By LAWANI MIKAIRU
The national President of National High School, Aba ,Abia State, Old Boys Association, Chief Anab Atulomah, said that  2011 homecoming will be used for the development of education in Aba , the South East and Nigeria in general.

He made this statement against the backdrop of what he called  the rot in Aba that has shattered the ambience of National High School, his Alma Mater, which today does not have a fence with trespassers having a field day to the point that private operators use the school grounds for driving school lessons.

Atulomah said the National High School Old Boys homecoming slated for the end of November would raise the funds to refurbish the fence, hostels, classrooms, and construct a brand new integrated modern laboratory.He said that the convention would seek to begin the restoration of Aba by reclaiming National High School from disaster.

According to the National President  “The Old Boys of the school and the entire faculty and staff expect the governments to provide leadership by partnering with them to rebuild the Aba city beginning from the National High School . There is widespread expectation among education stake holders that other schools in and around the Aba metropolis should immediately follow the footsteps of National High School ”.

Chief Atulomah believes that a return of order, discipline, focus, and competitiveness to the educational institutions in Aba would signal an end to violence and crime among the youths. He said that the Old Boys Association was approaching homecoming as a concept for development meaning more than the nostalgic feelings that are associated with thoughts of home , a place of one’s birth, permanent residence, or the cradle of the extended family.

Chief Atulomah said that here in Nigeria,  education has received a boost with projects executed during  homecomings when Old Boys gather in their alma mater as a seasonal tradition or to mark critical moments, for example jubilees.

He said that alumni have also been known to assemble to try to provide facilities required to ensure that the image of their school keeps pace with the rising profile of the old boys. Such gatherings are often characterized by the show of affluence, back slapping, and name dropping.