A VOTE OF THANKS BY REV. FR. J.D. O’CONNELL ON THE OCCASION OF THE BOOK PRESENTATION AND THE UNVEILING OF THE EDUCATION FOUNDATION. First of all I want to Praise God our Almighty Father for blessing me with so many years of service to God and humanity. I wish to express my profound appreciation for the opportunity I have had of serving Niger State Government and the Ministry of Education for more than forty (40) years. They say that a teacher’s reward is in heaven but I have had the privilege of training so many young minds over the years and seeing them blossom to make their own contribution to society. That indeed is a wonderful reward for my years in the classroom. I have to acknowledge the role of committed Teachers and the dedicated and efficient management team for all the achievements of the school. I also have to acknowledge the role of the PTA and FOSA (the Old Students). As a teacher of English Language I have corrected so many essays that I can still recognize many students who left the school many years ago by their handwriting. Sadly, that skill has now been lost with overcrowded classrooms it is no longer possible for a teacher to give regular essays as in the past. One of the advantages of being the principal of the same school for so many years has become a point of contact for old students when they find that they are still remembered. This has motivated many Old Students to support the school. The 1988 class celebrated their Silver Jubilee in 2013 by providing the school with the state of the art Chemistry Laboratory. The 1984 class has plans to begin its own project very soon. I appreciate the role of the young author Lawrence Paul for compiling many of my life experiences in the book “LANDMARK OF A TEACHER AND A PRIEST” as well as contributions made by others. I also admire his philanthropic spirit in establishing the foundation in my honour in order to help indigent students to further their education especially in the area of Medicine, Pharmacy, Law and Engineering. Such a project is very dear to the heart of The Chief Servant of Niger State. It is that philanthropic spirit that gathers all of us here today for the launching of the book. I thank the Chief Servant in a special way for the use of this Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi International Conference Centre and for his able staff for taking over the logistics of this launching. In a special way I want to thank the Principals, Teachers and Students of various Schools present. I also wish to thank Ambassador Zubairu Dada and Mrs. Magaret Abarah for agreeing to be the Trustees of the foundation. I appreciate the presence of the Catholic Bishop of Minna here today Bishop Martin Uzoukwu who has proved to be a true Educationist being the proprietor of over forty (40) primary schools and ten (10) secondary schools throughout Niger State. I also appreciate the presence of my Priest colleagues, many of whom are Managers or Principals of schools. The presence of our Royal Fathers is always a source of inspiration and graciousness and I thank them for gracing this occasion. What can be said about today’s Chairman Senator David Mark who has been such an inspirational leader and a great friend of Education. I continue to admire the energy and commitment of Gen. Abdulsalami A. Abubakar who is always ready to answer any call especially when it has to do with Education. I am so happy to see the Irish Ambassador to Nigeria His Excellency Mr. Sean Hoy here today. I am sure that this is his first official engagement outside Abuja since he took up his appointment. Irish Ambassadors tell us of the cordial reception they always receive in Government circles as they always find someone who has been taught by an Irish missionary or has some contact with one. Once again I thank all our invited guests especially the Chief Servant Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu for facilitating the Book launching and the unveiling of the Educational Foundation. God bless you all. Rev. Fr. J.D.O’Connell
Posted on: Mon, 13 Oct 2014 16:42:27 +0000
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