A requiem is usually known as a mass, for the dead in the Catholic Church, offered for the repose of the soul of a person. Recent events calls for the peaceful repose of the soul of Reverend Timothy Fakunle, the clergy man, who single handedly founded, and nurtured Fakunle Comprehensive High School Osogbo in 1965. He was a man of tall ambition. He wanted a school that would have all round comprehensive education, like Comprehensive High School in Ayetoro, Ogun State, that was established in 1963 by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Ford Foundation and the defunct Western Region government, through the ideas of the founding fathers: Chief B. Shomade and Dr. Adams Skepson. Fakunle nurtured a school that would rank in importance with Mayflower School, Ikenne, Ogun State, which was established by Augustus Taiwo (Tai Solarin), in 1956, after he had served as Principal of Molusi College, Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State, between 1952 and 1956. In the Osogbo of his time, was also Ifeoluwa Grammar School that was founded by an Esa-Oke man, Chief Fadeyi in 1964. Chief Fadeyi clamoured for a school that would also be the hallmark of comprehensive education and conducive environment for learning. Ifeoluwa then had very beautiful and attractive buildings and the lawns were well laid out, and this attracted students, from within and outside the country. In nearby Ipetumodu was Origbo Community High School, founded in 1959 by Pa. J.L. Adeniran and some members of the Ipetu community. In Ile-Ife was Oduduwa College founded in 1932, by the Ooni of Ife, the late Oba (Sir) Adesoji Tadeniawo Aderemi, who reigned as the Ooni of Ife between 1930-1980. Oranmiyan Grammar School and Oluorogbo High School, all in Ile-Ife, were visions of early educationists like Pa. Ogunfidodo, Omisore and so on. Imade College Owo was founded on March 15, 1946, by the late foremost Owo monarch and statesman, Sir Olateru Olagbegi, with Pa Adekunle Ajasin as the principal. Ajasin later left Imade to establish Owo High School, Owo, in 1963. Ibadan, the city on seven hills, will forever remember with fondest memory, the trail blazing efforts of Bishop Akinyele, who founded Ibadan Grammar School, Ibadan, on March 31, 1913, and later made his son in-law, late Archdeacon Emmanuel Alayande, whom he had trained at Foray Bay College, Sierra-Leone, to be its principal. Pa T.L Oyeshina founded Ibadan Boys High School and Ibadan City Academy in 1938 and 1964 respectively Fakunle established Fakunle Comprehensive High School in 1965, on over a kilometre of land space, in length expanse of land, to allow for comprehensive education that will match alongside Comprehensive High School Ayetoro, and Mayflower School. In his glorious days, it ranked as one of the best secondary schools in Osogbo. Unfortunately, in 1975, the Federal Government, through its universal policy on education, took over all private secondary schools from their proprietors and made them public schools. As of its the time of take-over in 1975, Fakunle was already a choice spot in Osogbo. George Santyana captures it well, when he said “those who do not know history, are doomed to repeat its failures.” In February 2013, the governor of Osun State, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, whose deputy governor also doubles as the Commissioner for Education, whilst he also serves as the Commissioner for Works, and who had earlier introduced same uniforms for all government-owned schools in the state, and had merged schools regardless of background, history, religion and so on, announced the proposed demolition of Fakunle Comprehensive High School. At the heights of his imperial power display, while inaugurating the AUD Primary School in Osogbo, he said-“we are moving Fakunle High School to another place; we are moving Fakunle High School to Unity High School in front of Osogbo Stadium”; and that was it; as his Lordship pleases! Perhaps in retrospect, apart from being a food for thought, it also raises the question for the desirability of an executive power, for governors who, more often than not, leave their Houses of Assembly, a lame duck, and thus renew the clarion call for a parliamentary system of government, where the Premier would also be a member of the Parliament and would thus curb the brazenness and recklessness of governors or (premiers), who would only be Primus Inter-Pares--(First among equals). In other climes, this gubernatorial pronouncement would never have seen the light of the day, as it would have totally rubbished the 50 years legacy of Pa Fakunle, who had thought that this legacy given to the city of Osogbo, would perpetually outlive him. As it is expected of bad policies, there were sporadic resentments, anger, demonstrations, and