The 90 year old cricket pitch at Government Secondary School, Owerri, Imo State, Southeast Nigeria, is now wearing a new look. It is also expected to be the preferred venue for major cricket matches and tournaments in the region starting soon.
The renovated and upgraded facility, now nearing completion, will be officially commissioned and handed over to the school authorities on Friday March 7, 2025, during the annual reunion week of the Old Boys Association.
In a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja, Mr. Chijioke Orji, Captain of the OGSS Class of 1975, said the cricket pitch renovation project was chosen in recognition of the “pivotal role of the sport in moulding the lives of students who have passed through the school for nearly a hundred years.”
He said: “Not only is cricket a gentleman’s sport that influences the character of players and spectators alike, the cricket pitch at OGSS is also the centrepiece of the school by location and easily one of its most iconic features.”
“So we decided to invest in upgrading this facility to be able to host more respectable regional and national cricket matches as a way of giving back to the school that helped mould us into who we are today,” he added.
Guests expected at the commissioning ceremony include representatives of the Imo State Government and the state Ministry of Education.
The event is also expected to feature an invitational cricket match between hosts Government Secondary School Owerri and Government Secondary School Afikpo.
The two schools are among only a handful of elite institutions across Nigeria with strong cricket-playing traditions dating back to colonial times. Several of their students past and present have also played for the. Nigerian national cricket teams.
Work on the renovation and upgrade of the cricket oval began in July 2024. It includes a complete re-grassing of the playing surface, a new scoreboard, a new solar-powered wayfinder, wire-mesh perimeter fencing, the purchase of lawn mowers, and installation of underground water sprinklers. A renewable maintenance contract with a facility management firm is expected to follow.
The project was undertaken by the Class of 1975 of the Old Boys Association to commemorate 50 years of their admission into the school.
Estimated to cost N15 million, it is funded entirely from voluntary donations by members of the class living across Nigeria and the globe.
In addition to renovating and upgrading the school cricket pitch, the Class of 1975 is also sponsoring an anniversary essay writing competition, a debate and a Chess and Scrabble contest for students.
The 50th anniversary celebrations of the class are expected to climax with a dinner party and prize giving ceremony on Saturday, March 8, 2025. The dinner is also expected to feature a keynote address by an accomplished member of the class, Mr. Chika Ikenga.
Mr. Ikenga, an entrepreneur, is currently Chairman of Eunisell Limited, a chemicals company with operations in Nigeria and Ghana, and products sold across Africa, especially in the Oil and Gas industry.
