Like so many areas of our national life in Nigeria, education, particularly public sector education, especially the post primary level, has been buffeted by severe negative winds resulting in very poor output. The desire by parents for strong educational foundation for their children has led to the upsurge in the number of private schools at all levels across the country.
It was not always like this however. In the 50s, 60s and even into the early 70s, Nigeria could still boast of a high performing educational sector, particularly if one was thinking of the secondary education level.
One such high performing institution was Fiditi Grammar School. Founded in 1954, as a result of the zeal of the leading citizens of the small fruit town of Fiditi for the establishment of a qualitative secondary school in the town, it did not take long for the school to establish itself as a top tier secondary school.
The early Principals and teachers were committed and focused on producing well rounded students in academics, sports and morals. Notable among these were an indigene of Fiditi and first Principal Chief Adebiyi Omowonuola Adeyi and Chief Alex Olu Ajayi from Ekiti State. He took over from Chief Adeyi who joined the government of western Nigeria under the leadership of Chief Obafemi Awolowo. The other prominent and long serving teacher and Principal was another indigene of Fiditi, Chief Deacon Solomon Ipadeola Ojelabi. These men, along with those who worked with them, created a high class academic and aesthetically pleasing environment.
As an example, Chief Alex Ajayi invited his friend, the budding and later globally recognized and famous poet Mr. Christopher Okigbo to teach in the school. Okigbo would go on to become the Vice Principal and sports master in the school. In those early days, Chief Ajayi would at various times invite academic members from the departments of Classics, Chemistry, Biology of the University College Ibadan to give lectures to students at Fiditi Chief Ajayi remarked in some of his writings that this constant flow of intellectuals through Fiditi provided a most desirable and profitable interaction for the students and staff of Fiditi Grammar School. These were the beginnings of what would lead to teachers coming to the school courtesy of the Canadian Universities Services Overseas (CUSO) and the Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO of the UK). These teachers gave a proper grounding and educational foundation to the students. The results of these were to show in the educational attainment of the students and their after school vocational careers.
Creating an aesthetically beautiful and pleasing environment is an important part of ensuring that students were able to effectively engage and profit from the learning environment. Here is how an expatriate driving on the Ibadan-Oyo trunk A road passing in front of the school described it. She saw it as the most beautiful scene or spot in the south west of Nigeria… the green field is well maintained and distanced from traffic noise to allow students concentrate on their studies. This was the environment created at Fiditi Grammar School which had students from Lagos, Ibadan, Ogbomosho,Igbeti, Iree, Abeokuta, Benin, Sabongida Ora, Oyo, Benin Republic, Jobele, Awe, Warri, Ijebu Ode, Port Harcourt, Yenagoa, Enugu, Kaduna, Kano and Fiditi itself. Students from these far flung locations learned to live together, socialize, assimilate one another’s cultural norms and background, we even spoke languages other than our own.
How did this school located in the small food and fruit belt of south western Nigeria, 24 miles away from the city of Ibadan and 9 miles from Oyo town gain the attention of parents and would be students from all these disparate and far flung cities mentioned above?
The duo of Alex Ajayi and Chris Okigbo determined to utilize sports as a magnet to attract students to Fiditi. So Chief Ajayi invited Teslimi “Thunder” Balogun to the school as a soccer coach. There were already soccer high fliers in the school. Among them were the Odegbami brothers who as a result of their soccer prowess were fondly called ‘Key to Soccer’ These were the older siblings of Segun Odegbami fondly called ‘Mathematical Odegbami by Radio Nigeria’s late football commentator Ernest Okonkwo.
The Fiditi Grammar School team carried out exploits in western Nigeria defeating all the schools in the area on the soccer pitch, including the 1959 winners of the Thermogene Cup, the Ahmaddiya College Agege. The Thermogene Cup was an all Nigeria Cup competition for full fledged grammar schools, which Fiditi was yet to be at the time. The same team beat the University College Ibadan first eleven by 12 goals to nil.
It was the same with athletics. The school boasted of stars in both the sprints and long distance races. Abiodun Okusanya aka Abbey Lincoln was a champion long distance runner. He represented Fiditi Grammar School in racing events across Western Nigeria and beyond. He was always a winner.
