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Abdulganiyu Abdul-Razaq, founder of Ilorin College, now Government High School, Ilorin, and Old Students of the school have called for a total overhaul of the Nigerian education sector if the aim of education in the country must be realised.
The observation was made at a reception hosted in honour of old and current students by the family of the founder, who was also the first principal of the school, to mark the 50th anniversary of the school. The event also coincided with the 50th anniversary celebration of the creation of Kwara State.
Delivering his address through his eldest son, Alimi Abdul-Razaq, the founder identified policy inconsistency and lack of political will on the part of governments in Nigeria as major problems facing the education sector. The founder said for Nigeria to have quality education, policies must match vision of development for the society.
He implored the old students not to relent in contributing to their Alma mater, “Let me admonish you to continue to give back to your alma mater. And because government alone cannot shoulder the burden of education in our contemporary times, I wish to appeal to all old students of this institution to develop a more positive disposition towards contributing to the development of the school.
“Fifty years in the life of an institution such as ours is certainly an occasion for joy and celebration. You came in as boys and girls, you saw, and you conquered. I am proud of the great feats and accomplishments of some of you, in your respective careers and callings. As a father and proprietor, this is a source of joy to me.”
Raji Afolagbe, national resident of the ICI/GHS Old Students Association, a former commissioner for Education and Human Capital in Kwara State, said the school had contributed greatly to the educational advancement of Kwara, North Central and Ilorin in particular.
Afolagbe also said that the founder, Abdul-Razaq, through his generosity and community service provided great opportunity for many people in the state to have access to quality post-primary education which was not easy to come by then with the establishment of the College in 1967.
“The dream of the founding father was to have a seed and a seed that is in quantum that are of quality. His dream was to have a school that will blossom and will go places. And today that dream has come to pass.
“He’s a man of big vision. He was our role model. He was someone we looked up to. He had lot of students that he was paying their school fees despite the fact that he established the school. In fact, let me tell you what he did; he approached some of his friends to give out scholarships. He even had some companies he approached for scholarship. All you just see is that Baba has gotten a scholarship for you and you don’t know how,” he said.
The National President also said the greatest achievement of the school was the quality of the old students who have gone ahead to contribute to the socio-economic development of Nigeria and wherever they sojourn on earth, adding that many of the old students flew in from Europe and America to be part of the golden jubilee.
In his own remarks, the first registered student of the school on nominal list who was also the first Senior Prefect and a retired assistant comptroller-general of Customs, Mumini Abdulmalik disclosed that the founder of the school inspired him and generation of students to success.
“He taught us hard work, integrity and honesty and these are all hallmarks of his own professional and public service career. Ilorin College now GHS prepared us well for life,” he said.
Saka Isau, also an old student and former attorney-general of Kwara State and former secretary to the State Government, disclosed that the foresight the founder had was unparalleled.
“At the time the whole area of North Central that was the first secondary school. He gave some of us poor people the opportunity to attend secondary school and today, you can see us. I was Attorney General and former Secretary to the Government of Kwara State. He is my role model. I decided to study law because of him,” he said.
KELECHI EWUZIE
