By EMMA ARUBI

WARRI- AS part of the efforts to encourage students and staff of Urhobo College, Effurun, Delta State, the Warri Branch of Urhobo College Old Boys Association, UCOBA, has doled out prizes worth several thousands of naira on deserving students and teachers to make them more hard working and dedicated to their academic pursuit and profession.

In a ceremony which took place at the school compound, Delta State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Patrick Mouboghare, represented by Mrs. Esther Nikoro, congratulated the old boys association for supporting staff and students of the college, saying that award of prizes can spur students to greater heights

The Commissioner  said the award of prizes is another way of contributing their quota to the developmental strides of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan.

He thanked them for the “renovation that is currently going on in the school coupled with the establishment of the Urhobo Nursery and Primary School which is meant to feed the Junior and Senior Secondary Schools.”

He called on other old boys associations in other schools to take up the challenge and contribute their quota with a view to making the society a better place.

Said he: “I also want to use this medium to call on all old boys in other citadel of knowledge to take up the challenge and contribute their quota in making the society a better place to live in so as to avoid anti-social vices like kidnapping, armed robbery and so on.

He charged the students to take their studies seriously so that they can make the old boys and Delta State proud just as he added that the old boys have set the pace for them to rise up and shine.

The Special Adviser on Security Matters of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, Rear Admiral Paul Onoriode Kpokpogri (rtd), an Old Boy of the school, commended all the old boys of the school for organizing the award/prize giving day as it would spur the younger students to work hard in their academic pursuit.

Rear Admiral Kpokpogri advice the young student of the school to emulate their older ones who serve as their role model and work harder to surpass the achievements of the older boys, adding that by so doing they could become better people in the society.

Nollywood Veteran, Justus Esiri, who is also an old boy of the school stated thus:

“This award/prize giving day serves as a platform for the young and old to meet and  to make the students realise that the sky would be their limit as they (students) see the older ones who have excelled in various fields. It is also a platform for the old boys to see what is happening in the school to help them know what kind of help they would render to the school.”

The UCOSA National President, Engr. Alex Neyin in his goodwill message said the school must provide the next generation of sound democratic human beings that would lead the nation forward.

He commended the former Minister of States, Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi for influencing the federal government to provide the school with the sum of #67 million to renovate the school.