The fate of the Ad-hoc committee for the centenary celebration of General Murtala Muhammad College Yola at the end the Centenary Celebrations, December 2021
BACKGROUND HISTORY OF THE AD-HOC COMMITTEE
The Adhoc Committee of the National Alumni Association of the century old school, General Murtala Muhammad College Yola, was inaugurated on the 16th of November 2019, less than two months to the centenary year 2020. It was established to prepare for the centenary celebration of the great school in the absence of the Executive Committee/Council, the Exco, of the National Association, whose tenure started from 2007 and by implications has lapsed but remained the only legal body. The Adhoc Committee came into being by the authority of the Congress, the General Meeting of all the bona fide Alumni of the school who are alive, graduates of the school between 1920 and 2019. The Congress is the supreme body that elects the Executive Committee/Council, Exco of the association and the Board of Trustees, BoT.
Today, thirteen years after the current Executive Committee/Council, Exco came into existence, it was obvious its tenure has ended and so it became comatosed. There was no elections of a new executives to take over proceedings and so the Association went virtually non existent. Comatosed, it could not mobilize nor could it be mobilised into action for the impending monumental centenary celebration of the school coming up, then in 2020.
The trigger article in the Daily Trust newspapers of 5th August 2019, where I called out to living alumni of the great century old school to wake up and celebrate the one hundred years existence of the famous school. The article promted some alumni and even children of some of them to phone to confirm the century story. It also brought the Principal of the College and some of his staff into discussions with me in my house on the centenary celebration. The Principal, then Mr. Adamu Bello was advised to take over mobilizations of Alumni by invitation for a General Congress Meeting of the Alumni Association, fixed on 16th of November 2019. That was it. The Congress, at the meeting, realizing the limited time and the comatosed Executive Committee/Council, Exco, decided to have the Adhoc Committee with blanket mandate in order to have a befitting centenary celebration for the iconic institution.
Phase 1. Facelift and Upgrade of facilities in the grand old school in order to celebrate excellence instead of the glaring rot and visible dilapidation in the school.
Phase 2. The Gala celebration week where Alumni members will invite distinguished personalities, alumni, old Principals, teachers, local and foreigners to a series of events and shows.
In phase one of the celebration, the Adhoc Committee, realizing the state of the school infrastructure, crafted Needs Assessment Charts for renovations, repairs and supplies of inadequacies in boarding house, corporate life, curriculum, co curricular and Special Needs areas of the school in order to bring it up to the 21st century standards. The financial implications of this phase-
a) Needs Assessment Areas is about N700,000,000:00 of which so far, about N200,000,000:00 interventions have been picked and some executed and handed back to school.
b) Special Needs area which includes capital projects such as the School Gate, Commercial Security Fence, Auditorium, TYD Secretariat, Mini Stadium, Staff Nursery and Primary School etc, roughly estimated at the cost of N 1,500,000,000:00. The Staff Nursery Primary School was taken by the UBEB headquarters, Abuja as part of their social responsibility projects, initiated by distinguished TYD alumni on the UBEB and the contract of the four blocks of two classroom each with solar, office, store and provision of 40 modern classroom tables and chairs for eight classrooms completed and ready for use at a cost of over N70,000,000:00.
The Adhoc Committee that started with no funding, no Secretariat, no vehicle but with grit determination and the mandate of the General Congress, the enthusiastic alumni, especially the younger, up mobile executive sets who, immediately, answered the call of the Adhoc Committee for members to pick lots for the upgrade, repairs and supplies in the college. Set of 1985 set the pace by picking Adamawa House and an overhead tank repairs and renovations, completion and handing back to school for use in 2020. There are gigantic interventions by Keystone Bank far beyond the scope of the Adhoc renovations in Limawa and Alkalawa Houses. Coming during the call period, Adhoc Committee comend the Keystone Bank for the upscaled intervention.
Today, Adhoc Committee's efforts has become gigantic interventions that need all alumni and men of Goodwill to support and nurture to fruitions. The total interventions for this centenary celebration is about N2.2 billion which is a huge commitment by individuals and sets of classmates, roommates or philanthropists who mean well for their alma mater. The Adhoc Committee's vision based on the blanket mandate is to reawakened the comatosed National Exco of the Alumni Association to be alive to its responsibilities as outlined in its constitution. Three key areas of the Constitution are mainly to assist the alma mater, unite the alumni members and offer fraternal assistance to one another or to groups or sets at social, political, economic or faith levels and finale gala Celebrations Week.
