As the African Church Comprehensive High School, Ikere-Ekiti clocks 50, old students in this chat with Sunday Vanguard say the celebration of the institution tagged  ‘A school without failure’  has been inspiring lifelong learning and transforming lives through education’, in this chat with Anthony Afolabi & Victor Tunde Oso. Excerpts:

Top row L-R: Mrs. Modupe Adebayo, Principal, Alatise, ACCOSA National President
Bottom row L-R: Late Oyewole Jegede, MON, Founding Principal, Bamise, Chairman of ACCOSA Lagos State branch

When results of a milestone are astonishing, it is necessary to celebrate them”, so an anonymous quote says. This seems to be the reason old students of African Church Comprehensive High School, Ikere-Ekiti, under the leadership of Julius Yomi Alatise, the National President of African Church Comprehensive Old Students Association (ACCOSA), are rolling out the drums to mark the 50 years anniversary of the institution’s existence.

Tracing the history of the institution, Chairman of ACCOSA Lagos State Branch, Oludare Bamise said the school was established in January 1969 as a missionary school by the African Church Incorporated and named African Church Commercial Grammar School, Ikere-Ekiti. In line with the vision of the founding fathers, the name was later changed to African Church Comprehensive High School (ACCHS) to reflect the comprehensive nature of her curriculum cutting across Science, arts, commercial and technical subjects.

Bamise explained: The responsibility to achieve the founders’ objectives for the school fell on the pioneer Principal, Chief Oyewole Jegede, MON of blessed memory. As a visionary and committed educationist with passion for his profession, he immediately set out and defined a course of action to follow.

According to Alatise, part from the rich academic curriculum in the sciences, arts and commercial subjects, the school was completely practical in its approach to agriculture such that it became the food basket within its immediate community proudly producing rice and yam in commercial quantity. There were also the agro-based projects – the poultry, piggery and fishery.

The ACCOSA President continued: “Students were made to learn the art of carpentry, bricklaying, electrical, road construction and bakery amongst others. Armed with the skills acquired, the students built a three bedroom bungalow with full compliments of all facilities within forty two (42) days 1974. The bungalow became readily available for occupation by Mr. Greenfield, the first expatriate to teach in the school.”

Alatise added: “Without any grant from the government, the infrastructural development in the school was marvellous. By early 1972, the present academic block, well-equipped science laboratories and a commercial block, cafeteria with modern stage, buttery, were all in place. Road network with modern street lights were also in place. The Great Hall named after the late Pioneer Principal, Chief Oyewole Jegede, MON followed few years later.

He revealed that for its comprehensive education, the school was in 1972 adjudged one of the best four secondary schools in the old Western Region comprising the present Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti States. For this feat, the government of Brigadier Oluwole Rotimi (Rtd) mandated all Principals and Vice Principals in the region to visit the school and three others including Mayflower School, Ikenne to learn from them how a school should be run. The governor could not resist visiting the school that year when he wrote in the Visitors’ Book – “Well done, Principal, Staff and Students.”

A Grade 1 graduate of the 1973 set, James Ijitola said “In 1977, when the then Military Head of State, Lt. General Olusegun Obasanjo visited, he remarked that he was highly impressed and satisfied by the efforts of the school to produce students who use their heads and have pride in using their hands on manual work at the same time. Your example is worthy of emulation and many more schools throughout the country have to copy this excellent work of training in self-sufficiency and self-reliance.”

ACCHS right from its inception started feeding itself as well as its community long before government deemed it fit to launch Operation Feed the Nation (OFN). The visit of the then military governor and the achievement made turned the school into a tourist site by all and sundry all over the country. Some of the milestones attained by ACCHS include:

1. In 1973, all Principals, Vice Principals and Senior Inspectors of school in the old Western State visited the school for a model study.
2. In October 1977 the forum President and Commander in-chief of the Nigerian Armed forces Chief Olusegun Obasanjo visited the school to see things for himself.
3. In 1978- The school was named a Model school by the Federal Government for the new National Policy on Education.
4. The school was named a “Tourist Centre” in the then Ondo State in 1979.
5. Named UNESCO research centre in Africa in 1980.
6. In 1983 African Church Comprehensive High School was named the “only centre for educational innovation in Nigeria by Network for Education and Development in Africa (NEIDA).

This probably made Chief Oyewole Jegede, to boast in1979 that “Ours is ‘A school without failure’ while other schools keep on screening their class v candidates for WASCE, we believe in giving as many people as possible the opportunity. For fear of having a low percentage, some schools reject even their own students, but we do not. What is more, we believe that anyone who passes through the school and allow the school to pass through him will not be a failure even if he does not obtain a big certificate.”

Ijitola said: “During our time in this school, there was no day student. We were all in boarding. Unfortunately, from 1984, decline of the school set in and the entire infrastructure collapsed, becoming a caricature if it’s old self.”

The Present

In 1994, the immediate past National President of the Old Students’ Association Barrister Ben Ogunsemi, exclaimed: “It is painful that the school is now an exact opposite of its historical past. The edifices built from the sweat and toil of the founders had suffered untold and wanton destruction and neglect.

Old students, according to Alatise maintain that there is the need for concerted efforts by all stakeholders towards restoring the past glory of the school in all ramifications. “This can be achieved again”, he said resolutely.

He said “The association started about 36 years ago with just a few members. Many amazing things have happened since we started. God has used us to torch some lives in ways they never thought of or imagined.”

In outlining their efforts so far to rehabilitate their Alma Mata,  Alatise said the association’s successes are wrapped around its different programme: Re-Introduction of Boarding school in 2014; Scholarships by old boys; The school gate; The Redemption road; School Library; School Clinic; ICT Centre; Hydroponic System; Grow Pure etc.

He explained “This great school was noted for its agricultural revolution in the 70’s. We produced our own food to feed the school population and sold to other neighboring schools. We had Fish Ponds, Poultry Farms, Piggery, Cocoa Plantation, Rice plantation, Banana Plantation, Palm plantation, Teak/Rubber plantations. Unfortunately the community had dangerously encroached on our plantation behind, and at the Northern side of the school.

Alatise appealed to the State Government to help secure the school’s lands from land speculators and in the fencing of the school for security and protection of the boarding students. We appreciate the efforts of the State Government in the development of Education in the state. We appeal to the Governor to help us in resuscitating our legacy-Agriculture and to introduce functional education as we had in our days to all schools in Ekiti State. This great school was named “Special Model School.”

Going Forward

Alatise said: “We wish to reintroduce Barbing club; Cobbler club; Electrical / Electronics club; Auto Mechanics club; Bakery; Printing and Photography. We will be launching a N50m endowment fund on Saturday July 6th to be able to achieve all these set objectives.

Most of this handiwork made us unique in our days. The belief of our able Principal late Chief Oyewole Elijah Jegede, MON of blessed memory was that even if you fail your School Certificate Examinations you are not a failure because you have acquired some knowledge of hand works. With the assistance of the state government and the parents we wish to bring back these trades to help our students to be self-sufficient in the future.