That Wednesday, September 3, Professor Adejinle Babalola, a surgeon from the US, walked into the compound of Ijebu Ife Community Grammar School, Ogun State. He stood at the front of the first block of hostel turned classrooms taking pictures.
This was his home 50 years ago. A wave of nostalgia washed over him. He had travelled over land and sea since then. And now, he was back to where his life began to take shape.
He wasn’t alone. His former classmate, Babatunde Onamusi, also a medical doctor from the US, was simply enthralled by the ambience of his Alma mater.
He gazed over the lush grass and recalled with gratitude, ‘I can still picture how my father parked his car at the lawn and how I carried my box and some of the items I was to use in the hostel and walked straight to my bedside. I was just 11. Today, it’s 50 years after that experience. I am alive in good health. It’s the Lord’s doing.
Those two scenarios were the signs that the 50th anniversary celebration of the school, which was held from Thursday, September 4 to Sunday, September 7, was about to become a lifetime experience.
Both Onamusi and Adejinle belong to the first set of the school, which was the class of 1975. They experienced the school in its raw formative stage. Those were days they had no electric light. They had to make do with lanterns and candles, with the grace of a daily two-hour light supplied from a power-generating plant.
They were not alone in this emotional journey. Several others were suck into a sea of nostalgia as they stepped on the soil of the school years after they had finished from there
Homage to the palace
By Thursday, September 4, the chairman of the Local Organising Committee of the anniversary, Bldr. Rotimi Omoniyi, the President of Old Students Association, Engr. Adeniyi Afolabi and the Vice President, Otunba Owode Kamar and a host of others had arrived the school ground ready for the three-day epoch-making celebration.
The sleepy Ijebu town almost immediately began to wear a different look. It was a mix of nostalgia and uncontrollable emotion.
The celebration began with homage to Oba Afolorunsho Oguntayo, the town’s monarch and one of the school’s founding fathers. What was expected to be a modest visit quickly became a carnival. Over 300 alumni marched to the palace, filling it with laughter, chants, and the unmistakable energy of people retracing their steps to their beginnings.
Oba Oguntayo hosted them for about two hours, with a signature pride in his ‘children,’ as he listened, beaming, as they relived their school days.
One of the old students, Dr Akeem Adetugbobo, who is the Amesofe (a title) of Ijebu-Ife, was right on time to introduce all the executives of the old students’ association, starting from the president, Engr. Afolabi. And then, some of the former students were called out to make comments.
Engr. Mukaila Mujitaba, the school’s very first top student, Barrister Tomi Olorunleke and Dr Adejinle stepped out to address the gathering. They recalled the ‘good old days”. Oba Oguntayo capped up with his reminiscences.
He recalled how the school was birthed and how the founding fathers sacrificed their time and treasure to make it a great citadel of learning.
By the time the meeting ended at the palace, it was clear that the next two days of the celebration would be full of fun.
The old students again marched back to the school, a journey of about one and a half kilometres.
The registration proceedings for the attendees continued.
The chairman of the protocol and medical Committee of the anniversary, Prince Kehinde Osibote, did a yeoman’s job, ensuring that all attendees were registered and given a tag bearing their names and their class while in school. It made identification easy.
Many wore the tag beaming with smiles and exchanging banters, which continued till they departed to their various hotels to come again the following day, which was Friday, September 5.
Friday: March of Memories
Friday morning dawned with music. Clad in blue shirts and caps, the alumni, as well as some of the current students of the school, gathered for a rally through Ijebu-Ife. With drums and trumpets leading the way, they marched into town, singing school songs, embracing on street corners, and drawing curious smiles from residents.
It was a three-hour procession of joy and thanksgiving, watched over by an ambulance; thankfully, there was no casualty.
Ijebu-Ife was alive with chatter and laughter. Men and women who hadn’t seen each other in decades embraced on the streets, their voices echoing with shared memories.
It was one march that stirred emotion. They sang old songs, reliving memories as they marched from the school to the centre of the town and then back to school. It was a march of joy; it was a march of thanksgiving. The enthusiasm was palpable.
