1984 graduates of the Chinua Achebe’s secondary school, Government College, GCU, Umuahia
The Chinua Achebe’s secondary school, Government College, GCU, Umuahia, is all set to get a boost after its set of 1984 graduates recently pledged to take its renovation works off the hands of the Abia State government. GCU is one of Nigeria’s foremost secondary education institutions which at some point was shortlisted alongside Government College Ibadan to be the country’s first University College. The honour later went to Ibadan on account of the availability of land space. GCU, over the years, has fallen on hard times with much of its infrastructure becoming dilapidated. But speaking on plans of rebuilding the school, National Secretary of the association, Mr. Nkem Egbuta and some members of the old boys made the pledge to take the project from the Abia State government’s hand. They disclosed this in a news release that was sent accross major news platforms. The Old Boys Association is 40 and on occasion of their reunion last weekend made the plans for the school’s facelift. Egbuta, who is also the Class Captain, said that the school had dilapidated over the years before the Old Boys decided to take over and fight to get it restored, and according to him, “A school that has produced such great men should not be allowed to die and that is why we decided to take over completely. “We have begun from scratch again, trying to restore those values that made Umuahia so prominent and by the Grace of God, we are on the path to achieving that,” he said. Also, the ’83 Class Secretary, Mr Pius Harbor said that Old Boys Association worldwide were worried by the level of dilapidation and decided to engage the government in a very constructive way. GCU, under AB Cozens as principal, trained top Nigerian legends. These include Chinua Achebe, Chukwemeka Ike, Ken Saro Wiwa, Gabriel Okara, Ben Enwonwu and Justice Tony Aniagolu of the Supreme Court. Egbuta said that eminent past governors like Okwesilieze Nwodo, Achike Udenwa, Orji Uzor-Kalu, many senators and prominent people were products of the school. Aside being shortlisted as University College alongside Government College Ibadan, (University of Ibadan). Aside Cozen being the Principal, he alongside Richard Henry Stone, went ahead to write the famous Stone and Cozen ‘New Tropical Biology’, a must have for secondary and post-secondary schools for many decades.
