When I was informed of the decision by the management of Infant Jesus Model Secondary School, Oron to appoint me the Patron of one of the School's six houses, I earnestly thought someone was trying to pull my legs.My seeming pessimism arose from the rich pedigree, intimidating achievements and enviable status of the Catholic owned school as the oldest, biggest and most successful private school in Oro Nation.
In my one year stint at Army Children's School, Oron as a Primary Six pupil in 1989, our neighbours and I daresay, rivals were the beautifully adorned pupils of Infant Jesus Nursery School. They even seemed more respected because the school was both private and nursery while ours was public and primary. Of course, at that time, the school was nowhere near its present formidable, successful and record breaking self.The School has grown to a level where it sets the pace for primary and secondary school education in Oro Nation. But for Infant Jesus Model Schools, Royal Group of Schools and a few others, our educational heritage would have been completely lost owing to the apathy of our privileged sons and daughters towards everything academic.
It's against the foregoing that I considered myself undeserving of such huge honour. As I drove into the school premises on that fateful Friday 10th February,2017, I was surprisingly greeted with a banner “ BARR. OMEN BASSEY HOUSE” boldly inscribed on it as my arrival coincided with the turn of the House to “March Pass”. ”Is this real?” I asked myself rhetorically.
As I settled down among the dignitaries on the high table, I was almost awe stricken by the number of raw talents paraded by the school. The dancers were superlative and the athletes outstanding. The evidence of painstaking rehearsals was unmistakable. Excitement was boldly written on the faces of the young lads and lasses. Most of them looked strikingly handsome and beautiful. In fact, all of them appeared well nourished. The well chosen colours which represented the six houses helped to reinforce the atmosphere of sheer beauty, glitz and glamour. ''It is obvious recession does not exist in the lexicon of these children. The school authorities and their parents must be working very hard to shield them from the effects of our harsh economic climate”. I muttered to myself.
Despite the fact that I enjoyed every minute of my stay, i had to leave midway to attend other events.On my way out of the school, I made a brief stopover where members of Omen Bassey House converged.I urged them to do their best and promised to return on a later date to appreciate their efforts.
Then came the cheery news- BARR OMEN BASSEY HOUSE emerged the overall second only behind DR EMMANUEL EKUWEM HOUSE.
It was a rare privilege for Omen Bassey House to compete against Dr Emmanuel Ekuwem House.I only have God and the management of the school to thank for that because in real life, that is impossible. Dr Emmanuel Ekuwem is among Oro’s greatest of all times and a globally respected achiever in his chosen profession. He's one of those I look up to for inspiration and support in the journey of life. So, being honoured along with him in whatever way is something I would ordinarily never contemplate. Competing and coming second to him courtesy of the efforts of those young ones instils a sense of pride and unmerited accomplishment.
I appreciate the Principal of the School, Rev. Sis(Dr) Lawrencia Essien for taking the school to its present enviable height as an indisputable centre of excellence. Her passion for the job of moulding young minds cannot be faulted. She's a good case of the right person for the job.Little wonder that the children look happy and well nourished.
Our efforts towards community development must prioritise education as meaningful, enduring and sustainable development cannot be achieved without sound and qualitative education. For our illustrious sons and daughters, if you cannot build a school, support the existing ones to upgrade their infrastructure and manpower. If your service does not leave an imprint on our local education sector, I doubt if it will be worth acknowledging in the future. Every other aspect of development is determined by education. The time to rescue our school system is now.
Congratulations Omen Bassey House!
Congratulations Dr Emmanuel Ekuwem House!!
Congratulations Infant Jesus Model Secondary School! !!
Omen Bassey
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