OPINION: Love of alma mater: The achievements of GSSAOBA in GSSA

By Ogbonnia Nwachi

The acronym, GSSAOBA, means Government Secondary School Afikpo Old Boys Association. Besides being a very powerful Organization in Nigeria and beyond, these products of the most prestigious citadel of learning in Nigeria; GSSA, have etched their names on the marble of honour for their love for their alma mater, which translates to their good works in the school.

The GSSAOBA is about the only Old Boys Association in Nigeria that dole out their hard earned money in salvaging their alma mater from infrastructural decay and decomposition.

A visit to other government secondary schools in Nigeria, particularly in the Southeast geopolitical zone, ugliness stares you in the face like a sore thumb and you won’t help but shed tears because of the degree of dilapidation of school structures that adversely affect effective teaching and learning.

The GSSAOBA not only arrest structures in the prestigious GSSA from dilapidation, it also puts other structures in place to serve the need of the school.

For instance, the Abuja Branch built and equipped the school clinic, which is known as the Sick Bay, and recently the branch paid for the extension of solar power to the building to enable health workers attend to sick students in a comfortable environment and attend to other health cases of students that may erupt at night.

The Abuja Branch also reconstructed the school pavilion; thereby giving the sports department of the school good and befitting looks. These feats are highly commendable, considering the fact that these projects are executed with their personal money.

Again, the school library has been totally transformed by the GSSAOBA, credit to Prof. Ndu Eke, a former National President of the Association. The library equally has computer installations, thereby making reading and research easier and more comfortable for students. Many thanks to Prof. Ndu Eke and the GSSAOBA for these great feats.

I will never forget to commend and congratulate the GSSAOBA of ’88 set for the sinking of a motorized borehole, with overhead tanks, for the school at the hostel section and for massive planting of ornamental trees in the school; to further protect the school from climate change and improve on her aesthetic value.

At the same time, we appreciate the 1983 set of GSSAOBA for the donation of science equipment and kits worth millions of naira to the school, thereby boosting practicals in the major sciences of Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Agric Science, which GSSA is primarily known for.

The same ’83 set assures the school administration of their readiness to execute more projects for the school as they mark the 40th anniversary of their graduation, when representatives of the set, led by Mr Dave U. Elechi, paid a courtesy visit on the Principal of the school on Friday, 25th February, 2022. Let me assure the GSSAOBA that we of the GSSA Community deeply appreciate them for their good works, which cannot be exhausted in this treatise.

On a personal note, I thank the GSSAOBA for their very reasonable words of advice to me as Principal of their school.

Sir Ifeanyi Eleje, National President, Dr. Mark Abani, President Abuja Branch and Chairman, Guardian of the Old School, Dr. Inyang Oko, SA to former Minister of Health and Chief Dave Nwachukwu, first class Economist; I can’t thank all of you enough, please.

May God bless the GSSAOBA even as we pray that the almighty father should replenish their pockets multiple folds; to enable them do more good works for the school.

Fear God!

Honour the King!!