Former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha and former Comptroller-General of Nigeria Prisons Service, Peter Ekpendu, were among personalities honoured by Mbaise Secondary School Old Boys Association, Abuja Branch, on Saturday.
Others honoured at the association’s 2018 Family Banquet and Awards Night included Dr Chijioke Ekechukwu, the immediate past Director-General of Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mines and Agriculture, retired AIG Charles Ugomuoh and Bright Nwanne, a former Senator.
The association also honoured Chief Mike Ibe, its former Vice-Chairman, as well as Women Trafficking and Child Labour Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organisation.
The Chairman of the event Planning Committee, Victor Mbalewe, explained that the award recipients were honoured for their services to humanity, MSSOBA and Nigeria.
Ekpendu, Ugomuoh, Ekechukwu and Ibe, among other alumni of Mbaise Secondary, Aboh-Mbaise, Imo, were honoured on the occasion for their contributions to national development and the school.
Although, Ihedioha and Nwanne are not alumni of the school, they were honoured as was WOTCLEF for human development.
The Chairman of MSSOBA, Gordian Ihuoma, explained that the association was formed to assist the school which groomed every member and as such, it was committed to ensure that the institution maintained the high standards it had set over its 62-year history.
Jhuoma said toward this goal, the association had supported the school in building and renovating structures and recruited science teachers for the school considering the poor funding of public schools in the state.
”As an association, we have also done some renovation in the school in both the staff room, the principal’s office and building a block in the school.
”By the time we have the meeting at the end of the year, we will be able to known the next thing we are going to do.
”We also have a way of raising fund for those who don’t have accommodation, those that are sick, those looking for job, some of our youths have gotten jobs through the association, ” Ihuoma said.
He said that the association was planning to build and equip new science laboratories and library for the school, adding that the long-term goal would be the association taking over the management.
The Chairman of the occasion, Dr Paddy Njoku, commended members of MSSOBA for their relationship with their alma mater and urged others to emulate them.
Njoku, a businessman and social commentator, said alumni associations had vital roles to play in the revival of education in the country.
Mbaise Secondary School was established and run by Catholic missionaries in 1956 and was taken over by the East Central State Government at the end of the Nigerian Civil War.
In spite of poor funding by the government over the years, the alumni have continued to support the school either as individuals or as a group.
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