“Every institution is the lengthened shadow of one man.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803-1882.
The philosopher known as “the sage of Concord”, made no attempt to distinguish between good and bad institutions – those that serve the nation well and advance social progress; and those which lead to destruction. Most people alive in any era seldom take notice of the institutions that shape their lives and the destiny of their nations. Those of us born before 1950 were subjects of the British Empire. An English man had pronounced, in the previous century that the sun of the Empire will never set; that Britain will rule the world for ever. The sun of the Empire started setting in 1948 when India became independent in Asia. African nations followed in 1956 to the 1960s. By an irony of history, an Indian recently became Prime Minister of Britain; and our own Kemi Badenoch might also rule England one day – whether we like it or not.
The great institution which was largely responsible for the creation of the Nigerian nation in 1914, for better or for worse, depending on how one views colonialism, has also left a few institutions which have produced some of the Builders of Modern Nigeria. It is often amusing to me when those who have never been in government or leadership positions assert, as if it is true, that Nigeria has not developed. In reality, Nigeria has developed along various lines. It might not have gone as far as we would wish or move in the direction desired, or as rapidly as Malaysia; but the nation has developed. Two examples – transportation and education — would be sufficient to help dispel our common sense of despair; and they relate to that great institution – Government College, Ughelli, which is 80 years old this year. I am a living witness to the progress we have made in transportation and education. And, I am not the only one. There are at least a million old people who can testify to the transformation of our lives under various governments – Federal and States.
In 1959, starting the second year at Igbobi College, Yaba, I had suffered two severe personal losses. The first was in December 1958, when my father died. This was followed in February 1959, by the death of my grandmother – who brought me up while Dad and Mum went to work. One of my uncles on the mother side – Uncle Agbe-Davies – then living and working in Sapele, came to Lagos on business. He came to our house. We were on Easter break. He saw I was depressed; and he offered a solution. “Come and spend time with me in Sapele; you will enjoy it.” There is nothing like adventure to pick up a young boy’s spirits from depression. I went. It turned out that Uncle was a food vendor for GCU; and he had supplies to make there. More adventure!! I invited myself to Sapele in 1961; just to have the opportunity to visit GCU again. To be candid, I felt like staying. But, my mother was alone.
However, that is only a part of the narrative. The trips, on each occasion took two days over the most dangerous roads and narrowest bridges human minds could conceive of. Survivors of accidents would be left by the road sides for hours before help would arrive. Granted, there were few vehicles, compared to now, and they were not as big, still travelling was a harrowing experience. In 2005, I travelled by road to Warri, with a brief stop-over at Sapele; left Lagos at 5 in the morning; finished my assignment and returned to Lagos by 10 in the evening. If that is not progress, then what is?
The matter has not ended there. In a few days’ time, it will be my greatest pleasure to join the Great Mariners, as GCUOBs are called, to celebrate the 80 years anniversary of the only school I wish to have attended apart from Igbobi College. Instead of two days on the road as in 1961, or seven hours speeding like the demon in 2005, a fifty minutes flight will take me to Warri from Lagos and two hours slow drive to Ughelli. Again I ask: who says there is no progress?
Delta State is the only state apart from Lagos which has two commercial airports – Asaba and Osubi. Irrespective of which one you point to, you will find the indelible footprints of a GCUOB either in the conceptualisation or the design of various parts or tidying up the legal framework of the airport. They have made travelling from Lagos and Abuja very easy; especially for those in the petroleum sector – whose importance and continuing relevance cannot be over-emphasised.
Excellence in primary and particularly, secondary education, as symbolised by GCU in the past, spawned several imitations in private schools in Delta State. Permit me not to mention names; because this is not a promotion effort for particular secondary schools. However, in over eight years as Marketing Manager for VANGUARD, until 2008, I had the opportunity to travel to Warri and Asaba at least four times a year. The two stations accounted for close to 40 per cent of our circulation revenue. It was a period of rapid expansion of quality private secondary education in the State – two or three borrowing from the old GCU template – with appropriate modifications. Obviously, it would again be untrue to ignore the positive changes which have occurred; many of them brought about by Old Mariners.
WHY WE MUST CELEBRATE GCU AT 80
“By their fruits you shall know them.”
I read a recent report; which stated that Harvard University, USA, has the most influence among all the universities in the world, far in excess of the number of its graduates based on their contributions to society and positions of influence held by its graduates. That is why it is still being celebrated despite recent challenges to its leadership in university education.
Government College Ughelli has also contributed more towards the development of Nigeria, in various fields of endeavour, far in excess of its numbers. This column would certainly not have been possible without the founding of a newspaper by one of its old boys. In 1949, a fourteen years old boy was admitted along with 22 others. His name was number 5 on the list which included: AGBI J.I; AKINYANJU, O.O.B; AKPE, S; AMABARA, G.E; BRIGGS, P.I.T; FOMBO, B.W; IHEME, O; JOE, A.E; LABINJO, E.A; MOLOKWU, E.C; MOLOKWU, L.D; MUKORO, I..O; NWANKENTA, J. N; ODIONU, E.O; OKI, J. K; OKORIE, I. I; OLANIYAN, A. B; OSEMOBOR, J; UMUKORO, G.E.E; UZORKA, B. O; WILBERT, G.G; WILLIAMS, E.O.
Number 5 on the list was AMUKA S. O. For the sake of those who might not know, Samson O Amuka has metamorphosed from Sad Sam to our Uncle Sam – who has made this article possible. His 1949 set alone produced at least two eminent Nigerians in their fields of endeavour. Their footprints on the sands of our era will never be eradicated. We shall see to that.
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However, nobody should go away with the impression that this is written to celebrate only the GCU Class of 1949. I went sailing; and caught a treasure trove. At UniJankara, the name of our modest Consultancy, we now have in our possession the names of all GCUOBs from 1945 to 2005. We are diligently working on them in order to be able to present to Fellow Nigerians the names of a dozen or more jaw-dropping achievers the school has produced in every field from Architecture to Army, Fashion to Medicine, Banking, Law etc…The journey has just started in the effort to praise the great and famous men nurtured by GCU.
We are mining the long list in order to produce “the gold and other rare metals” who have enriched Nigerian society with their contributions to our country’s development despite its many faults which call for correction; hoping to inspire the current and future generations of Mariners to “go and do likewise”.
Late US President John Kennedy, 1917-1963, once tasked Americans by saying “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” Several great Mariners, who might not even have heard that statement have followed that counsel and Nigeria is better for it.
That is a good reason for celebration.
TOUGH YEAR AHEAD: REMEMBER THESE WORDS
Life is a gift; accept it
Life is an adventure; dare it.
Life is a sorrow; overcome it
Life is a tragedy; face it
Life is a struggle; fight it
Gita, 4th century AD, Indian philosopher. (abridged).
The Presidential Media chat did everything except induce hope that for most Nigerians 2025 will be better than 2024. All we have to call our own is God’s gift of life to assist in confronting the adventures, sorrows, tragedies and struggles which life in Nigeria has become. God will help us.
Welcome to 2025.
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