2016 MESSAGE FROM THE GCIOBA NATIONAL PRESIDENT

THE GCIOBA NATIONAL PRESIDENT’S SPEECH AT THE 87TH NATIONAL REUNION ON THE 21ST & 22ND OCTOBER, 2016 AT GCI.

I welcome all of you to the 2016 Annual Reunion of our Association. I thank our Patrons, Trustees, and Executive members; Branches, Class Sets, Old Boys, Young Girls, Principal, Teachers, Students, Staff and the Press for the support we have received in the last four years. I commiserate with the families of our departed Old Boys and I wish them eternal rest. It is necessary at this time to give an account of our stewardship since we took office.

IDENTITY OF GCIOBA
Since the inception of GCIOBA some 85 years ago, it had been run as an unregistered body. We succeeded in registering the GCIOBA with the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja on September 29, 2015. This means that the GCIOBA is now a legal entity. I thank Demola Majasan, Chairman of Abuja Branch for facilitating the registration.

COMMITTEE MEETINGS
The National Executive Committee met four times during the year. We are grateful to our Patron, Lakan Are for hosting the meetings. Two enlarged coordinating committee meetings were also held in 2015 and 2016, one in Ibadan and one in Lagos to map out new strategies to move the Association forward.

ANNUAL REUNION ACTIVITIES
Annual Reunion activities were held as scheduled in the last four years. Public Lectures were held in Lagos and Ibadan, and for the first time ever in Ile-Ife in 2013 and in Ijebu-Ode in 2015 with distinguished Old Boys as Guest Speakers. The Lectures address topical issues ranging from quality education, capacity building; good governance to security and National Development. This year, our focus is on National Healthcare which has been neglected for so long. I thank the host Branches and the Guest Speakers.

INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENTS
GCI still faces daunting challenges of decaying infrastructures, academic downturn, overpopulation, insecurity, decaying sports facilities etc.
I salute the efforts of our Branches, Class Sets and Old Boys for continued contributions to sustain the school. In the last four years, GCIOBA has renovated Lecture Theatres, Classrooms, Laboratories, Assembly Hall, Admin Block, Corpers’ Lodge and toilets. GCIOBA has also provided an ICT centre, incinerators, water boreholes and a 14-seater bus for the students. GCIOBA also rehabilitated the access road to the College.

Class Sets also donated furniture, plastic chairs and tables, textbooks, airconditioners, burglary proofs, public address system, First Aid boxes and consumables, mobile teaching boards, staff room furniture, hockey, cricket and football kits, lawn mowers, laboratory equipment, trophies, cadet uniforms, classroom furniture, laboratory stools, ceiling fans, waste bins, branded exercise books, generators, mattresses and pillows for Corps members and many more. Scholarships were also awarded to deserving students. When you add our cash input into the GCIOBA House, we must have invested up to Five Hundred Million Naira (#500,000,000:00) in the School in the last four years.

TRADITION OF GOLDEN JUBILEE CELEBRATION
We have kept the tradition of celebration of 50 years of entry into the school. The celebrants are the co-sponsors of the reunion. The 1966 Class Sets is the celebrant this year. But in line with our resolution at the 2015 AGM, those who came in 40 and 30 years ago respectively will join the celebration. So, I congratulate the 1976 and 1986 Boys.

SCHOOL TEACHERS’ SUPPORT
In line with the approval granted by the 2015 AGM, we have harmonized all processes of teachers’ recruitment by setting up a Teachers’ Recruitment Committee with Funso Ogunkeye, the Second National Vice – President as Chairman. So far, 11 Teachers have been recruited.
All interested sponsors are to pay to the Association.

GCI EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION
As a follow-up to our restoration project for the school, we have set up a GCI EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION with Abayomi Jones (1963) as Chairman. The Foundation has been registered with the CAC. The Foundation is to serve as a vehicle to engage the State Government on how to restore GCI, and source funds and materials; and speedily evolve a robust and sustainable boarding system and embark on remolding the students in line with the age long tradition of GCI.

