Opinion - Olasore: One of Offa Grams' giants

Date: 2012-08-03

The passage, on June 1, 2012, of a foremost banker and traditional ruler of Iloko Ijesa, Osun State, Oba Oladele Olasore, is no doubt a huge blow to Nigeria, even if this great loss was clouded by the Dana tragedy that occurred two days after. To us old students of Offa Grammar School, Offa, Kwara State, it is a bigger blow.

Offa Grammar School may not be in the class of the Kings Colleges, Barewa College, Queens Colleges and Methodist Boys High Schools of this world, but clearly the school has made quality contribution to the roll call of men and women that shaped and are still shaping Nigeria.

From the military are General Alani Akinrinade, the man that played a central role in bringing order to Nigeria and averting the greater disaster that would have followed B.S Dimka’s coup of 1976, to General David Jemibewon, Group Captain S.A Latinwo, Air Commodore Bayo Lawal and Vice Admiral Ganiyu Adekeye - the last two, like Akinrinade, also former service chiefs.  From the judiciary, Offa Grammar School has given Nigeria the embattled Justice Isa Ayo Salami, the late Justice M.B Belgore, the current Emir of Ilorin, Justice Ibrahim Gambari, all former Appeal Court  Judges.

From the academia, the first African professor of Geology, Professor M.O Jamiu Oyawoye tops OGS’ list of distinguished alumni, a list that has no fewer than five vice chancellors, including Professors A.B.O.O Oyediran and S.A Adeyemi, former VCs of the University of Ibadan and Federal University of Technology, Minna, respectively.  The list is endless.
But if OGS old students were picked at random and asked to pick the greatest product of the school, I am willing to guess that Oba Oladele Olasore will feature top of the chart. That is how much we respect this banker, who was not only very active in old students’ activities but also a former president of the national body.

When the Pa James Osanyin-led Offa Grammar School admitted the 16-year-old boy into the school in 1951, little did it know a future shiny star had just been enrolled into the community secondary school.

Like a prince that he was, Olasore was not the most gentle pupil in the school, as Chief Emmanuel Adesoye of the Okin Biscuit and Adesoye College fame, and a one-year junior to Olasore in OGS, narrated how the prince used to send them to buy wine outside the school in the mid-1950s.

Interestingly, today, both men are founders of two of the most successful private secondary schools in Nigeria, Adesoye College, Offa and Olasore International School, Iloko Ijesa.

Olasore completed his secondary education in 1956. He proceeded to Ghana and thereafter England for further schooling. He returned to Nigeria to pick up a job as an Accountant in British Petroleum Nigeria Limited before venturing into banking as a director in the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Suraj Oyewale, 
Edinburgh Business School, Former President, 
Offa Grammar School Old Students Association (2000 set)

Source

 

Cloud Tag: What's trending

Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.

Sobi Hill     Turaki     Saliu Shola Taofeek     Katibi Ibraheem Adeola     Igbaja     Elerin Of Adanla     Bola Tinubu     Michael Nzekwe     Khairat Gwadabe     Ben Duntoye     George Funsho Adebayo     Curfew     Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq     Babatunde Ajeigbe     ASMAU PLAZA     University Road     Okiki     Mike Omotosho     Ajike People Support Centre     Alloy Chukwuemeka     Abdulganiyu AbdulAzeez     Kwara TV     TVC Female National Debate     TIIDELab     Ekweremadu     Bayer AG     Adam Abdullahi Al-Ilory     Aremu Odolaye     Shola Odetundun     Abiodun Musa Aibinu     Abdulkadir Remi Hawawu     Ayodele Kuburat Olaosebikan     Medview Airlines     Umar Bayo Abdulwahab     Congress For National Consensus     Muhammad Sirajo Aliyu     Young Progressives Party     Fawenu     Kwara 2019     Muritala Olarewaju     Mohammed Katsina Ahmed     Samuel Olusegun Adedayo     Elections     Saad Belgore     Mansurat Amuda-Kannike     Ayekale     Local Government     Temi Kolawole     Hamid Bobboyi     Gaa Olobi     LABTOP     Ilorin Emirate Staff Association     Abdulrahman Abdulrazak     Galland Marcias     Aliyu Muhammed     Yashikira     Yemi Osinbajo     Kwara South     Saheed Akinwumi     Government High School (GHS), Adeta     Sam Onile     Oladipo Akanmu Tolani     Offa Grammer School     Mohammed Halidu     Ahmad Uthman     Bolakale Kawu Agaka     Barakat Community Secondary School     Atiku     Bolaji Nagode     Elewu     AbdulRasaq Abdulmajeed Alaro     Halidu Danbaba     Towobola Abdulrahman Toyin     Salary     IF-K     Maigidasanma     Saliu Oluwole    

Cloud Tag: What's trending

Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.

Bello John Olanrewaju     Chief Of Staff     Ibrahim Oniye     Volunteers Of Ilorin Community And The Emirate     Mufutau Gbadamosi Esuwoye     Hassan Saliu     COVID     Kwara Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board     Mohammed Jimoh Faworaja     Ariyo     Sarafadeen Kayode Akorede     Akom Construction And Engineering Synergy Ltd     COEASU     Alaaya     General Hospital, Offa     AbdulRazaq Jiddah     Kwara University Of Education     Amuda Aluko     Buhari     Lawal Olohungbebe     Students Union Government     Obayomi Azeez     Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq     Senior Special Assistant On Student Affairs     Ilorin Central Mosque     All Confederation Of Principals Of Secondary Schools     Osi     Amule     Aliyu Salihu     Abdulazeez Uthman     ENetSuD     Abubakar Lah     Emir Of Ilorin     Isiaka AbdulRazaq     Rachael Obisesan     Abdulahi Abubakar Bata     Jamiu Oyawoye     Alfa Belgore     Erin-ile     Tunde Yusuf     Alumni Association Of The Federal Polytechnic Offa     Arca Santa     Sobi Hill     Oba Mogaji Abdulkadir     Kayode Issa     Societe Generale Bank Of Nigeria     Naira Redesign     Ayodele Olaosebikan     Raymond Olaitan     Agboola Abdulraheem     Federal Allocation     Joshua Adeyemi Adimula     Salaudeen Oyewale     Opolo Global Innovation Limited     Bello Abubakar     International Vocational Centre     Buari Edun     Road Transport Employers Association Of Nigeria     Hassan Abdulazeez Elewu     Sunday Fagbemi     Suleiman Yahya Alapansapa     Sulyman Age AbdulKareem     Tunde Kazeem     Kwara Hotel     Sulyman Atolagbe Alege     Ahmed \'Lateef     Adamu Ibrahim Sabi     Okin Group     Awoye     Ahman Pategi     John Dara     IHS     Tunde Saad     MINILS     Kwabes     MAI Akande     Abiodun Abdulkareem