Lennon Memorial College, 50 years after
Schoolmates met, many for the first time in decades, as one of Ebiraland’s foremost secondary schools, Lennon Memorial College Ageva, clocked 50
After a long time of several old students passively talking about it and a few actively working towards it, the occasion finally came when lots of people who had lost touch for decades had the opportunity to reunite. The place was Ageva, Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State, where Lennon Memorial College, one of the foremost secondary schools in Ebiraland is located.
It was a time to relive memories and to view closely the school that was once the central thing in their lives. This was so for both old students and former staff, some of them meeting for the first time in as many as 40 to 45 years.
Lennon Memorial College was established as Igbira Anglican College 50 years ago by the Anglican Church, but students of all religions and ethnic nationalities got admitted into it to pursue their secondary education those years when secondary schools were few.
In a development that spoke volumes of the measure of success of the July 1 Grand Finale of the 50th anniversary, the pioneer principal of the college from when it was established in 1967 and located in the heart of Okene, Chief Michael Omotade as well as the principal during whose tenure the school moved to Ageva in 1978, Venerable Zacchaeus Bamigboje, were in attendance.
The first senior prefect of the college Henry Onimisi-Smith who later joined the civil service and rose to become a permanent secretary, was present. A retired director, Joseph Ipemida; a businessman, Abdullahi Ahmed; retired principals, Ven Adejumo Raphael and Rev Canon James Ohida also attended.
Among the rest who graced the LMC Golden Anniversary were Mr Stephen Salawu, a director with the National Orientation Agency (NOA), the Director of Special Duties and Media of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Abubakar Jimoh; Professor YKE Ibrahim of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria; Dr Musa Sadiq, also of ABU Zaria; Arch Umar Audu of the University of Jos; Dr Matthew Akpata, Rector of the Federal Polytechnic Idah; Engr Aliyu Ova, a former Commissioner of Works in Kwara State; Alhaji Muhammed Musa, the Principal of the Army Day Secondary School, Lokoja; Arch Aminu Sule of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN); Alhaji Hameed Momoh, also of FAAN; Mr Henry Olorunshola, the Abuja chapter PRO of the LMC Old Students Association, among others.
The school was opened as Igbira Anglican College on January 16, 1967 at the site in Okene now home to the Bishop Crowther College of Theology. It remained patched on the restrictive rocky environment till September 8, 1978 when the authorities moved it to the much more spacious site in Ageva. The movement took place 18 months after the Board of Governors of the school renamed it Lennon Memorial College in honour of Archdeacon Lackland Augustus Lennon, a missionary of the Anglican Church sent to propagate Christianity in Akoko (Ondo State) and Ebiraland in the 1920s. Lackland Augustus Lennon made his mark by encouraging Christianity, planting the first Anglican churches in parts of Ebiraland and propagating Western education by opening schools, including what was named St. Andrew’s Anglican Primary School Okene, the first school to be sited (in 1926) anywhere within the area now structured into four local government areas: Okene, Okehi, Adavi and Ajaokuta.
The Lennon Memorial College Golden Jubilee should have been held on January 16 or not too far from there following the college’s establishment on January 16 1967, except that a couple of things, particularly deaths of prominent people to do with it, occurred at different times shortly before and after the date.
The president of the Old Students Association of the college, Hon Akande Eyivada James, gave the indication in his address at the event, relating how for instance the death on March 5 of ex-managing director of Daily Times, Adinoyi Ojo Onukaba who was of the Class of 1977 of the college and who was to be the guest speaker, caused yet one more postponement until the organizing committee resolved that July 1 would be sacrosanct.
The route to July 1 was indeed strewn with losses. One man credited with much of the success of the regrouping of the old students and the event itself, Senator Pius Lasisi Jimoh, did not live to see the day. A Senate minority leader before his tenure was cut short by the 1983 military coup, Pius Jimoh died in a road crash three days to a trip he was to make to Abuja for the college.
Yet, the ceremony which finally took place that day at the college premises was adjudged a huge success, considering especially the old students and former staff who turned up.
The 50th Anniversary featured artistic displays which included choreography by students of the college clad in their Yellow & Green uniform, a fund raising, the commissioning of the six classrooms one of the old students donated, a presentation of awards, among other activities. The ceremony at the school premises was preceded by a thanksgiving service at the neighbouring St Paul’s Anglican Church, a formation of the Anglican community, the community still recognized as the proprietor of the college.
50 years had been tough for the Lennon Memorial College. The infrastructural neglect it has suffered much of the time is better viewed than described. Hardly had anything been added to the classes, offices, quarters, and hostels that the founding fathers put up when the Ageva site was developed those roughly 40 years ago. And the old structures were left to either stand or collapse. And they have mostly been at varying stages of collapsing.
Incumbent principal, Mr Asuku Michael, delivered a speech during the 50th anniversary. Stating the situation from when he took office in 2010 and largely to date, he said, “The classrooms, the multi-purpose laboratory, examination hall, the administrative block and staff quarters did not only leak during rainy season but have no window shutters nor doors. Lessons had to be suspended most of the time when there was rain. In addition to the above was insecurity. Hoodlums were our regular visitors. They were breaking into offices removing the few usable items at very short intervals. This was very possible because the school could not afford the services of capable security guards.”
The old students association president Eyivada punctuated the level of decay when he listed the following as needing urgent attention: Rehabilitation of 18 classrooms, hostels, principal and staff quarters, and multipurpose labouratory, completion of abandoned library complex, establishment of an ICT Centre, and fencing of the school compound.
Some old students have in recent years intervened to meet some needs, as indicated by both Mr Michael and Hon Eyivada. Eyivada who was Michael’s immediate predecessor as principal, named Prof YKE Ibrahim of the ABU who donated three sets of computer, Arch Aminu Sule who donated WC (water closets), Justice Josiah Majebi who rehabilitated the staff common room and Hon Aliyu Ova who gave money to set up the college mini-computer laboratory.
Eyivada also mentioned Rt Hon Momohjimoh Lawal, speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly till July last year, who provided chairs and tables for 100 students and donated six classrooms in two blocks, the first ever new classrooms to be built since the first sets of buildings were commissioned to receive the college 39 years ago.
And at the 50th anniversary event of July 1, the chairperson, Barr Hassana Momoh who was the head girl in 1984, donated N150,000 while three members of the 1978 set: Hajiya Hajarat Abdulsalam, Mrs Mariyetu Moses and Mrs Ibrahim Christiana jointly donated N500,000.
The new classrooms tagged Golden Jubilee Buildings built by Rt Hon Momohjimoh Lawal were commissioned during the event. Lawal who was in the 1985 set, said at the event that he was motivated by his conviction that politicians should contribute to the development of their communities instead of waiting for election times to seek votes by making promises to render service.
Many of the old students as well as guests at the event made pledges. Governor Yahaya Bello was represented by his special adviser on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and a member of the 1984 set of the college, Abubakar Ohere. Ohere delivered a promise by the governor to sink a borehole, rehabilitate the multi-purpose laboratory and to site the e-library of the Central Senatorial District in the school.
And the governor has shown that he just may fulfill all his promises. Old students president Eyivada disclosed on phone Tuesday that the borehole project the governor promised had been completed. “Water is now running,” he said.