Centenary Celebration of General Murtala Muhammad College Yola
💯100 YEARS OF GMMC YOLA.
By next year, 2020, the school, General Murtala Muhammad College (GMMC) Yola will clock one hundred years of its establishment. The former Middle School Yola has under gone several mutations in nomenclature. Starting as the Middle School, a male boarding senior primary school in 1920 it metamorphosed to a secondary grammar school with a broader curriculum. It was established initially to give western education to the citizen of the province and beyond. The aims and objectives were expanded to provide the man power needs of the colonial administration and that of the soon to be independent Nigeria.
The name of the school was changed to Provincial Secondary School (PSS) Yola in the late 1950s when the school was transformed into a full comprehensive secondary grammar school with a richer curriculum which included Woodwork/Technical Drawing, Metalwork, Physics, Chemistry, Maths, Further Maths in the science and technology department. Other departments then were language and arts composed of English, Geography, History, Literature, etc. The school graduated its first set of students in December 1960. It was the year of Independence and our set of form one was in two streams of 60 students instead of the one stream of not more than 30 usually admitted and the curriculum further enriched to include biology. Mrs Firth, a part time teacher introduced the subject in our set of form one in 1960.
The first set of finallists to graduate in form six, the final year then were ten in number. Only ten of them survived the series of rustications as a result of disciplinary or academic failure. Some of the outstanding first set of students who became national leaders/icons are late Ibrahim Alfa, the first head boy, famous Air Marshall of the Nigeria Airforce, late Alhaji Natiti, Air Vice Marshall of Nigeria Air Force, Hassan Adamu, the business mogul, Wakili Adamawa, late Sale Michika, former Governor of Adamawa State.
Barely six years after the Independence in 1960 and the coming into power of the military, the school was renamed Government Secondary School (GSS) Yola. It finally became General Murtala Muhammad College (GMMC) Yola when the then head of state, General Murtala Muhammad was assassinated in February 1976.
In 1970, the then GSS Yola celebrated its golden jubilee. The occasion had the then Head of state General Yakubu Gowon as special guest of honour. I was a student teacher in the school on summer vacation from A.B.U. Zaria and I witnessed the celebration which received wide publicity before and after the event. In a few months time the 'TIDDO Yo Daddo' (One who perseveres succeeds) will be one hundred years old and expected to celebrate the occasion with greater fervour and fanfare than the golden jubilee celebration.
Less than six months to 2020, the year of establishment of General Murtala Muhammad College Yola, there is no signs or tell tales of any such occasion in the offing in the community or the region. With an array of distinguished national icons of its products across Nigeria cutting across all spheres of endeavours; politics, military, police, businesses, civil service and the professionals, who owe their successes in later life chiefly to the solid foundations obtained from the college, it is expected that those of us alive will have cause to show gratitude and celebrate the epochal occasion.
I have in mind such great names and people such as the former Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Alh. Atiku Abubakar the Waziri Adamawa; the former Governors of Adamawa, Admiral Murtala Nyako and Bala Ngilari; former Governor of old Oyo State, Gen. P.C. Tarfa; former Governors of old Plateau State, Air Commodore Dan Sulaiman and Major General Aliyu Kama; the business mogul, Hassan Adamu the Wakili Adamawa; the business mogul Aliyu Muhammad (Walga); Busin
ess Man Abubakar Rufau; those professors alive and former Inspector Generals alive whose names I can not recall except Prof Sa'adu Abubakar and IGP Gambo Jimeta and thousands of others out there are being reminded to as matter of honor and urgency to prod the national body of the 'TIDDO Yo Daddo' old boys association to wake up and wake all members of the association through concerted and coordinated publicity programs to sensitise and enlighten the members and the general public.
There's little time left to ensure a befitting preparation for the befitting occasion. I was moved to tears in FGC Sokoto in 2016 during the school's golden jubilee celebration where I was honoured as one of the three outstanding Principals of the school in its 50 years existence. Gen. Yakubu Gowon was the chairman of the one week celebration. That was an FGC Sokoto at its 50th anniversary
celebration! In 2005, the old students association members met me in office as principal and pledged to spend 500 million naira to upgrade dilapidated infrastructural facilities in the school as part of their preparation for the golden jubilee in 2016, ten clear years to the occasion.
The chairman of the Senate Committee on Education then. Mr Mbata (an old student) and colleagues also requested me, then the principal in 2005, to submit additional 300 million naira in my school's 2005 budget. My school was able to increase the budget by 280 million naira of which 80 million naira was finally approved. My Ministry of Education was lost when 80 million naira additional funds was found in the FGCS 2005 budget. The ministry made spirited efforts to confiscate the funds but the Senate turn down the request for the virement. The 2005 approved funds for the capital projects of the school were not released nor contract awarded for the same, not until I spoke to press, which almost got me a query, that the school got capital projects funds released late December 2005 and early 2006. Some of the projects were executed after I retired in early 2006.
