*…Alia, Ododo, Sule, Kefas, Otu to grace event
Retired Lieutenant General and former Chief of Army Staff, Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, alongside other notable Nigerians, will lead efforts to raise N5 billion for the rehabilitation of 111-year-old Government College Katsina-Ala, Benue State.
The fundraising event, organised by the Katsina-Ala Old Boys Association, KAOBA, is scheduled to hold on 19th of October at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja.
The initiative aims to rescue the historic institution founded in 1915, from years of infrastructural decay, and restore its status as a centre of academic excellence.
Also, KAOBA invited governors of states that historically formed part of the school’s catchment area, alongside prominent individuals and traditional rulers whose families have longstanding ties to the institution.
The governors expected to grace the event include Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State, Governor Agbu Kefas of Taraba State, Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State; Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State; Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo of Kogi State, and Governor Bassey Out of Cross River State.
National President of KAOBA, Chief Anthony Adda, who announced this in a statement in Abuja, said the intervention became necessary following what he described as prolonged neglect of the school by the authorities responsible for its maintenance.
Adda said the association decided to take the initiative after several efforts to secure government intervention yielded little progress.
According to him, Danjuma demonstrated commitment to the school’s revival by renovating its five hostels about three years ago, providing a model for other old students to contribute to the institution’s development.
He said, “General TY Danjuma has been intervening in that school. He renovated all the five hostels there, and they are beautiful now.
“But when you look at the classrooms, some of the structures we used when I entered Form One in 1967 are still there. Nobody has touched them. We felt that what General Danjuma is doing should challenge the younger ones to also contribute.”
The KAOBA president said the association’s primary objective was to prevent the school from deteriorating further, stressing that the institution remained a source of pride to its alumni across different generations.
Adda, who said he entered the school in 1967, lamented that its infrastructure had deteriorated to the point where former students felt compelled to take direct action.
He noted that the school belonged to the Benue State Government and not the old boys, but argued that alumni could not stand by while an institution that shaped their lives continued to decline.
“The essence of what we are doing is to intervene so that the school will not die. It appears there has been a lot of negligence on the part of whoever is supposed to take care of the school,” he said.
Adda also raised concerns over alleged encroachment on the school’s land and the sale of some staff quarters by previous administrations.
He recalled that the association had approached former Governor Samuel Ortom over the encroachment, adding that a committee was subsequently established to identify affected portions of the land.
According to him, the former governor directed that those who had acquired portions of the land should be refunded and asked to leave.
However, Adda said the association was still working to secure similar attention from the authorities since the change of administration.