UNAVOIDABLE VISSION AND MISSION OF THE AD-HOC COMMITTEE
The Adhoc Committee aimed at establishing a functional Secretariat of the Alumni Association such that irrespective of whoever regime, the various organs of the Association will continue to function. Unlike the current experience where the organization collapsed or became comatosed without a visible old or new Exco. The Alumni Association of GMMC Yola has come to stay. It will continue to function effectively even when the Exco members are not available at base secretariat after these experiences. At the end of Centenary Celebrations would the Ad-hoc committee handover to a new, old Exco or to a none legal TYD organs? If the ad-hoc committee is to handover to a legal TYD organs will it be the old exco or a newly elected exco? If it is to handover to a newly elected TYD Exco the Ad-hoc committee is the most appropriate TYD Legal structure available to conduct the elections.
It would be self defeat, if after all the efforts and hardwork put in, to get to this level of achievements reached, with millions of naira renovations, repairs and special provisions, the Adhoc Committee is herded into handing over, the pace-setting innovations in the public private participation, PPP, in school management in Adamawa State, to a non TYD National Alumni Association legal structure, Adhoc Committee would have failed the trust and confidence of the Congress, the alumni members and other stakeholders who contributed in many ways to ensure the school is brought up to commensurate modern standards. The collaboration, cooperation and supportive roles of the TYD National Alumni Association is not a once in a century or in a decade commitment but perpetual, eternal efforts.
The Adhoc Committee cannot afford to abandon the multi billion naira interventions it has initiated and convinced Alumni and the general public to buy into without a proper successor to carry on the button. Adhoc Committee will write a comprehensive report of the innovative pace-setting interventions in PPP and handover to the next exco so as not to give room for rubbishing the efforts made so far. Refer to my earlier post in February 2021, the 'Deafning Silence' in which I made passing suggestions:
1. Election of a new Exco to takeover from the 2007 Exco led by His Excellency, former Governor Adamawa State, Admiral Murtala Nyako, who, as President of TYD Alumni Association contributed immensely in the development of the alma mater he loves and cherished so much but whose other official engagements did not allow him full attention to the Association.
This is the most logical close to the centenary celebration to start the next century with a new primed Exco that will inherit the Adhoc Committee's intervention projects properly handed over to it.
2. Set up a Constitutional Review Committee that will dust the current, well prepared TYD Constitution and update it to fit times as requested by some alumni members at the last congress meeting.
3.The successor Exco to inherit the Technical subCommitte set up by the Adhoc Committee for supervision and monitoring of all alumni intervention projects till eternity.
4. The successor Exco will also inherit the Staff Nursery Primary School Management Committee for the management and administration of the Staff School, along with the Staff Welfare Committee. The Staff School is expected to kick start in September 2021.
5. The successor Exco of the Alumni Association is to inherit the Secretariat functions of the Adhoc Committee and further build a permanent Secretariat office in or near the alma mater and be able to employ basic office staff on a sustainable bases.
6. The successor Exco should be key partner in the outlined appropriate commercial ventures for the welfare of the school community; Auditorium, mini market, mini Stadium, school fence fortification and commercialization, TYD Printing Press, farm projects etc. Some of them long term projects way after the Centenary Celebrations.
7. The Adhoc Committee should also conduct elections to usher in the the newly elected Exco as a logical conclusion of the Adhoc Committee's assignment.
The Alumni Association as an organization is a key development partner of the alma mater, an important stakeholder after the number one stakeholders, the school. Followed by the proprietor i.e the State Government, Traditional Council and the general public.
Once again, the General Congress of the great school is called upon to offer comments, observations and advices meant to support and reposition the TYD Alumni Association and the alma mater to be a model institution in Nigeria.
Sa'adu Abubakar Gambe.
Chairman Adhoc LOC, Tiddo Yo Daddo Alumni Association of GMMC Yola. 30/7/2021. 9:37 pm
Comments
Post a Comment
Northern Nigeria Perspective is welcoming all comments, observations or views. The use of foul/vulgar language, pornographic materials and such other inappropriate comments are not allowed