Here we are in Yola, GMMC, few months to its hundredth year celebration nothing concrete seems to be going in the direction of an occasion commensurate with the status and age of the school.
Those of us living, particularly, amongst the fifth decade (1960-1969) products of the college, Hassan Adamu, Professor Sa'adu Abubakar, Bakari Jen, Paul Chabri, Dan Sulaiman, Elon Raymond, Murtala Nyako, Jackson Dokoyiri, Policarp Sopkonso Kaigama, Sheba Bobini, Ahmadu Gurin, Baba Usman, Usman Gurin, Abusa Amnadugu, Sulaiman H/Adama, Mcbaba Adamu, Muhammad Sani, Istifanus Mayaba, Jantiku Mamza, Sado Nimfas, Atiku Abubakar, Magdiel Shamaki, ANA, Aliyu Kama and thousands of others alive today are called upon to be awake over the centenary celebration of General Murtala Muhammad College Yola, the famous Middle School, former Provincial Secondary School and Government Secondary School Yola, the, 'Tiddo Yo Daddo'.
I have no record of the sister school, Government Girls Secodary School (GGSS) Yola, purely a female instituition's date of establishment.
The Adamawa State Government, the proprietor of the school should look into the matter because the school's financial standing cannot handle such monumental occasion.
Sa'adu Abubakar.
Rtd Deputy Director Fed. Ministry of Education & Former Principal FGC Sokoto
08162135920, saaduabub@gmail.com
By next year, 2020, the school, General Murtala Muhammad College (GMMC) Yola will clock one hundred years of its establishment. The former Middle School Yola has under gone several mutations in nomenclature. Starting as the Middle School, a male boarding senior primary school in 1920 it metamorphosed to a secondary grammar school with a broader curriculum. It was established initially to give western education to the citizen of the province and beyond. The aims and objectives were expanded to provide the man power needs of the colonial administration and that of the soon to be independent Nigeria.
The name of the school was changed to Provincial Secondary School (PSS) Yola in the late 1950s when the school was transformed into a full comprehensive secondary grammar school with a richer curriculum which included Woodwork/Technical Drawing, Metalwork, Physics, Chemistry, Maths, Further Maths in the science and technology department. Other departments then were language and arts composed of English, Geography, History, Literature, etc. The school graduated its first set of students in December 1960. It was the year of Independence and our set of form one was in two streams of 60 students instead of the one stream of not more than 30 usually admitted and the curriculum further enriched to include biology. Mrs Firth, a part time teacher introduced the subject in our set of form one in 1960.
The first set of finallists to graduate in form six, the final year then were ten in number. Only ten of them survived the series of rustications as a result of disciplinary or academic failure. Some of the outstanding first set of students who became national leaders/icons are late Ibrahim Alfa, the first head boy, famous Air Marshall of the Nigeria Airforce, late Alhaji Natiti, Air Vice Marshall of Nigeria Air Force, Hassan Adamu, the business mogul, Wakili Adamawa, late Sale Michika, former Governor of Adamawa State.
Barely six years after the Independence in 1960 and the coming into power of the military, the school was renamed Government Secondary School (GSS) Yola. It finally became General Murtala Muhammad College (GMMC) Yola when the then head of state, General Murtala Muhammad was assassinated in February 1976.
In 1970, the then GSS Yola celebrated its golden jubilee. The occasion had the then Head of state General Yakubu Gowon as special guest of honour. I was a student teacher in the school on summer vacation from A.B.U. Zaria and I witnessed the celebration which received wide publicity before and after the event. In a few months time the 'TIDDO Yo Daddo' (One who perseveres succeeds) will be one hundred years old and expected to celebrate the occasion with greater fervour and fanfare than the golden jubilee celebration.
Less than six months to 2020, the year of establishment of General Murtala Muhammad College Yola, there is no signs or tell tales of any such occasion in the offing in the community or the region. With an array of distinguished national icons of its products across Nigeria cutting across all spheres of endeavours; politics, military, police, businesses, civil service and the professionals, who owe their successes in later life chiefly to the solid foundations obtained from the college, it is expected that those of us alive will have cause to show gratitude and celebrate the epochal occasion.
