Obasanjo, Others for COJOSA’s Grand Re-union

Uchechukwu Nnaike

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is among the dignitaries expected at the grand re-union of the Command Secondary School, Jos Old Students’ Association (COJOSA), which will hold at the Eko Hotel, Lagos on June 30, 2018.

The association said the choice of the former president as the father of the day was because in 1977, the first four command secondary schools were established under his leadership as the head of state.

Briefing journalists in Lagos recently, the President of the association, Mr. Ademola Kasumu said “now the school has successfully produced several professionals, engineers, generals and other successful people in their various fields. We want him to come and see what his children have achieved.”

He said the re-union is for the members from all walks of life, including those from UK and Ireland and North America and Canada to come together and celebrate each other and to harness their resources to add value to one another. According to him, more than 500 members have already indicated interest to attend the event.

To create an avenue for the members some of whom will be coming together after 25, 30 and even 40 years, he said a welcome get together will hold on June 29 at the Nigerian Airforce Officers’ Mess, Victoria Island to precede the main event the next day.

As part of efforts to add value to the lives of members, Kasumu, the Managing Director of KAS Prints, said the event would feature the launch of COJOSA Insurance Scheme, which the association has already signed off with a reputable insurance company, to pay members N1 million in the event of death and N1million in the event of permanent disability. “We have been able to negotiate to the barest minimum the premium that each member is expected to pay.”

He said the association has also registered a company called COJOSA Business Venture, which would take off with members of the association as staff. “Our first primary duty is to try to manufacture some daily need products that will be consumed by us to start with. We are stating with products like soap, disinfectants, liquid soaps and other household toiletries.

“We are kicking off with about 20 staff. We are currently negotiating with a training school in Vom, Jos where they will be trained as our full-fledged staff. The products will be launched on the day of the re-union. By this, we have not only added value to ourselves, we have also looked inwards to see how we can provide jobs for our members. This is the first of its kind in any old students’ association in the country.

“To increase communication among our members, we are also launching the COJOSA Magazine, which is about encouraging interactions among members; for everyone to have a sense of belonging. This further fosters our uniqueness and bringing the association together.”

Kasumu said past principals/commandants of the school since inception would also be invited to the re-union and honoured for adding value to the lives of members of the association, adding that the association would give a posthumous award to one of its own, the late Lt Col Abu Ali, who died in the battle front in 2016.

In the area of intervention for the school, the president said COJOSA plans to have a blueprint of development for the school for a long term, adding that it has commissioned a construction firm to go to the school and get detailed breakdown of areas of possible intervention.

He said the association would produce a template that will have hard copy and online version with the cost estimate by the side so as to guide any member that wants to do something for the school. “We have seen that the spirit to add value is high so we want to synchronise it so that everything will be formal and well-arranged because we want a structured development.

“The executive has a four-year tenure and we don’t want a situation where when the tenure is over, the next executives will have to start afresh, we want to have a continuous development in the school.”

He also announced plan to give N1 million incentive to Mathematics and English Language teachers in the school for the development of their respective departments if up to 80 per cent of the students that sit for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in both subjects pass.