protests, opposing the planned demolition of a school, for the purpose of erecting a shopping mall (Shoprite). Concerned alumni members of Fakunle Comprehensive, also implored the government not to demolish the school for whatever purpose, as it would inflict pains on the students, and that furthermore, it would be antithetical to the spirit of Pa Fakunle, who founded the school. My first contact with Fakunle Comprehensive High School was in the summer of 1980, when, as an undergraduate of the then University of Ife, I served as a vacation teacher for about three months. I had then earlier remembered that my principal in Origbo Community High School in Ipetumodu, Pa Olawunmi Falodun, left our school in 1975, to become the first post take-over government principal of Fakunle Comprehensive School in 1975 and his most adorable wife, Mrs Ebun Falodun, also became the principal of Baptist Girl High School Osogbo. Chief Olawunmi Falodun moved from Fakunle in Osogbo to Anglican Grammar School, Igbara-Oke, when Ondo State was carved out of the then Western State in 1976. It is interesting to note that Chief Ade Adefarati moved from Osu Grammar School, Osu, to Ipetumodu, to succeed Chief Olawunmi Falodun, and were both Commissioners in the Second Republic Government of Papa Adekunle Ajasin, in Ondo State. Chief Ade Adefarati later became the third governor of the state. In February 18 2014, Fakunle Comprehensive High School, despite appeals, protests, resentments, anger, anguish, fell down to the bulldozers of the Osun State government and so was the end of a legacy of 50 years. Speculations abound that Governor Aregbesola plans to convert the land into a Shoprite Mall, to accommodate the business interest of an All Progressives Congress (APC) national leader or to create a parking station. I am sure that the entire Fakunle family will be saddened to learn that their patriarch’s legacy had been suddenly destroyed. Ilesha Grammar School, Ilesha would have suffered similar fate, but for the timely intervention of its Old Students Association, who said in a press release “... established 80 years ago, the school has a place in history as the first grammar school in ijesha land and first of its kind in the present Osun State. How and while on earth should we toy with the idea of committing such a monumental chapter of history and heritage of the people to the dung hill?” the association said. My primary school in Gbongan, the popular 100-year old Saint Paul’s Anglican Primary School Gbongan, and opposite the famous Saint Paul’s Anglican Church, Gbongan, that had produced the likes of Justice Bolarinwa Oyegoke Babalakin; Emeritus Professsor; R.O Adegboye; Chief Abiola Morakinyo; Chief Adewuyi Adetunji; Chief Ezekiel Fatoye; late Dr. Olasupo Toyosi; Chief Oyebamiji; Chief J.T Popoola; and others would have equally fallenl to the roaring bulldozers, but for the quick and timely intervention, uproar, resentments and protests from the entire Gbongan community, who stood at the entrance of the school, to prevent the bulldozers access to the ageing school. Anyway, the Gbongan Community does not need a shopping mall. The popular lesson to learn from this educational policy somersault is that the governor of a state, must be homegrown, autochthonous and deep-rooted in the community and its history. He must have gone to primary school in Osun in his formative years and must have also gone to secondary school in the state in his adolescence. In the days of Chief Bola Ige, as governor of old Oyo State, it was part of state’s education policy, that schools must not be more than a kilometre from the pupils doorsteps. In 1980, the sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, while noticing the sinking ship of the Nigerian state, wrote a letter to President Shehu Shagari, the then president of the country, and asked him, whether, he had ever asked himself the simple Latin question- Qui-Bono (for whose interest?). President Shagari, reducing the question to mere polemics, replied that he had never asked himself questions in Latin, but only in English and Hausa. That question now stares every public officer in the face. In the implementation and execution of policies, be it health, education, environment, public utilities, and so on, the question, qui bono becomes necessary. In whose interest, was a 50-year old Fakunle Comprehensive High School, demolished? Reverend Timothy Fakunle, may your peaceful soul continue to find rest in the bosom of the Almighty, and May your legacy of 50 years continue to stand despite all odds. Honourable Kehinde is a former House of Representatives member from Ayedire/Iwo/Ola-Oluwa Federal Constituency of Osun State.
Posted on: Thu, 07 Aug 2014 15:43:06 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015