I have in mind such great names and people such as the former Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Alh. Atiku Abubakar the Waziri Adamawa; the former Governors of Adamawa, Admiral Murtala Nyako and Bala Ngilari; former Governor of old Oyo State, Gen. P.C. Tarfa; former Governors of old Plateau State, Air Commodore Dan Sulaiman and Major General Aliyu Kama; the business mogul, Hassan Adamu the Wakili Adamawa; the business mogul Aliyu Muhammad (Walga); Busin
ess Man Abubakar Rufau; those professors alive and former Inspector Generals alive whose names I can not recall except Prof Sa'adu Abubakar and IGP Gambo Jimeta and thousands of others out there are being reminded to as matter of honor and urgency to prod the national body of the 'TIDDO Yo Daddo' old boys association to wake up and wake all members of the association through concerted and coordinated publicity programs to sensitise and enlighten the members and the general public.
There's little time left to ensure a befitting preparation for the befitting occasion. I was moved to tears in FGC Sokoto in 2016 during the school's golden jubilee celebration where I was honoured as one of the three outstanding Principals of the school in its 50 years existence. Gen. Yakubu Gowon was the chairman of the one week celebration. That was an FGC Sokoto at its 50th anniversary
The chairman of the Senate Committee on Education then. Mr Mbata (an old student) and colleagues also requested me, then the principal in 2005, to submit additional 300 million naira in my school's 2005 budget. My school was able to increase the budget by 280 million naira of which 80 million naira was finally approved. My Ministry of Education was lost when 80 million naira additional funds was found in the FGCS 2005 budget. The ministry made spirited efforts to confiscate the funds but the Senate turn down the request for the virement. The 2005 approved funds for the capital projects of the school were not released nor contract awarded for the same, not until I spoke to press, which almost got me a query, that the school got capital projects funds released late December 2005 and early 2006. Some of the projects were executed after I retired in early 2006.
Here we are in Yola, GMMC, few months to its hundredth year celebration nothing concrete seems to be going in the direction of an occasion commensurate with the status and age of the school.
Those of us living, particularly, amongst the fifth decade (1960-1969) products of the college, Hassan Adamu, Professor Sa'adu Abubakar, Bakari Jen, Paul Chabri, Dan Sulaiman, Elon Raymond, Murtala Nyako, Jackson Dokoyiri, Policarp Sopkonso Kaigama, Sheba Bobini, Ahmadu Gurin, Baba Usman, Usman Gurin, Abusa Amnadugu, Sulaiman H/Adama, Mcbaba Adamu, Muhammad Sani, Istifanus Mayaba, Jantiku Mamza, Sado Nimfas, Atiku Abubakar, Magdiel Shamaki, ANA, Aliyu Kama and thousands of others alive today are called upon to be awake over the centenary celebration of General Murtala Muhammad College Yola, the famous Middle School, former Provincial Secondary School and Government Secondary School Yola, the, 'Tiddo Yo Daddo'.
I have no record of the sister school, Government Girls Secodary School (GGSS) Yola, purely a female instituition's date of establishment.
The Adamawa State Government, the proprietor of the school should look into the matter because the school's financial standing cannot handle such monumental occasion.
Sa'adu Abubakar.
Rtd Deputy Director Fed. Ministry of Education & Former Principal FGC Sokoto
08162135920, saaduabub@gmail.com
I fully support this initiative.
ReplyDeleteI attended Government Secondary School Yola (School Number 687) from 1967 to 1971. I attended fully the 50th anniversary of the school as a student. I am proud of my old school for many reasons, and my old school is also proud of me for so many reasons... I will therefore, leave no stone unturned to ensure we create a programme for remembering and rubbing minds to sustain and push forward this fantastic opportunity to improve the place.
I regularly visit the premises sometimes with old colleagues and sometimes with my family and children.. I was lucky many of my brothers also attended the school.
At the moment I am in the process of upgrading the school's masterplan incorporating some future expansion projects... Having qualified as an Architect from ABU over 40 years ago, myself and some old boys colleagues are working on several improvements and suggestions in and around the school. .I believe with a get together arranged a few years ago under former executive governor Nyako, which I was privileged to attend, it will not be difficult to reassemble the players to start replanning for the 2020 occasion. With Allah's Guidance and Assistance we shall make an impact. We shall start some consultations in order to actualize the assignment. Meanwhile, I personally thank you for remembering to ring the bell. Regrettably we lost Professor Saad Abubakar barely a week or two ago. May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace. Amin. Assalamu alaikum.
Arc. Ibrahim Mahmood FNIA, mni.
President,
Environment Seven Limited,
Architects, Planners, Engineers,
Kaduna, Abuja, Yola
Nigeria.
arc.ibrahim.mahmood@gmail.com
08033111899 .
Am in support of this initiative
ReplyDelete