75th Anniversary: New Era girls
lauds LASG for open-door policie
…calls for Relocation and Upgrading the Senior arm (SSS classes) to a new site.
… declare war on LGBT
Old Students of New Era Girls’ Secondary School, Surulere, Lagos on Sunday expressed their appreciation to the state government for operating a responsive open door policy, particularly in the area of education.
Alumni members of New Era Girls’ Secondary School said the Ministry through its Education District IV is always responsive to their requests in their efforts to give back to the institution that moulded them.
The Old Girls recently celebrated the 75th Anniversary of the school and gave posthumous awards to children of the Founding Mothers of the school among other series of activities to mark the occasion which includes the commissioning of a 350 seating capacity School Hall which was remodelled and named after the First Principal and Co- Founder of the School, Lady Kofoworola Aina Ademola.
Capping up the week long series of events was a well-attended Thanksgiving Service held in the *Students* Multi-purpose Hall. The service and reception was well attended by “the girls,” ‘ including some septuagenarians and octogenarians.
President of the association, Mrs. Adenike Bankole, of the 1970/74 Set, while speaking to journalists praised the state’s Education Ministry for always cooperating with the Old Girls Association, particularly when seeking approval to give back to their school projects such as upgrading the building and infrastructures for the school.
Showing reporters round the school premises to see some multi-disciplinary projects contributed so far to the school, Mrs. Bankole also noted, however, that the school premises are getting choked with the construction of various projects which includes the construction of 6 additional class rooms by Shell Dev.Coorporation/NNPC which was facilitated by the Old Girls. The Thirty Two Million Naira (N32M) Self -Funded Alumnae Building which housed the Digital Library, equipped with Educational softwares for academic development of students and for teachers’ use. Private counselling rooms, multi- functional hall etc.
Also, the ICT Studio equipped with desk tops and supported with Mikano Gen.Set which was built in collaboration with NCC.
These and many more on the school site choked up the school and necessitated Old girls call on the state government to consider the relocation and upgrade of the senior arm of school.
The College, as it was called and known in 1948 when it was established, had an intake of 24 students, has since grown in leaps and bounds to about 2,300 students
The Old girls have been fortunate to still have in their midst some of the pioneer students, Mrs. Shade Thomas Fahm and Rtd.Hon. Justice Titi Mabogunje. They have brought their invaluable historical accounts of the early beginnings of the school.
The school suffered some setback when in 1987. It lost most of its land for Government expansion and for rebuilding of the Teslim Balogun Stadium.
The school was robbed of about 60% of its land mass.
The explosion in population of the students which did not matched the provision of available infrastructures put a strain on the space and Infrastructures on ground.
She said, pointing towards the fence separating the school and the stadium,
“Our dining room used to be there and our Home Economics building, also our vast space for Sports. All these have been encroached on by the stadium. We have nothing like that in our School.
In her seventies, the daughter of a former principal of the school, Hon Justice Oluseun Sogbola née Odulana (Rtd) of the Federal High Court, (64/68) said, “We have been trying to reach out to the Government from time to time in the past to no avail. But now that we have a very active Old Girls Association body, we are very happy and hopeful something good will come up from our interactions with the Government.
The Ministry of Education was present at our fuction on Friday, and promised to help us because they’ve seen that we’re eager to help our Alma Mater and to partner with the Government.
I don’t think any of us has children here, but we never forgot the school that made us
Also speaking at the event were Mrs. Morenike Omaiboje, of 70/74 Set, the Publicity Relation Officer, Mrs. Ajibike Onigbanjo of 78/83 Set, and Mrs. Toyin Machado-Onanuga, a former Permanent Secretary in the State and wife of a seasoned journalist and Presidential Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, among others.
Mrs. Morenike Omaiboje said the Association is actively involved in the campaign against sexual immorality, with emphasis on “lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, LGBT.
Nigeria is not for it, Africa is not for it, We’re standing against it, and that is our stand in this school. That is not allowed. She said
“I am not the only expert here. We have experts in the house who are saying no to it because we know better and we will not allow it in our school and in our Society.”
The school was founded in 1948 by seven visionary women namely Lady Kofoworola Ademola, Lady Oyinkansola Abayomi, Lady Lande Bank Anthony, Lady Ayo Alakijia, Chief (Mrs.) Remi Doherty, Chief (Mrs.) Jumoke Kwao- Sego, and Mrs. Abiodun Jemi- Alade.
May their blessed souls Rest in Peace. As long as New Era Girls’ Secondary School exists, it will always be traced to their vision.