In the sprints, we had Latunbosun Popoola aka “Sahara” whose fluid movements aided by his stride frequency and stride length was a wonder to behold as he tore through the 100 and 200 meter races like a gazelle or a cheetah, bringing glory and fame to Fiditi. He was reported to have made, in 1962, the hundred meters dash in 10.9 seconds.
In 1965, Fiditi Grammar School had a relay quartet of Mufutau Ojikutu, Oladele Runsewe, Gboyega Jokotoye and Edward Oritsejafor. These four guys put the fear of the Lord in the hearts of short distance or relay race runners not only in the Ibadan-Oyo axis, but also throughout the western region.
These glorious accomplishments in the field of sports put the school in the hearts and minds of many parents and their children in the late 50s and 60s.
The founders and early administrators of the school had the desire to train students who would ultimately attain the commanding heights of various sectors of life in NIgeria. From the first set of 19 students presented for the West African School Certificate examination who all passed, Fiditi Grammar School had consistently recorded over 90% success rate at the WAEC exams.
As to the attainment of leading positions in both public and private sector service, a short review of some of those who passed through the school and where they have been and where some are today will reveal that the objective had indeed be achieved.
There is the eminent Senator Dr. Bode Olajumoke who entered the school in 1957. He ultimately achieved a PhD in Law from the Edinburgh University. A frontline politician, he led the Imeri Unity Group which tried to resolve the lingering crisis and division within the Yorubas of Western Nigeria. He ultimately ran for the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 1998 under the banner of the then APP. A major contributor to many charitable causes across Nigeria, Senator Olajumoke was for 20 years the National President of the Fiditi Grammar School old students’ association (FIGSOSA)
There is Dr. Olatunde Oloko who was among the very first set of students admitted into the school in 1954. After a stellar academic career, the foundation of which was solidly laid at Fiditi, Dr Oloko went on to become a first class veterinary doctor with professional affiliation across many countries. Dr. Oloko is currently the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of FIGSOSA.
A former President of FIGSOSA who held office for about a decade is Engineer Lateef Busari. A top notch electronics and electrical engineer, Mr. Busari rose to become the General Manager of the Television Service of Oyo State.
The current President of the old students’ association is Prof. Adesola Ogunniyi who turned 70 recently. He entered Fiditi Grammar School in 1966. He is today a world acclaimed professor of Neurology and a consultant Neurologist. He recently retired from the services of the UCH, Ibadan.
Prince ‘Lola Omojowolo, a retired public servant of the highest cadre entered Fiditi Grammar School in 1957. He became a graduate teacher in the School, joined the western Nigeria civil service, rising up to the position of a senior permanent secretary, topping his career with his appointment as a Commissioner in the Federal Civil Service Commission.
The 70th anniversary lecturer Professor Adekunle Akinyemi is the Chairman of Council of the Ibadan Polytechnic and an alumnus of Fiditi.
Professor Adejare Agboola, is a professor of Applied Botany at the university of agriculture Abeokuta, Prof. Olufemi Durosaro is of the University of Ilorin, while Professor Samson Omotosho teaches at the University of Phoenix, Arizona, USA. All three entered Fiditi in 1965, the same year as I did.
In 1971, Bridget Omotunde Sokan now Prof. Bridget Sokan entered Fiditi, passing out in flying colours in 1975. She went on to higher studies ultimately earning a doctorate in Guidance and Counseling. She served in different capacities in the education sector before being appointed Education Commissioner in Ogun State.
Fiditi Grammar School has also contributed to the development of Nigerian military and police.
Major General Kola Ogunkoya (rtd) was a one time Director General of the NYSC, while Admiral Segun Egbedina (rtd) was a former Commander NNS Aradu, a flag ship of the Nigerian Navy.
AIG Lanre Bankole, only a few months ago retired from the Nigeria Police Force after being Ogun State Commissioner and then Assistant Inspector General of Police.
Fiditi Grammar School is very proud of these old students who continue to work assiduously for the progress of the school.
