Government College, Umuahia, GCU, one of the two schools considered as pre independence Nigeria’s university college during a near century colonization of the country is all set to get a badly needed facelift courtesy of its Alumni, Class of ’83 Old Boys.
The Old Boys Association says that it has taken over the renovation works of the famous school from Abia State Government in order to restore its past glory.
Speaking on the decision, National Secretary of the association, Mr Nkem Egbuta and some members of the old boys made this known via a news release, dispatched far a ND wide to capture as many alumnus as possible.
The Old Boys Association is 40 and on occasion of their reunion last weekend made plans for the school’s facelift.
Egbuta, who is also the Class Captain, said that the school had dilapidated over the years before the Old Boys decided to take over and fight to get it restored.
According to him, a school that has produced such great men should not be allowed to die and that is why we decided to take over completely.
“We have begun from the scratch again, trying to restore those values that made Umuahia so prominent and by the Grace of God, we are on the path to achieving that,” he said.
Also, the ’83 Class Secretary, Mr Pius Harbor said that Old Boys Association worldwide were worried by the level of dilapidation and decided to engage the government in a very constructive way.
GCU, under AB Cozens as principal, trained top Nigerian legends.
These include Chinua Achebe, Chukwemeka Ike, Ken Saro Wiwa, Gabriel Okara, Ben Enwonwu and Justice Tony Aniagolu of the Supreme Court.
Egbuta said that eminent past governors like Okwesilieze Nwodo, Achike Udenwa, Orji Uzor-Kalu, many senators and prominent people were products of the school.
Aside being shortlisted as University college alongside Government College Ibadan, (University of Ibadan)
Aside Cozen being the Principal, he alongside Richard Henry Stone, went ahead to write the famous Stone and Cozen ‘New Tropical Biology’, a must have for secondary and post secondary schools for many decades.
