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Fashola Urges Old Students Associations To Give Something Back To Their Alma Mater

Feb 7, 2009 - Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), at the weekend, called on old students’ associations in the country to endeavour to give back something to their Alma Maters in order that new generations of students in those schools would enjoy the kind of successes they had during their time.

Governor Fashola, who spoke at the Founder’s Day Celebration and N1 billion Fund-Raising Green and White Ball of his Alma Mater, Birch Freeman High School, organized by the Old Boys’ Association of the School, said it was an important issue that old students’ associations must begin to think seriously on how to give back to the school of their foundation things that would make the new generation of students attain the desired level of success.

The Governor who expressed dismay at his discovery during a visit to the school that his former classroom in the school had completely disappeared, queried, “Ladies and Gentlemen, what are we going to give back to our children? That is the most important question I will pose at this event”, adding: “Except for the few issues that stand in our way and which the leadership and management committee of this Old Boys’ Association must resolve, another issue we must resolve is how we are going to give back a school that will give our children the success that we had”.

He declared: “I think as we make that decision, I, as Governor of the State and an Old Boy will walk every distance to deliver that school to us”, pointing out that the feedback he got from the committee set up with some of his colleagues in the State Executive Council after his visit to the school, was that it was not cost effective to continue to expend money on the old site of the school.

Governor Fashola, who said the committee is headed by the Deputy Governor, Princess Adebisi Sosan, added that the decision facing the association and the school management was whether or not to relocate the school to another place, pointing out that there were many issues that discourage any development on the old site of the school. Such issues, according to the Governor, include the cost of reclaiming the land and the drainage issue as well as the issue that concerned the community.

The Governor paid tribute to the members of the association many of whom he said have made their mark in the development of the nation, adding: “I am truly honoured and delighted to stand before you, not as Governor of Lagos State, but as a symbol of what came out of a dream that started 49 years ago”.

“I don’t stand alone as a symbol of what our school has produced. There are many others”, he said, naming some others who have distinguished their names in many areas of human endeavour including Sports, Business and the Academia.

Governor Fashola, however, added: “In spite of all we have achieved, this Anniversary Dinner provides us an opportunity for retrospection, thinking as well as a challenge, because we are at a point where we must pass the torch”.

Earlier, in his welcome address, President of the Birch Freeman Old Boys’ Association (BIFOBA), Mr. Francis Van-Lare, recounted how on his visit to Nigeria from the United States of America in 2000, he visited the school, and to his shock, discovered it in a very dilapidated state.

He said after that visit, he made the commitment to fly to Nigeria every two months to attend the Old Boys’ Association’s meetings, which according to him, was the best vehicle to draw attention to the plight of the present students of the school, whom he said were then studying under very terrible conditions.

He paid tribute to the immediate past Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for extending the Millennium School to the school, adding that but for the faulty soil test carried out by the Chinese engineers and those hired by the association to conduct a second test on the soil, the school would not have had any problem.

The President, however, thanked God for providing another member as Governor of Lagos State, adding: “I want to use this opportunity to appeal to the Governor as one of our own to get us started to the promised land by at least telling us where the land is today”.

At the well-attended dinner, the Governor was given an Award for Excellence in Law, alone with four other Old boys, General Paul Toun who was given an award for his achievement in the Military, Mr. Francis Van-Lare, for commitment to BIFOBA, Mr. E. Adeniji for Engineering and Dr. O. A. Idowu for Medicine.