Truth, The Home Truth,

TIDDO YO DADDO NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF THE ALUMNI OF GMMC YOLA.

ATTENTION: 11

TRUTH, THE HOME TRUTH

The year 2020 has proved to be unique in many ways aside the all pervading corona virus, Covid-19 pandemic, which spear head the global fear and changes in human life styles, economic and environment. In addition to the Covid-19 pandemic, Nigeria was hit by the Endsars epidemic which rattled the country and metamorphosed into a monster prepared to consume the nation. For those of us who were in our youth, aged 20 years, when Ojukwu declared independent state of Biafra and Gowon countered by declaring a rebellion against the Nigerian State, on the 7th of July 1967, first by Police action which snowballed into full, bloody civil war that led to the death of over one million Nigerians on both sides of the divide, ending in 1970 with a declaration by Gowon, of a “No victor and no vanquis". It was a glimpse, a memory, a reminder of the horrors of the fratricidal civil strife that threatened the very existence of Nigeria. No adult Nigerian who witnessed the tumultuous years of 1966-1970 would want it repeated. #Endsars platform was actually designed to reincarnate the scenes of better forgotten civil strife years. For Nigeria, #Endsars was another unsettling epidemic of national proportion. As Nigeria was easing out of #Endsars epidemic, another wave of social misfortune swept through the country more especially in the Northern Nigeria with the worst scenario in Adamawa State. The palliative spree resulting in curfews in many states took its toll on the revived and up scaled activities of the Adhoc LOC of the Tiddo Yo Daddo Alumni Association of GMMC, Yola. One  of the most affected programs of the ADHOC - LOC, was the scheduled courtesy visit on the Governor, HE, Right Hon. Ahmad Umaru Fintiri, who out of his tight schedules, granted us audience by 11am on Tuesday 7th of November, 2020. Adhoc - LOC invited and lined up over 100 distinguished alumni from Taraba, Adamawa and other locations. We had elder alumni, professors from the universities, traditional leaders, top politicians, Principal and staff of the iconic school to grace the event when it was put off as a result of the ugly palliative episodes in Taraba and Adamawa ending in curfews.

In these unique circumstances, Adhoc LOC continued to trudge on preparations of timelines and schedules of activities to actualize centenary celebration in the centenary year 2020. On glancing on the timelines, it dawn on Adhoc-LOC that we have only one and a half months left to the end of the year 2020. It was then the truth must be sought. The home truth.

The school, GMMC, formerly elementary school, Middle School, PSS and later GSS Yola, established in 1920 has produced some of the greats in Nigeria’s history from the 1920s to date. Many alumni of the great school played great roles in the political history of the country before and after independence in 1960. Beginning with the first set icon of Muhammadu Ribadu; minister in some ministries including his last, the Ministry of Defense. He was the architect of the modern Nigerian Army, who, during his tenure, the Navy and the Air force were built. Along the line, we have many great alumni who contributed to the nation building, especially administrators and academics that played key roles during the military eras. Mention must be made of greats such as Iya Abubakar, erudite mathematician, second indigenous vice Chancellor of the ABU Zaria, Ahmad Joda, the super permanent secretary, Marshall Ibrahim Alfa, top cop IGP Gambo Jimeta, Professor Jibrin Aminu, minister education and petroleum resources, top politicians and business moguls, top academics, engineers, architects, doctors, etc. With the array of distinguished alumni, it would be a show of ungratefulness if the centenary of the great school is not celebrated.

Many things were wrong, but on the 16th of November 2019, the Adhoc Committee was inaugurated with a mandate to actualize the centenary celebration by mobilizing and sensitizing the alumni. That was when the congress met in lieu of the National EXCO of TYD,  which was virtually comatose. While in other climes, such as the Golden Jubilee celebration of FGC Sokoto, preparation by its alumni lasted 10 years (2005 - 2016), Adhic Committee started less than six months to Centenery year 2020. 

Adhoc Committee that is saddled with the near impossible task, if a befitting celebration is to be done, went headlong and decided in its wisdom to have a befitting celebration for the college. Adhoc LOC committee fashioned two phases of the celebration: facelifts and upgrade of dilapidated facilities in the school and the merry making, getting together phase.

The phase one, a seven hundred million naira (N700 000 000) intervention projects were designed and several executed by alumni sets, individuals alumni and philanthropists, marking a success of the phase one of the celebration .The projects are to be executed before, during and after the phase two, concluding part of the centenary. The interventions are going to be a continuous feature of the TYD Alumni Association contributions to the school under the Executive Committee, EXCO, of the National Alumni Association of GMMC Yola. The new Exco will inherit and continue to execute the centenary projects and any new ones that may come up from time to time.

In its recent meetings, the Adhoc-LOC reviewed the time available and the amount of work to be done and concluded that:

1. If a befitting celebration would be done at the conclusion of the centenary celebrations, then time is against it. It would be foolhardy to expect all the invitations, procurement of souvenirs, etc, fund raising activities and other protocol logistics to be completed in a month and a half. So the most logical thing to do is to shift to the 'Centenary Plus One Year' Celebration of the great school the following year, 2021.

2. Alternatively, to hold a low key celebration typical of our unbecoming culture of poor preparations and last minute approaches to serious issues.

Even if all the budget funding required for the celebration is made available today for a befitting celebration,  during which we expect Diaspora former principals and teachers alive to be invited, the Head of State to be Special Guest of Honour, former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, who was Special Guest of Honour at GMMC golden jubilee in 1970, and Representative of General Murtala Muhammad himself, traditional leaders and top business mogul etc to attend, December dateline cannot be possible. So let us tell ourselves the truth. The home truth.

The Adhoc-LOC resolved to recommend a shift to first or second quarter of 2021 and the celebration to be called ‘CENTENARY PLUS ONE YEAR' celebration of GMMC, Yola. (100 + 1 year celebration of GMMC) in abeyance to the unique year 2020. 

If there are those alumni with an alternative to be endorsed by the congress, they should please make their alternative public for consideration in good time.

Thank you as usual.

Sa’adu Abubakar (Gambe). B.Sc. (Bot/Zoo) PGDE, Set. 1964. School No. 168. Adamawa/Alkalawa