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.

Theophilus Oyebiyi     Abdulkadir Jimoh     Ilorin Emirate     Muideen Olaniyi Alalade     Agboola Abdulraheem     Usman Yunusa     ER-KANG Mining Nigeria Company Limited     Sebastine Obasi     Facebook     Samuel Adaramola     Doyin Agbamu     Ganiyu Taofiq     Ali Ahmad     Okin Malt     Busari Alabi Alausa     Yahaya A Paniyaro     Mohammed Katsina Ahmed     Ekiti     Taofik Mustapha     Dorcas Afeniforo     Sheikh Hamzat Yusuf Ariyibi     Sabo-Oke     Col. Adedipe     Opobiyi     Pakata Development Association     Demola Banu     Onilorin     Mujtabah Bature     Bamidele Adegoke     Mohammed Lawal     Alao Ayotunde     Aliyu Muhammed     Ahmed Dankaya     Abdullahi Samari     Oloyede     Valsolar     Zara Umar     Christian Association Of Nigeria     Oladipo Akanmu Tolani     ER-KANG     Alimi     Issa Manzuma     Oniwasi Agbaye     Tafida     United Nigeria Congress Party     Joana Nnazua Kolo     Ajasse-Ipo     Oluwarotimi Boluwatife Adenike     Jimoh Bashir     Na\'Allah     Saliu Ajibola Ajia     Ibrahim Mohammed     NYSC     Ibrahim Akaje     Muhammad Mustapha Suleiman     Olukotun Of Ikotun     Isaac Gbenle     ASKOMP     Lasiele Alabi Yahaya     Patience Jonathan     Mary Arinde     Yahya Mohammed     Hassan Saliu     Biliaminu Aliu     Raheem Adaramaja     Al-Hikmah Radio     Aliyu Muhammad Saifudeen     A.E. Afolabi     Amina Susa\'a De Ahmed     Kwara State Branch Of The National Library     Segun Olawoyin     Amule Elementary School     Road Transport Employers Association Of Nigeria     Saka Balikis Kehinde     Apado     Kamaldeen Ajibade     Adam Abdullahi Al-Ilory    

Cloud Tag: What's trending

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

Yoonus Lawal     Victor Gbenga Yusuf     Owu Fall     Dele Momodu     Sunday Popo-Ola     Reuben Paraje     Shehu Jimoh     Mohammed Abduraheem     Nigerian Army     Oko Erin     Ibrahim Labaika     Mohammed Alabi Lawal     Ilorin Metro Park     John Olobayo     Markaz Arabic And Islamic Training Institute, Agege     Usman Rifun     Radio SBS     Shuaib Boni Aliyu     Mary Kemi Adeosun     Theophilus Oyebiyi     Aasiyat Bello Oyedepo     Abdulkareem Alabi     Sarakite     AbdulHamid Adi     Amos Justus Sayo     Kale Kawu     Sai Kayi     Amusement Park     Ibrahim Oloriegbe     Kawu Baraje     Ilorin Amusement Park     Abdulrazaq Aiyelabegan     Abdulfatai Ahmed     KW-GIS     Offa Descendants Union     Olaosebikan     Kwara Pdp     Mubarak Oladosu     MalHub     Just Event Online     Taofeeq Olateju     David Oyedepo     Jaiz Bank     Dan Iya Of Ilorin     Bello Abubakar     Oko-Erin     Kwara Central     Omar Gambari     Local Government     Bolaji Aladie     Abiodun Musa Aibinu     Alfa Belgore     Fatai Adeniyi Garba     Jamila Bio Ibrahim     Share-Tsaragi     Abdulganiyu Salahudeen     RTEAN     Aliyu Salihu     Kayode Zubair     Musa Aibinu     Ahmed Mohammed Rifun     Fatimat Saliu     Kwara-SAPZ Project     Mutawali Of Ilorin     Taofik Abdulkareem     Oba-Solagberu     Shehu Alimi Foundation For Peace And Development     Olufolake Abdulrazaq     Ganiyu Taofiq     Sayomi     Abdulrasheed Lafia     Coronavirus     Patigi Regatta     Afolasade Opeyemi Kemi     Pilgrims Board     Abdulrahman Abdulrazak     NaAllah