With the full realization of the impact of Covid 19, technological advancement in diverse areas plus their consequences, especially against the background of aggressive development of artificial intelligence, FIGSOSA, led by Senator Bose Olajumoke, have initiated a skills acquisition center adjacent to Fiditi Grammar School. The centre will train school leavers, even those without a formal education, in various trades such as information technology and allied trades, carpentry, fashion design, catering and culinary skills among others. This initiative is being undertaken in the belief that blue or white collar jobs are fast disappearing and only those who can create and sustain personal entrepreneurial initiatives will survive in the unfolding global economy.
This Centre, to be commissioned by the Oyo State Governor Engr. Seyi Makinde, will be the highlight of the 70th anniversary of the founding of Fiditi Grammar School.
*Sola Omole, former NTA Director-General, is Chairman-Publicity & Publications Committee of the 70th anniversary
By Olusegun Adeniyi
Old students’ associations can be a bridge between the past and future. In several countries, academic institutions owe their survival and development to the vibrancy of these alumni bodies. But though they engender a spirit of unity necessary to surmounting difficult challenges facing our country today, we are yet to sufficiently tap into this critical opportunity. Or at least so I thought. Until January last year when I received a call from former Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Director General, Mr Sola Omole. He made what I considered a rather unusual request on behalf of Fiditi Grammar School Old Students Association (FIGSOSA) of which he is a member. To mark its 70th anniversary this February (then 13 months away), FIGSOSA wanted a commitment from me that I would write a column about the standards of education in Nigeria over the past 50 years.
Five months later, 22 May 2023 to be specific, I received a letter jointly signed by FIGSOSA national president, Professor Adesola Ogunniyi, chairman of the anniversary’s organising committee, Mr Oladapo Lagunju and Omole who chairs the publicity committee. After highlighting the theme for the 70th anniversary, ‘Sustainable Youth Development—Roles for Old Students Associations’, they formally made their request. “Our desire is that using the celebration and our theme as background, you review our education standards and perhaps proffer ways of improvement,” their letter stated. “We want this to be our contribution to the all-important debate about the place of education in Nigeria. We request that this suggested piece appear in your backpage VERDICT column on any day between the 12th and 16th of February 2024.”
I thank the leadership of FIGSOSA for their concern about education in Nigeria. I feel very humbled that they consider my intervention on the issue of any consequence. Honestly, I have found it difficult to process the amusing request. Whoever came up with the idea obviously has more faith in this column than I do. But for whatever it is worth, considering the reminder I got last week, I intend to keep my promise. First, let me say a few words about Fiditi Grammar School in Oyo State.
Founded in 1954, the late Mr Christopher Okigbo (who would become a globally renowned poet) was a teacher and later vice principal and sports master at the school. The duo of Okigbo and then principal, Chief Alex Ajayi, according to Omole, recruited Teslim ‘Thunder’ Balogun as coach for the football team that won many laurels. Other prominent products of Fiditi Grammar School include Dr. Bode Olajumoke, a prominent lawyer, businessman and former Senator who was for 20 years FIGSOSA National President, Professor Adejare Agboola of Applied Botany Department at the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Professor Olufemi Durosaro of the University of Ilorin, and Professor Samson Omotosho of the University of Phoenix, Arizona, United States. Major General Kola Ogunkoya (rtd), a one-time NYSC Director General, Naval Admiral Segun Egbedina (rtd), who commanded NNS Aradu, AIG Lanre Bankole (rtd) as well as Professors Bridget Sokan, Adekunle Akinyemi and Ogunniyi, (current FIGSOSA president and consultant Neurologist), are products of the school. Of course, there are hundreds of other prominent ex-this, ex-that who have also passed through the school. Omole himself was for several years the General Manager, Public Affairs, Chevron Nigeria Limited, before returning to NTA as DG.
Now to the issue at hand. While FIGSOSA asks that I review education in Nigeria in the past five decades, I believe it would be more productive to share my thoughts on their 70th anniversary theme because it centres on the role that alumni associations can play in the development of education in our country. Indeed, the immense benefits of alumni networks have led to the establishment of global charity organisations including ‘Future First Global’, based on the findings of a research study that covered countries in Asia, East and West Africa, Latin America, North America, Europe and the Middle East.
