The Government Secondary School, Dekina, Kogi State, one of the
oldest post-primary educational institutions in Northern Nigeria is
celebrating Nigeria, democratic Governance, modern governance,
Democracy and modern Education, especially post-Primary education in
Nigeria by holding a special Re-Union Event at the JJT (Johnson Jakande
Tinubu) Park, behind Shoprite and Lagos State House of Assembly, Ikeja
on Thursday, June 12.
GSS, Dekina founded in 1932 as a Senior Primary School, and growing
into Secondary School at Nigeria’s Independence in 1960, through
Middle School status from the 1940s through 1959, admitted its first
set of secondary school students in 1960 They had to graduate in 1965
with their immediate juniors who joined them in 1961.
This special reunion event is being hosted by the alumni association,
the Dekina Old Boys Association (better known as DOBA, with its
members scattered all over the world known as Dobites) living around
Lagos (i.e. greater Lagos, which includes Ogun State); on behalf of the
National and Global DOBA Headquartered in Abuja .
GSSD is celebrating Nigeria, democracy, modern education and western
civilization on this June 12 because it sees democracy, good governance
and education as lighting the “Burning Candle” the school’s symbol and
guiding light.
It is re-enacting Chief Awolowo’s and Azikiwe’s guiding exhortation of
“Show the Light, and the people will find their way”
So this is GSSD’s way of thanking the nation for lighting the candle to
show the light in Nigeria that let Nigerians, especially Northern and
Central Nigerians from the North-Central geo-political zone which
extends from Kaduna, Niger through Plateau, to Kwara, Kogi, Benue
and Nassarawa States to embrace the light of western civilization
thereby playing leading roles in Nigeria’s nationalism and military
emancipation.
According to the Interim President of DOBA Lagos, the event is being
held in Lagos to acknowledge Lagos as the educational headquarters of
Nigeria with secondary schools starting here and in Abeokuta and
Calabar almost a century before GSSD. It is also celebrating Democracy
and Western Education as the best system of government and
civilization that birthed such schools and fostered the educational
system and civilization that enabled GSSD grow into the great
institution it has become with its old boys making laudable waves all
over the world at home and in the diaspora. The waves have been
waxing strong long before now with dobites graduating into such great
institutions as the Kings College, Federal Government Colleges Warri
and sokoto, the premier universities of Ibadan, ife, ABU, Zaria, Nsukka,
Bayero University, Kano, the SBS, Federal Colleges of Arts and Sciences,
Lagos, IMT Enugu, Yaba Tech, KADUNA polytechnic, Ibadan Poly, the
Armed Forces, NDA, ETC. NOW dobites are visible CEOS, Directors and
leaders in virtually all leading MDAs across Nigeria. They are
ambassadors and prominent professors and leading professionals in
Nigeria, across Africa and all over the world.
Some of these crème de la crème will be among the twenty odds that
would represent the thousands of dobites to assemble at the JJT Park
to celebrate 26years of unbroken democracy in Nigeria since 1999 and
urge for a blossoming of the democratic and developmental journey of
our dear country.
The Agenda for the meeting, according to the Interim Secretary of the
Lagos branch, aka Doba Lagos Area, Engineer Samuel Momoh include
concerns for arresting the growing insecurity nation=wide and election
of substantive executives. Those who cannot be there physically, such
as the National BoT Chairman, Dr Ahmed Abdullai, have a chance to
participate virtually via Zoom or Google Meet and WhatsAPP. They
would have supported the event with their generous donations and
contributions in accordance with school’s anthem which makes us all
“one in spirit” and urges all to ”strive onwards for this good and noble
end” as our badge “stands for honour” always.
