“There are two lasting bequests we give our children. One is roots. The other is wings.” – Wolfgang Von Goethe
The dream of every responsible young father is always to groom his sons to grow into better men. That zeal is birthed right from infancy and nurtured all through adolescence and adulthood. More often than not, so long as a man lives, and has will, his son is still a child to him.
These facts are true and natural. Goethe’s postulations as to a man’s gift for his children are eternal truths and are succinct. Roots. Wings. Divergent as they may seem, they are mathematically and realistically mutually inclusive and interdependent, one on another.
For most, if not all men that passed through the most prestigious of secondary schools East of the Niger, their gratitude for the opportunity to be at Okigwe Road, remain to those two factors of firm roots and widespread wings. The roots of good values inculcated by the tutors, seniors (most of whom are living legends and role models) and of course, the parents, at home. Exposure, wide reach, rich network of contacts and interconnectivity are what the wings bring.
Over the years, the Old Boys’ Association of the Government Secondary School Owerri had proven to be a sure bedrock providing both and in noble ideals. Beyond being such a formidable force, the association had over the years consistently delivered annual reunions that it had traditionally become home-coming of sorts for both students and old boys alike, resident at home or abroad. Year in, year out, diaries are blocked on the first weekend in March and the excitement of all in-bound participants are always electric. Until recently, these annual social gatherings had been viewed by the younger old boys as the preserve (though not exclusive) of the much older old boys. That actually is the focus of this article.
The longevity of an organization or association is largely determined by a deliberate and carefully thought out succession plan. Just as William Wordsworth paradoxically asserted, “the child is father of the man.” The National Executive Council of the Old Boys’ Association under the leadership of Dr. Joseph Asonye Nnorom, tinkered and accepted to break the norm by recognizing class sets as members of NEC. That was a bold step, and one which would bridge some generational gap. Class sets which fulfilled certain conditions and requirements were allowed to send a representative to the NEC.
Another strategy that had been in play in drawing the younger closer to the older have been the Atilogwu Dance troupe which was now revived by the Renaissance class (‘75). After an attempt made for a rare feature to make the line-up of events at the 2019 annual reunion hit the rocks, a more spirited campaign was launched in 2020. It gathered momentum and fanfare. It was like the news of the World Cup coming to Africa. A novelty cricket match would be played during the reunion. The initiator, a passionate cricketer and licenced coach, Mr. Olisa Egwuatu, took up the gauntlet, mobilizing and preparing players for the game. The integrative approaches he deployed endeared him to the hearts of the students, many of whom have not seen cricket played before. Training sessions and talk shows preceded the game and the inclusion of Nigeria’s budding cricket talent and ambassador, young Samuel Mbah, an Ogssian who represented Nigeria in the Cricket World Cup in South Africa, was a spark for both the young and old.
However, as exciting as the Gbogbo dance at the President’s Nite and the rarity of playing a novelty cricket match, the euphoria would not be as long lasting a way to fully integrate the younger generation into the old boys’ network.
What then? How would the young understudy the system as to take-over and uphold the supremacy in future?
The current executive and successive administrations of the Old Boys’ Association should take concerted steps towards grooming younger committed and dedicated responsible old boys into taking up positions of responsibility in the group. Apportioning one or more positions in the NEC to candidates from younger “NEC-Certified” class sets would be a bold statement towards this integration. Branch executives should undertake to attend social functions or class meetings organized by class sets of younger old boys particularly those not yet recognized by NEC. By so doing, there could be heightened sense of belonging, greater collaboration and networking and zeal for formal inclusion in the scheme of things. More proactively, an ambassador may be appointed, whose sole task would be to fish out the young and bring them into the fold of the old.
Recently, an online magazine (from which we read now) was floated. One of the objectives of the online magazine, The Renaissance, is to bridge the gap between the Old and the Young. It also seeks to connect the Old Boys both home and abroad onto the same wide readership platform. These goals are integrative ways of filling that gap.
Well placed old boys should place a premium on engaging the services of qualified old boys as a way of endearing them to the values of the association. This “Ogssian First” policy of giving a junior the option of first denial would go a long way in bonding relationship and show the true essence of being an old boy of the Nigeria elitist government secondary schools. And as Amelia Earhart put it, “the most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.”
Ikenna Mbata is a Pharmacist, a social commentator and a member of the ‘96 Class. He lives and practice in Owerri