We have also set up a Two Hundred and Fifty Million Naira (#250,000,000:00) Intervention Fund in preparation for the possible take-over of the management of the School. All Class Sets and Branches are mandated to donate generously to the Fund. I thank Abuja Branch and the 1963 Set for donating One Million Naira (#1,000,000:00) each to the Fund.

FINANCING GCIOBA
All activities of GCIOBA are funded from annual dues paid by Branches and Class Sets, donations from Old Boys and recently from rents from the Lalekan Are Hall. I appeal to all Branches and Class Sets to pay up their outstanding dues to enable us run the Secretariat more effectively.

MEDIA, PUBLICITY AND IDEAS GROUP PROJECT
In addition to our website (www.gciobanational.com), we have boosted our media interaction and publicity amongst Branches, Class Sets and Old Boys through the creation of several media platforms including GCIOBA chat room, Foundation chat room, and GCIOBA social/welfare chat room.

We also use e-mails and bulk text messages to disseminate information. We also do teleconferencing where convenient.

I thank Wole Agbaje, the National Social/Publicity Secretary for his innovative efforts. In the same vein, I thank the Ideas Group Project Committee led by Olutunde Oni (1954) for generating articles for publication in the print media. We thank the contributors. We published an article in the Punch in September 2015 titled “Government College Ibadan and the Nigerian conundrum”. More articles will be published soon. I thank Lekan Are for facilitating the publication. I also thank the Management of Punch Newspaper for the publications.

GCIOBA NATIONAL MERIT AWARDS
We have continued to award National Honours to deserving Old Boys who have distinguished themselves in their chosen careers and have actively supported the aspirations of the Old Boys Association. I congratulate the 2016 Award winners.

THE GCIOBA HOUSE
The construction of the GCIOBA House has reached final stages of completion. It is one of our major identities on the College grounds. I thank those who have supported the project and I plead with all of you to help complete the project. I thank Lekan Are and Arc. Olorunda for their supervision.

ASSETS MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
In 2015, the National Exco set up an Assets Management Committee under the chairmanship of Olaleye Falore, the First National Vice-President to maintain and manage our old and emerging assets including the School Library, the GCIOBA House and the VITAFOAM Court.
I thank the Committee for its efforts.

DJB ENDOWMENT FUND
The DJ Bullock Fund was endowed in 2012 in memory of Mr. D.J. Bullock, the late foremost Principal of GCI. I thank the Trustees of the Fund chaired by Olutunde Oni (1954). For detailed information on the Fund, Old Boys can log on to the website, www.djbullockendowment.com

SKILLS ACQUISITION FOR GCI BOYS
In an attempt to tackle moral decadence and indiscipline in the school, an Old Boy Resource Management Consultant (Adesokan) was sourced to train some selected students from different classes on Time Management Skills. The Training was highly commended by the School Principal and the participating students.

STUDENT ETIQUETTE
I thank the Chairman and members of Ibadan Branch for setting up an Etiquette Committee in GCI to instil in the students conventionally accepted standards of proper or professional behaviours

PARTNERSHIP WITH OYO STATE GOVERNMENT
After several years of persistent effort, the government of Oyo State has finally agreed to partner with third parties including Alumni Associations to run public schools in the State. The GCIOBA has expressed interest and our Strategic Team led by Kolade Mosuro (1964) is holding talks with the State Government.

I plead with all Old Boys to donate generously to the Two Hundred and Fifty Million Naira (#250,000,000:00) Intervention Fund.

APPRECIATION
I thank you all for your support. We could not have gone this far without your support. I cannot but express my profound gratitude to Dapo Sonola, the National Treasure for his accountability and financial prudence, the Secretariat headed by James Engurube for the erudite disposition in records management and Wole Agbaje, the National Social/Publicity Secretary for publicizing our programs. I wish you all a happy reunion.

BIODUN JOLAOSO
National President, GCIOBA.
October, 2016.