Ilamoye Grammar School pioneers end week long reunion with Gala/cultural Night

 Ilamoye Grammar School pioneers end week long reunion with Gala/cultural Night

Lagos, Nov.30, 2025

Ilamoye Grammar School, Okota pioneering set have held a Gala/Cultural Night to end the one-week reunion in a glamorous and beautiful way signifying the unity that still existed within the 1985 set.

The pioneering set came together to celebrate their 40th year reunion activities which included a Jumat service, medical outreach, Thanksgiving service, visit to late Gov. Lateef Jakande's family, visit to their alma mater, meet and greet party and rounded off with the Gala Night at the Naval Dockyard Conference Hall, Victoria Island, Lagos State.

The reunion started on Nov. 24 and ender on Nov.29 with several alumni including those I. Diaspora in attendance.

The President of the Ilamoye Grammar School 1985 set, Mr Abiodun Ganui, said that future reunion programmes would include other sets of Ilamoye Grammar School for a larger house and more effective impact.

"The association will become Ilamoye Old Student Association regardless of the year you graduated.

"We will be coming together as one body because there is power in togetherness.

"We look forward to transforming the school so that students of the school will have a better conducive environment for learning," the president said.

Ganui said that the medical rhapsody was worthy of note because over 500 people living within Okota community benefited from the outreach.

He said that many people were given eye glasses, drugs and medication, mosquito nets, among other things and this made them happy to be able to positively impact the community.

"The success of this reunion is as a result of collective responsibility but I want to thank the chairman of the occasion for his dedication and commitments to the success of the reunion.

"I also appreciate our colleagues in diaspora for the contribution financially and emotional towards ensuring that the reunion was well planned," Ganui said.

The Chairman of the organising committee, Rear Admiral John Akpan said that the courtesy visit to the family of late Gov. Lateef Jakande to honour and appreciate him was significant because of the free education he declared during his time as governor of Lagos State.

"Majority of us would not have gotten the opportunity of being educated if not for the free education scheme he gave to us then.

"That initiative has made it possible to produce professors, directors, senior government officials and senior military officers," he said.

Akpan said that the 1985 alumni would be giving Ilamoye Junior Grammar School a generator set, lawn mower and a computer laboratory for effective learning.

"We will also be renovating blocks of classrooms for the students as well as the staff rooms for the teachers.

"We plan to give these project to the school as a way of saying thankful for the education bestowed on us during our time," the admiral said.

Pastor Frank Aroh, who flew in from France said that he felt really happy and excited to meet with his secondary school colleagues again.

Aroh said that the atmosphere was very exciting and interesting, thanking the organisers for putting up such an occasion for an opportunity for them to meet again after four decades.

The pastor specifically thanked the president of the alumni and the chairman, organising committee for the painstaking effort to the glamorous event.

"I give kudos to the organisers of the reunion. The planning and execution was top-notch.

"I was so excited to see my colleagues that I got carried away and started to spray money which is unusual of me as a pastor.

"We are grateful to God because He has taken us all the way from the 80's, 90's through the 2000,s and now we are here. This is proof of God's faithfulness in our lives," Aroh said.

Ms Folake Jubril nicknamed "Flaky" from the UK praised the organisers for bringing the '85 set together for a reunion of such magnitude.

Flaky recalled that they were the last set to write WAEC before the introduction of the 6-3-3-4 education system.

"We in the diaspora have been contributing morally and financially in everywhere so that we can make the occasion a bit more graceful and exciting for all.

"It is a blessing to see most of my colleagues here again and bring back the memories of yesteryears.

"I am happy to see that they are all looking good and I thank God for his mercies upon each and every one of us," she said.

Flaky personally thanked Admiral Apkan and the organising committee for their dedication and commitment to ensuring that the event turned out the way it has.

"When we came up with the idea, we didn't plan it this big but Akpan put his resources behind to ensure that it becomes a milestone celebration in spite of the difficult economic situation in the country," she said.

Ms Omolara Veracruz, based in the U.S., was elated to be in the midst of her colleagues once again, catching up on memories and playing together like secondary school students again.

Veracruz, however condoled over colleagues who had passed away over the years and prayed for a repose of their souls, while thanking God for the ones who were still alive.

She urged everyone to constantly carry out medical check-ups and eat healthy to nourish their bodies for a strong and vital life in old age.

One of the teachers of the '85 set, Alhaji Ahmed Yusuf, who taught Islamic studies and fine arts said that he was honoured to be remembered and invited for the reunion.

"I was impressed with the initiative and to see that they still remain in contact and in unity to carry out such a grand reunion is worthy of commendation," he said.

Yusuf urged other alumni of schools to follow suit as a way of giving back to the society and supporting the developmen

t of education in various communities.