The 1977 set of the old students of the Anglican Girls Grammar School, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to focus more attention on the education sector as part of the overall development of the country.
The former students of the all-girls secondary school, who met at a light but emotion-laden re-union 33 years after last seeing one another in Lagos on Thursday, also charged Buhari to strengthen the agricultural sector and create more jobs in the country.
One of the attendees and the coordinator of the historic gathering, Ray Oduntan-Kwadje, a herbal doctor, while expressing delight at seeing childhood friends after leaving AGGS in 1982, said Buhari, apart from giving priority to education, agriculture and job creation, must also provide more social amenities to ease the sufferings currently witnessed by Nigerians.
She said, “I am very happy for the change that we are beginning to see in Nigeria. There seems to be a kind of re-orientation going on right now and it is very pleasing to see the expression on the faces of people.
“President Buhari should focus on social amenities, education, agriculture and job creation. Agriculture is very important in the life of any nation, so he must ensure that proper attention is given to this sector.
“I also think that education should get a lot more attention from the government than it is now because therein lies the future of Nigeria.
“But in achieving the change that we are all clamouring for, I think women cannot be left behind in any form by the society. Beyond just being wives and keepers of homes, Nigerian women have proven over time that they can indeed function well when given the opportunity to lead. Our women today are more educated, well-grounded and very sophisticated to withstand any weather.”
On re-uniting with former secondary school mates, Oduntan-Kwadje said the feeling was indescribable and something they all never imagined could be made possible, especially following the non-existence of mobile telephony and Internet in the country when they last saw each other in 1982.
She said, “To be re-united with all these beautiful women after 33 years is something I never imagined possible. The feeling is amazing. In those early days, there were traits that were peculiar to each one of us. After 33 years, those traits are still very much there. It is beyond words.
“Personally I have been out of Nigeria for more than 25 years, but then through the help of the Internet and the social media, we were able to gradually connect one another. One of us whose name is Bukky started pin-pointing us one after the other and created a WhatsApp group where we connected. That was how we got off. Even though it wasn’t easy initially, through God’s mercies, we are able to meet again after 33 years.”
Among notable old girls of AGGS, Ijebu-Ode (1972 set) present at the gathering was the Editor of Saturday PUNCH, Mrs. Olabisi Deji-Folutile.
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