The Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke, will on Saturday in Ilesa, Osun State be honoured with the award of The Most Benevolent Leader by the Ilesa Grammar School Old Students Association.
The award is part of the week-long celebration of the 90th Founder’s Day Anniversary of the iconic school.
Announcing the award, the National President of the association, Engr. Obisesan Daramola, said Adeleke earned the honour “for extending the glory and honour of Ilesa Grammar School in an unprecedented manner”.
Only last Tuesday, Governor Adeleke hosted the executive committee, members of the Organising Committee of the 90th anniversary celebrations, led by Dr. Wale Bolorunduro, a former Commissioner of Finance in the state, members of his committee, as well as current students of the school at his office in Osogbo, the Osun State capital.
At the reception, Adeleke seized the opportunity to announce the establishment of an Alumni Associations-Government Partnership Board for the comprehensive development of schools in the state.
Dr. Obisesan also announced that the immediate past Governor of the State, now Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Alhaji Adegboyega Isiaka Oyetola, will be honoured with the Renaissance Award for Excellence “for the restoration of the dignity, honour and pride of Ilesa Grammar School” by his administration.
Recall that it was Oyetola that reversed the very unpopular policy by his predecessor, Rauf Aregbesola, who took many secondary schools from their owners to establish a degrading “mega schools”, wiping out the identities of the iconic schools.
The policy adversely affected the quality of education and increased social problems within the campuses.
But Oyetola became a hero when he reversed the policy and returned the schools to their previous owners.
Although he belongs to a different party, Adeleke, Oyetola’s successor, improved on what he inherited, earning accolades from Osun State citizens.
Today, in Ilesa, both Adeleke and Oyetola will receive garlands and will be celebrated for their efforts at restoring the glory of the school that many across the world consider as a citadel of excellence.
Other eminent Nigerians, all of them old students, who will be honoured with different categories of awards, include: a former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Chief Aderoju Sinatu Ojikutu; former Senator, Prof. Sola Adeyeye; billionaire businessman and Asiwaju of Ijesaland, High Chief Olayinka Fasuyi; Chief Tayo Ayeni, owner of Skymit; Chief Victoria Olufunmilayo Awomolo, the first female Senior Advocate of Nigeria produced by the University of Ibadan; Prof. Paul Olomolaiye, Pro-Vice Chancellor, University of West England, Bristol; as well as Chief Shola Oshunkeye, a Fellow of the Nigerian Guild of Editors and former Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of The Sun Publishing Ghana Limited.
Oshunkeye, President of The Crest Publishing and Entertainment Company Limited, is being honoured with the Social Entrepreneurship Leadership Award.
Oshunkeye’s set, the Class of 1974, will also be honoured with the Renaissance Gold Award for Outstanding Educational Support for promotion of scholarship in the school.
The great visioners, who founded Ilesa Grammar School, the Egbe Atunluse, Ile-Ijesa, will also be honoured for their noble role.
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Posthumous awards will be given to the late business mogul, Chief Lawrence Omole, founder of International Breweries PLC, “for being the singular provider of Scholarships to Ilesa Grammar School students for long”; late Chief Olagunju Idowu Asaolu Fafowora, the first registered student of Ilesa Grammar School; as well as the late Jeje Ogunsola Fafowora, whose house was used as the school on the first day.