The study, sponsored by the Open Society Foundations, reveals how former students can engage with their alma mater as role models, mentors, work experience providers and trusted advisers. Former students, according to Future First Global, UK, are an incredible and largely untapped resource that every school has. “We think there are over 500 million adults globally who would give back to their old schools if they were asked, and yet we estimate only 2% are currently doing so.” Not surprisingly, while only two percent of adults polled had engaged with or gone back to their former high (secondary) schools, 52 percent of those asked said they would be willing to do so. Therefore, we have a pool of resources that can be harnessed for the development of our education sector, especially in Nigeria. And I am delighted that FIGSOSA is leading the way.
From primary school which lays the foundation, to university which prepares students for an increasingly competitive job market, all levels of education are important. But perhaps the most important is High (secondary school) that stands in the middle. In an ideal scenario, this level of education covers a broader scope of subjects with just enough depth to prepare and equip an individual with the requisite knowledge for gainful occupation and economic self-sufficiency. But this critical sector, which provides the foundation for building productive and conscientious members of society, is seriously challenged in Nigeria. The fact that many of our university students are ill prepared for rigorous intellectual engagement and the graduates are unfit for the job market reflects the quality of the foundation they received in secondary schools.
This is a systemic problem. While most of us are products of public schools, we have long opted to send our children to private schools (and I also plead guilty here), without caring about those who cannot afford the huge costs. Of course, we all know what a succession of governments, at all levels, have done to public schools in Nigeria. Yet, the point we must underscore is that public schools have significant social missions they fulfill in every society. The most critical is that they guarantee equal opportunity for all children regardless of their parents’ social status. In the process, they help to unify a diverse country.
To secure the future, we must defend the integrity of our learning spaces. And beyond what government should do, meaningful interventions from alumni associations can make a world of difference. If anybody has a doubt about the crisis of education in Nigeria, the sight of fully suited-up young men and formally dressed young women (most of them graduates) distributing leaflets for housing estates should drive the point home. That some supposedly educated people believe they can build their life on, or find fulfilment in, distributing leaflets on major roads and street corners is telling. In recent years, my wife has been championing a free education scheme for indigent children in Abuja through her Not Forgotten Initiative (NFI) School. With that, I have seen the abysmal level to which our public schools have degenerated. And we cannot all just fold our hands.
Let me identify four areas in which our public secondary schools are deficient and where alumni associations can help to redress the situation. First is in the provision of adequate infrastructure and ensuring a safe and conducive learning environment. The second is in providing essential tools that include well equipped laboratories with required technical equipment, well stocked libraries, and access to computers. In many of our public schools today, students access basic tools through their imagination, which makes it difficult to comprehend most of the theories they are being taught.
It is noteworthy that to mark its 70th anniversary, according to Omole, Governor Seyi Makinde has been invited to open a skills acquisition center just completed for Fiditi Grammar School by FIGSOSA. “The centre will train school leavers, even those without a formal education, in various trades such as information technology and allied trades, carpentry, fashion design, catering and culinary skills among others,” Omole said of a project that should be emulated by other stakeholders in the alumni space if we must reposition the education sector in Nigeria. “This initiative is being undertaken in the belief that only those who can create and sustain personal entrepreneurial initiatives will survive in the unfolding global economy.”
However, as critical as conducive learning environment and infrastructure are, teachers are unarguably the most important element in formal education. Unfortunately, many of the teachers allowed into the system lack sufficient qualifications and the ones who possess these qualifications have not been cherished by the government. Tied to this is the issue of remuneration which remains abysmally poor. Aspiring to be a teacher was once a prestigious calling but the majority who enter the profession today are those who have no other means of livelihood. We need to change that paradigm.
Finally, there must also be an increase in funding. Nigeria’s yearly budgetary allocation to education pales in comparison to many other African countries and falls short of UNESCO’s recommended standard of at least 26 percent. Meanwhile, even the meagre budgetary allocation is mostly spent on recurrent expenditures, leaving little money for infrastructure upgrades and capacity building. If we are serious, we can use alumni associations to revitalize education in Nigeria. But the intervention must be structured.
In November 2019, a former Chairperson of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), and then President of the Queen’s College Old Girls Association, Mrs Ifueko Omoigui Okauru posed a question at a townhall session on improving transparency and accountability in basic education in Nigeria. The question has not been answered: Can Nigerian authorities, as a pilot scheme, allow alumni associations to run some of our public schools for a specific period to see if it could help halt the decline of the educational sector in the country?
