By Steve Oko

In a bid to restore the lost glory of the prestigious Government College Umuahia, Abia State Government, Thursday, inaugurated a new Fisher Educational Development Trust (FEDT) Board, to oversee the management of the ancient college.

Originally founded in 1929 by Rev. Robert Fisher, alongside Government College Ibadan, and Government College Zaria, Government College Umuahia, prided as the foremost highschool in Igbo land.

Some of its products included the late prolific writers, Chinua Achebe, and Chukwuemeka Ike; Biafra hero, Gen. Alexander Maduebo; Ogoni Rights Activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa; Nollywood legend, Lazarus Ekwueme; Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe; Super Eagles striker, Samuel Chkwueze; Saturday Editor of Vanguard Newspapers, Mr Onochie Anibeze, retired Deputy Inspector General of Police, Azubuko Udah, and a host of other accomplished personalities.

The College, following years of gross neglect, dilapidated into a sorry-sight until recently when the Old Boys Association after a deal with the State Government, took over the management of the once- prestigious college to bring it back on track.

Since the Old Boys assumed management, the school has, however, witnessed some appreciable progress particularly in infrastructure but there has been a public outcry over charges which currently stand above N1 million per academic session.

Meanwhile, following appeals for intervention, Abia State Government, on Thursday, set up a new Board headed by the National President of the Government College Umuahia, Old Boys Association, Dr Chinedu Ahaiwe, to reposition the school.

Inaugurating the new Board at the Government House Umuahia, Gov. Alex Otti said his interventions in the education sector were geared towards creating enabling environment for students to excel.

Otti who was represented by the Secretary to State Government, SSG Prof. Kenneth Kalu, said his administration was determined to give every support needed to restore the lost glory of Government College Umuahia.

According to him, the inauguration of the new FEDT Board aligns with the broad vision and action plan of the state government, adding that he came on board to re-invent the state.

“The government aims to take initiatives that will improve society, create a better environment, and ensure that schools like Government College Umuahia are restored to their former glory.

“Our task is to create a good environment where our students, can go and then graduate and be able to compete effectively with students from other parts of the world.”

Otti who said his emergence was to change the narrative and restore hope to the state, vowed not to sit idly and watch any sector of the state economy remain dormant.

“So, when we see our schools shut down, our hospitals in dilapidated states, and our roads unmotorable. When we take actions to fix them, we are creating a society, an environment, that everybody will be happy about. This is another show of what the government stands for.

“Taking initiatives, whether, it is fixing nutrition for the young, building roads, whether it is paying salaries and pensions, everything is geared towards creating the kind of better society we all desire,” Otti declared.

The Governor tasked members of the new Board to put in their best to achieve the objective.

Speaking on behalf of the Board, the new Chairman, and National President of Government College, Umuahia Old Boys Association, Dr Chinedu Ahiwe, thanked Gov. Otti for supporting the spirited efforts of the Old Boys to revive the school.

Highlighting the rich history and legacies of the school, Dr Ahiwe stressed the need to restore the prestigious college to its pre-civil war era.

He recalled how the Old Boys were alarmed by the decline of the school, and decided to approache the Abia State Government with a proposal to take over the school’s management, restore its dignity and preserve its rich heritage.

“We are eternally grateful to the State Government for graciously acceding to this request,” he said.

He further explained that the Fisher Educational Development Trust (FEDT) “is a special purpose vehicle to drive the restoration project and commended the pioneer Board for its contributions for almost 11 years.”

Ahiwe expressed optimism that the new Board would build on the achievements of the pioneer board while soliciting the support of all.

He said the Board “is a special purpose vehicle through which the goals and objectives of our restoration programme are being pursued”, adding that it marked a new dawn in the history of the school.

Later in an interview, Ahiwe, while responding to a question on the protests over high charges in the rebranded school, hinted of possible review to accommodate the children of the poor.

“It cannot be denied the fact that some reasonable improvements have been recorded ever since the Old Boys took over the management of our dear Government College, Umuahia. But then, it also comes with a challenge, and that challenge is that a number of Abians and Nigerians who would want their kids to enroll in that school, of course, it is out of reach for the poor.

“But there’s going to be a course of action to reflect from today going forward. We have actually had our days of ups and downs. But today is a brand new day.

“We are going to sit down now and look at all those things that people have been crying about. There was a time I saw people display placards and all that.
And when I came to government house before, I remember about a year ago or so, a woman who actually was crying faced me with such a question. And that touched my emotion.

“So, those are the areas we are going to look at. If you are intelligent, even though we are doing that now, it’s not in a large scale. I know that a couple of people are intelligent. I know one boy who is intelligent, and he’s there on scholarship. But we are going to expand and broaden the scope to make sure that we actually accommodate more people”.

Dr Ahiwe acknowledged that he also came from a very poor background but got opportunity to become somebody at the famous school, promising to replicate such gestures.

“I’m a very good example of somebody from a poor family. My father was a church Anglican agent with little or no salary. But I just passed the entrance exam, and I got there. That’s what we are trying to replicate.

“And the only way we can do that now is to look at the fears and look at what has made the poor not to get there. We are going to explore every opportunity to make sure that we revive those things that we enjoyed. I’m class of 67.

Deputy Speaker, Abia House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Austin Meregini witnessed the inauguration while the Chairman Umuahia Capital Development Authority, Mr Kingsley Agomuo, was among the new members.