The activities continued in Olajide Adebanjo hall of the school, where Prof Adejinle and Dr. Onamusi delivered lectures on hypertension and cancer. It was an eye-opener for many who had been ill-informed about these terminal diseases. The key takeaway is that if these diseases are detected early, the victims stand a higher chance of survival. They also emphasised the need to take heed of medical advice. They warned against relying on social media information for health issues.
For instance, Dr. Adejinle debunked insinuations that sex for 21 days in a month helps to forestall prostate cancer. He wondered at the audacity of the medical doctor who spread the information.
On why cancer reoccurs after a patient might have been declared free of the disease. Dr. Onamusi explained that the important thing is for cancer patients not to let down their guard in adhering to strict medical counsel as regards its management because of the aggressive nature of the disease.
The day rolled on with an anniversary lecture by Prof. Denloye Abiodun, prayers at the central mosque, and even a novelty football match where old students outplayed teachers 2–1. By nightfall, laughter filled hotels and guesthouses as different sets held mini-reunions. The 1985 set had a special celebration as they marked 40 years after school. They gathered in one of the hotels in town to reflect and catch up with old friends. Several other sets also had their time together.
Saturday: The Grand Celebration
If Thursday carried reverence and Friday brought energy, Saturday was sheer spectacle. Over a thousand alumni thronged the school field. They were dressed in radiant white with touches of sky blue, and sashes hung around their necks. The weather was kind, and the atmosphere electric.
Popular gospel artist, Yinka Ayefele, did not slack. He was in his elements with electrifying beats that drew virtually everybody out of their shells. Many of the sets took turns to dance to the vibes from the ace musician.
There was also a series of addresses starting from the LOC chairman, Bldr. Rotimi, the President of the Old Students Association, Engr. Adeniyi and a host of others. The governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwoolu, an old student of the school, was represented by the state’s commissioner of Tertiary Education, Tolani Sule. He made a huge financial contribution to the school and promised to do more when he gets feedback on the facilities that need attention in the school.
Other dignitaries on Saturday include the chairman of the Ijebu East Local Government, Dr. Oluwadare Kehinde, Ogun State commissioner of Education, Prof Abayomi Arigbabu, who represented the governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun and a host of others.
The current principal of the school, Obong Vincent Thompson, was thankful for all the developmental work carried out by different sets of the school.
They include the rehabilitation of the laboratories, the school hall, the library and the old dining hall. All these were projects carried out by different sets of the school. But the most significant is the perimeter fencing of the school and the huge gate at its backend, donated by Mr Akeem Ogunkoya, an old student of the school.
All the projects were dedicated amidst the pomp and ceremony of the day.
Oba Oguntayo and the line-up of dignitaries stayed all through the programme. The day also featured cultural dance and a session for the awards of the founding fathers and supporters of the school’s vision. Some of the old students were also honoured. A book, titled, From Ijebu Ife to the world was launched.
Saturday was the peak. It was a therapeutic experience for many.
And honour for Otunba Adebanjo
On Sunday, which was the last day of the four-day event, about 100 old students still gathered at the Baptist Church, Oke-Ife, to thank God. Emotion peaked when Oba Oguntayo insisted there is a need to go to Otunba Olajide Adebanjo Hall in the school to offer a closing prayer. It was time to remember Otunba Adebanjo, the man who gave his all for the emancipation of the school.
By the time the final prayers were said at Olajide Adebanjo Hall, silence briefly hung in the air before voices rose in gratitude. For many, this was not just another school reunion. It was a pilgrimage to memory, a healing journey back to where their lives first took shape.
For Oba Oguntayo, who had watched the school’s birth, and for the hundreds of old students who now carry its torch across the world, the message was clear: IICGS is more than brick and mortar. It is a living bond between generations, between past and future.
As President of Old Students Association, Engr Afolabi and many others made their way out of the school’s compound that Sunday, September 7 it was clear that the four-day event would linger for a long time. The truth was undeniable: Ijebu Ife Community Grammar School had given its products roots, wings, and memories too golden to forget.
