NEC was to encourage branches and Classes to do the much they can to help out, and it was encouraging that there was some action here. We will have a more formal report at the NEC meeting, especially in view of the fact that the disease and its impact are still very much with us.

Q: How has the 2018 constitution amendment affected the running of the Association? Are there areas that need improvement?

A: The constitution is just two years old and it builds on the foundation of the earlier one. The only thing that we strengthened is the opening of bank accounts by branches, which require NEC to be in the know because of the experience where somebody opened a bank account in the name of GCUOBA and was using it to collect money for himself. If that account is used for a criminal enterprise we would be held responsible because GCUOBA Worldwide is the only legal entity, branches have no legal standing; they cannot sue or be sued. So we needed to check that lapse. A lot of informal things were formalized such as the dates of our reunions, the qualifications for Ancient Mariner and others. But we are thinking now that perhaps we need to lower the requirement for the office of PGWW so that it is not limited to Ancient Mariners alone because we need to get younger people involved. For instance, we can put it at a minimum of an old boy who entered the school 50 years ago, because they are more economically comfortable and agile for the task, among others. But this is just an idea for now.

Q: The job of PGWW carries a lot of responsibilities, how have you been able to cope?

A: If you are not working full-time or part-time you will not the resources in personnel to do the job because it requires that you use your facilities to execute administrative and other matters on a fairly regular basis. So if you don’t have an office that is staffed it means you may not have the administrative infrastructure to do the job smoothly. It is not necessarily a job for retirees, it depends on how you organise your time and you must create time for various items on the calendar of old boys activities. But what is the PGWW work actually? There are four NEC meetings a year, two reunions, GCU Relays, National Dinner, and various other Branch, Class and social events of Old Boys to which you are invited and you find time to attend. But it is not a particularly overwhelming office, anyone should be able to cope. Don’t forget that I really did not plan to be PGWW. I was elected in absentia as 1st vice president general and from there succeeded Prof Omatete.

Q: As a past president of the Nigeria Institute of Architects (NIA) and Africa Union of Architects (AUA) and now President General of GCUOBA Worldwide, which is easier to run?

A: The OBA of course, it’s a piece of cake. As president of NIA, it is a daily assignment with a broad responsibility. GCUOBA NEC has four formal meetings a year; that is like a holiday compared to NIA where there are E x e c u t i v e C o u n c i l m e e t i n g s , Accreditation meetings and meetings over a wide variety of areas that deal not just with the survival of the Association but with the collective professional integrity of the Institution as the umbrella body of professionals. You are running an Institution that concerns the livelihood of thousands of people who are professionals. You have meetings over the country, Africa and the world. And to be president, you have to be a member of council for 21 years. I was Secretary General of the Association for six years, 1981-1987. To be Secretary General of the NIA, you will prepare about 10-40 letters every day. I had an office at the Secretariat where I reported daily while running my own professional firm. You then have to be in the presidency for six years before you become President. After serving as Secretary General I became 3rd Vice President for two years, 2nd Vice President for two years, 1st Vice President for another two years, before I became President, 14 years in all. So you would have gone through the mill and be immersed in the demands of the office. I was also Secretary of the Education Board from 1974 to 1981, which made me a council member. In 1983 I became registrar of Architects Registration Council of Nigeria, ARCON. So I was combining my work at NIA with that of ARCON and my practice. In 1989 I was elected Secretary General of the African Union of Architects and served for six years. When I had served my presidency of NIA in 1995, I was elected president of African Union of Architects, the first Nigerian to hold that position; and my record of achievements in those institutions are indelible. So, it is the combination of all these experiences that make it laughable when I hear that somebody said that I will fail as PGWW of GCUOBA Worldwide. It is simply nonsensical.

Q: There is also a financial burden to the PGWW job, which demands the regular intervention of the PGWW without recourse to the association’s purse. For instance, in your case you have single-handedly sponsored the production of the last two editions of The Mariner and the maiden edition of The SHIP, in addition to financing renovation work at the school and other administrative demands. That must be a huge burden?

A: That means you need to have the financial wherewithal, but then money by itself will not do the work. You also need people to work with and everyone chips in his bit, which is why you are successful if you are lucky to have an Exco that is up and doing, which is what has been working for me too.

Q: The transition from your predecessor to you was seamless and flawless. What was responsible for that?

A: First of all, that was due in part to my predecessor, Prof. Ogbemi Omatete, who is a genial academic. I liked him as a person and took him as my elder brother. We had a very smooth working relationship. Most of the time, he wasn’t in the country, which meant that I was acting as PGWW on ground. I was always reporting to him and he found that I was a trusting and loyal person and our bond was strong. So, on a lighter note I have been acting as PGWW for more than two years! (laughs). I have the same relationship with Albert Akpomudje SAN and I hope that when my tour of duty is done, he will succeed me as PGWW. The way I was groomed, I am grooming him and I hope that someone like Alfred Okoigun can come into the system. It is not in the culture of GCU and GCUOBA that people fight over offices and seek to pull down the whole house. We have a tradition of humility and due process, which have been the hallmark of succession at NEC. The GCUOBA Worldwide family has a tradition that has been there since its founding and which has been passed on through the years and it is that tradition that I follow and which I will also pass on.

Q: How would you assess your first term? Were you able to achieve your goals?

A: To a large extent, yes. The most important goal for me was to improve the financial position of the GCUOBA Worldwide. Secondly, I wanted to put in place certain activities that will not only bring in money but raise the profile of the Association and the school, which is why we set up GCU Relays. But for this Covid-19, we had hit to a level where corporate organisations were committing to sponsor it for three, four, years. Thirdly, I was very particular about the environment and basic supplies such as water and electricity. Infrastructure in the Houses is in a mess. So, what I did was to encourage the formation of House groups so that old boys can be proud of their Houses and intervene at that level. It was the psychology behind my regular remarks about how proud I am of my House, Warri House, to ginger old boys to work on their houses and improve them. It has also grown huge commitment from old boys to their Houses. I also moved the engagement of Classes to sponsor the APT and Founder’s Day reunions when we were reviewing the constitution. So, I had planned to see how we can increase our revenue streams and engage old boys in more activities at the school. I also pushed for the f o r m a t i o n o f t h e A c a d e m i c Improvement Initiative Committee at the NEC meeting preceding my election as PGWW and we have sharpened our engagement to include teacher recruitment in a bid to improve teaching and academic performance. After my election I had a town hall meeting on the academic issues that brought the school management, teachers, parents, students and old boys to a roundtable. Beyond that, I brought in some old boys that have the energy to assist into the expanded NEC, people like Dr. Richard Obiuwevbi, Alfred Okoigun and Gordons Egbedi, among others. And this has paid off handsomely.

Q: Do you see the house groups becoming the hub of intervention in renovating the Houses?

Yes I see the house groups becoming the fulcrum of the intervention in the Houses and in this next term I will engage them fully and regularly on their plans, so we can scale up the rehabilitation and improvement of the House infrastructures.

Q: What is your reaction to members of the association using the GCU logo for commercial purposes without the approval of NEC?

It is illegal and unbecoming of anyone is an old boy of GCU to do something like that. We are studying it. We will look into those infractions and those who are found to contravene them will be sanctioned.

Q: What are your plans to improve sports in the school?

We believe in the motto ‘Mens sana incorpore sano’, which means ‘A sound mind in a sound body’. This is why we established GCU Relays to encourage inter-schools sports and motivate our youngsters. We are also actively involved in organizing the inter-house sports competition. There will be continuous improvement in sporting facilities as has been the case over the last few years.

Q: What plans do you have over the next two years, especially as regards mentoring and helping young mariners coming out of school?

We will continue with the drive to improve infrastructure and academics at the school. We also want to improve on the career guidance in the school in the first place to guide the students to make the rights career choices. We have to also look at members’ development as much as we look at what we can do for the school, so we will roll out a mentoring programme for young mariners. We should be able to bring in programmes on entrepreneurship for those fresh from school, at least one program a year, to help them with skills, business mentoring and networking. We hope these plans will come alive very quickly in the new year