By Jefferson Uwoghiren

The Principal, Niger College, my brother and sisters, I am deeply delighted to address you all as your president, cognizant of the enormous responsibility of my new office.

However, before continuing with my brief remarks, I want to request that we all stand up to observe a minute silence of our our late Principal, Mr. I. Ehigie, and many of our classmates who have passed on. May their memories remain a blessing.

As I promised during the campaign, I intend with my wonderful EXCO, to turn a new page and chapter in the history of this school.

We are what we are today, because of this school and it’s solid foundations. We are here to pay back our gratitudes to all our teachers and guardians who toiled in making us better citizens of this country. God willing, we will not fail.

However, I wish to observe that Niger College by its location is a special school for very many families facing economic deprivation within the Orhionmwon, Ikpoba Okha and Oredo Local Government Areas of Edo State.

This is exemplified by the unbearably high numbers of students in the school, with SS 1 classes for example ranging from SS1A to SS 1K. Ten solid arms!!! Where else do you have that?

This is totally unsustainable without periodic governmental intervention and a formal declaration of the school as a Special School.

80% of students in Niger College are children whose parents are below 100 percent of the official poverty guidelines; making them eligible for special educational programs.

The physical structures of Niger College require a complete replacement with multi-floor structures that will allow for inducing learning and fresh air. We can’t continue to raise leaders of tomorrow in suffocating enclosures.

We are here to partner with Edo State Government and other developmental agencies to arrest the unrest disadvantaged learning environment breeds. We want our football fields back. We want those structures preventing students from breathing well removed for a two storey structure, that will allow for fresh air!

Yet, in-spite of the restrictive circumstances, harrowing institutional impediments many of our students face, they are constantly in the league of best performing graduating Edo State students, in WAEC and NECO.

Today, we have the highest number of Edo Students with post graduate degrees in Mathematics. This is a verifiable fact.

Everywhere, we are sprouting in glory like a fresh seed determined to take it’s place in a brand new world of infinite opportunities. We are the new face of Niger College; bold and determined. Niger College is Back!!!

Thank you.

@views exclusive rights: Jefferson Uwoghiren, National President, Niger College Old Students Association, NICOSA, 5th November, 2022.

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