GCUOBA President General Worldwide (PGWW) Speech at The Award Prizes And Testimonials Reunion

A WELCOME ADDRESS BY:

OLOROGUN ALBERT AKPOMUDJE, SAN, FCIARB, PRESIDENT GENERAL WORLDWIDE (PGWW) OF GOVERNMENT COLLEGE UGHELLI OLD BOYS ASSOCIATION AT THE AWARD PRIZES AND TESTIMONIALS REUNION HELD ON THE 5^TH OF JULY 2024 AT GOVERNMENT COLLEGE UGHELLI, DELTA STATE.

It is my pleasure to formally welcome you all to the 2024 Awards, Prizes and Testimonials reunion of Government College Old Boys Association (GCUOBA) Worldwide. The event is a statutory event and ceremony prescribed in the constitution of our Old Boys Association. As you may have known the main reunion and AGM is the Founder’s Day Reunion, which is held January of every year. The event of today, the APT, is held to mark the graduation of the final year students of this school and induct them into the Old Boys Association, Award prizes to deserving students in academics and sports in the current academic year and celebrate our Old Boys and members of our Association GCUOBA who gained admission to the school 40 years ago.

This year, it is the turn of the entry class of 1983 to celebrate its 40^th Anniversary. For most of you who were small boys when you entered the school in 1983, with the passage of time, no doubt you have changed in several ways. You are fast becoming old men with families and the daily grind of life must have taken some of you far and wide across the world. That notwithstanding, it is good that you have remained in touch with one another and you have put up a good showing at your anniversary and this APT event. I must commend you for your dedication and comradeship. These are qualities we cherish at GCUOBA Worldwide and which has made possible the interventions we have been making in our Old School.

You would notice, if you are coming for the first time since leaving the school that so much has happened in the intervening years. It may interest you to know that the Old Boys Association is now more involved than it has ever been in the provision of facilities in the school. From infrastructure to operations, we are involved in virtually everything, not by choice but out of necessity, to ensure that we maintain some semblance of normalcy in this great school which was the crucible that molded all of us and many great names before us and many more to come after us.

The intense intervention by the Old Boys Association as stated before is a child of necessity due to paucity of funds on the part of Government who ought to be responsible for the maintenance of the facilities within the school including ensuring a very high standard in academic performance and sports by the students of the school.

Our intervention is one which we have taken out of a sense of corporate social responsibility, having recognized that no government can adequately provide for the needs of public schools today the way it was in the good old days.

The event we are having along with the graduation ceremony for students is one that is common with privately run schools but not very common among public schools. It is doubtful if there are public schools in Nigeria today organizing this graduation ceremony but we chose to do this because of a desire for the students to experience some of the best practices we had in the early years of GCU and to move their experiences with the times. As you can imagine, it is a huge financial and physical burden on the Old Boys who are funding the ceremony 100%.

Our hope however, is that this event will inject a sort of pride and determination for our students to work harder.

I must admonish the students that the sacrifices being made by the Old Boys should not be taken for granted, rather they owe the Association a duty to work hard and come out with excellent results for which the school was known and ensure a high standard of discipline throughout their stay in the College.

We are happy to note that the Delta State Government has graciously accepted our hand of friendship and partnership without which these innovations that we have introduced will be difficult to organize. We hope that this partnership will be further strengthened to build an institution that the State and the people can be proud of for the benefit of the State, the people and humanity.

On behalf of the National Executive Council, I extend our felicitations to members of the Class of 1983 as you celebrate your 40^th Anniversary Reunion. I want to enjoin you to extend the hand of fellowship beyond your classmates to other Old Boys, to your Branches and the GCUOBA Worldwide family. GCUOBA is in need of vibrant Old Boys like yourselves to take interest in the association and take up positions of responsibilities at branches and National Level. The torch will be passed on and you must not be left behind.

One thing I must let you know is that the Association has benefited a lot in the recognition given to Class sets which is now the main source of fund for the Association like the endowment fund. Relationship with classmates at Class Forums is highly encouraged but you must not forget that you have to belong to a branch for you to hold any executive position in your class assemblies as provided for in the GCUOBA extant constitution.

Finally the Class Forum presents an opportunity for assistance where necessary to those who may not be as comfortable in life like some of you who may have taken the burden of hosting this event. You must carry others less opportuned and privileged along with you always and God Almighty will bless you abundantly.

To the young Mariners of the entry class of 2018, congratulations on your graduation from this Institution. You are going into a new phase of life where you will be called upon to be more responsible without the controls that you had here. It is not freedom to go overboard. It is a time for sober reflection and to learn, if you have not, what it means to be independent and mature. You can take inspiration from your very senior mariners of the 1983 Class who passed out 36 years ago and see that the world is really not bad a place when you follow the right precepts. I therefore enjoin you to appreciate the heritage you share with your seniors in the association and remember that your alma mater, GCU, and GCUOBA will call on you whenever the need arises as proud alumni. You are now the ambassadors of this great college from now on. You must never do anything to bring down the name of the school as Old Boys, as you will all be inducted today into the Old Boys Association.

To the students and proud parents of those that have won prizes, I say big congratulations to you. This should be an encouraging factor to work harder to the pride of your parents.

For those not fortunate to win prices, take this as a challenge to work harder so that by the next APT, you will be one of those to be honoured and celebrated.

I cannot end the address without mention of the big event ahead of us which is the 80^th Anniversary of the founding of this College which will take place in January, 2025.

For the information of all, we are putting everything in place to celebrate this once-in-a-lifetime event. You will all be notified soon of the program as we look forward to your presence in a one-week long celebration in this College come January, 2025.

I cannot forget to appreciate the Principal, the academic and non academic staff of this school, without whom we will not be here today.

To everyone here, I say a big thank you for coming. Your sacrifice to be here is very well appreciated by the Old Boys and I wish you all journey mercies to your various destinations.

God bless you all.

Olorogun Albert Akpomudje, SAN, FCIArb

(President General, Government College Ughelli Old Boys Association Worldwide – PGWW)