Omoigui-Okauru, who revealed that she met then education minister, Mallam Adamu Adamu to discuss wide-ranging issues on public school management in Nigeria said “the Queens College Old Girls Association has made a proposal to the federal government to take over the administration and management of the school for a pilot period of three years. The school can be permanently turned over to the association if government is satisfied with the management after the pilot period.”
I don’t know what happened to the proposal, but to revamp public schools in Nigeria, this is an idea worth considering. In a country where the government will continue to find it increasingly difficult to meet up with its responsibilities, we must encourage alumni associations to play a greater role. We need them to be more involved with the boards of school management and they can offer useful suggestions on the relevance of school curriculums to the demands of the professional workplace.
There will be a day to look at the private schools because they are also part of the problem. Last year, the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) alleged that many private school owners in the country employ quacks as teachers. Even though the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) rejected the allegation, it is a serious issue we also need to examine. Just as we need to look at the role that Parents Teachers Association (PTAs) can play and the state of teacher’s training institutes across the country.
Education remains the bedrock of national growth and development, and we all have a part to play by giving back to the institutions from where we studied. If we do nothing, the rot will continue and haunt us all in future. FIGSOSA is therefore reminding us that Alumni associations are critical stakeholders in the process of reforming the education sector. And to the extent that efforts to bring about sustainable change in the education system in Nigeria is a collective task, alumni associations must be allowed to play a critical role.
Once again, I wish FIGSOSA and all its members a happy 70th anniversary.
Goodnight, Herbert Wigwe
Having followed what turned out to be the most entertaining and unpredictable African Cup of Nations (AfCON) football tournament, with its twists and turns, I had a desire to watch the final live. I was therefore excited last Saturday afternoon when, in graciously granting my request, Vice President Kashim Shettima said I should be at the Abuja airport presidential wing by 1PM next day (Sunday) to join his delegation to Abidjan for the match. Unfortunately, a few hours later, news broke of the death in the United States of Herbert Wigwe along with his wife, son and others. I had to send a message to the vice president that regrettably, I would no longer travel because of the tragedy.
I considered the late Herbert a friend, but it is with his parents that I have a special relationship. When in June 2022 they marked their 60th wedding anniversary, I wrote about how, since 2001, Pastor Shyngle Wigwe, a former NTA Director General, had taken me almost like a son—and always called to pray for me and my family. I cannot begin to imagine what the Wigwes have been going through since Saturday. The overwhelming suffering and intense emotional pain that parents experience after such tragic bereavement, according to ‘Compassionate Friends’, a global NGO committed to supporting grieving families, “shatters core beliefs and assumptions about the world and the expectations about how life should unfold.” My thoughts and prayers are with the Wigwes at this most difficult period.
In her column, ‘Telling Chizoba’s Story’ yesterday, Ijeoma Nwogwugwu provided rare insights into the life and times of Mrs Wigwe who died alongside her husband in the helicopter crash. It is a moving and fitting tribute to a remarkable woman. Meanwhile, it was on a personal project, Wigwe University, that Herbert had lately invested considerable time, energy and resources. When we last spoke in December, he promised to take me to see the campus located in his ancestral Ikwerre land in Rivers State. That will no longer happen. I hope there are people who will help sustain that legacy.
For the WhatsApp philosophers who use the death of successful people to write and circulate drivel on the pretext that ‘life is fleeting’, ‘all is vanity’ etc., they must understand that Herbert has run his own race and is now with his maker. “Each man’s death diminishes me,” John Donne wrote in his immortal poem. “For I am involved in mankind. Therefore, send not to know for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee.” Herbert perfectly understood that nobody is guaranteed tomorrow. In a post on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle on 19th January, he left a fitting epitaph for the rest of us. “Today and always, let us remember that life is a precious gift – a chance to breathe, feel, love, experience and connect,” he wrote in a prescient manner common only to those who are spiritually alert. “Let’s honour this gift by living with purpose, kindness, and gratitude, making every moment count. Let us number our days.”
May God comfort his loving parents, remaining children, family members and his bosom friend cum business partner, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede.