A return to my alma mater…

IN a race – which life is – everyone has their lane. Once you have chosen a lane, stay in it. If you cross lanes in a relay, you get disqualified. If you are not focused and drop the baton, you also get disqualified. Fast and steady, not slow and steady, wins the race of life.”

Last Thursday, July 9, 2026, was another day of nostalgic feelings for me as I returned to my alma mater, Owo High School (OHS), Owo. The occasion was the second graduation ceremony for the graduating Class of 2026, organised by the national body of the Old Students’ Association, ably led by Dr Foluso Falaye. I graduated from Owo High School in 1974, which was 52 years ago. None of the Class of 2026 was born then! Many in the audience also giggled when I mentioned that fact because they, too, had not yet come into this world at the time! Yet, it looked like yesterday!

The event took place within the expansive hall of the sprawling Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owo, directly opposite my old school. Readers of my columns must have read my recent intervention on FMC Owo and the nexus between it and OHS, as we fondly call our school. That was my first time within the FMC facility, so I never knew it was such a big place.

What I left out of my story on the FMC was the important role played by a pressure group, my social club, The Krown Klub (TKK), Owo, in launching an appeal fund and sensitisation programme for the take-off of the hospital in 1986. The highly impactful programme drew attention to the need for government action at the time, which we felt was being delayed. Virtually all of us members of TKK were young, impressionable university graduates at the time. I was the Public Relations Officer and Master of Ceremonies (MC) at the event, which took place at the then empty grounds of the FMC, drawing the crème de la crème of Owo elite from all walks of life, including traditional rulers, academia, and the business world. Thank you, Krownite Owolabi Daramola, for prodding my memory concerning this – but how could I have forgotten that!

One hundred and eighty-six students graduated in 2026 from OHS. The vast majority of them were Science students, a departure from what used to be, when Arts students were in the majority. In our own days, the demarcation was plainly between Science and Arts and there was nothing called “Commercial”, even though a few of today’s Commercial subjects were also offered then. However, new subjects, mostly Commercial, that were unknown to my own class are now in the curriculum.

As the chairman of the occasion, I had the honour and privilege of conducting the opening and closing ceremonies as well as delivering a speech. The most emotive aspect of the entire ceremony for me was when the visually impaired students, two of whom were among the graduates, performed songs and dance, especially the “Ewi” rendition by the two male visually impaired graduates. I understand that OHS has been designated by the government as a special school for the visually impaired. My wife, herself an educationist, whispered in my ear that their teachers must possess great endurance, patience, and understanding – and I wondered whether such teachers receive special remuneration for their efforts!

Why Owo High School?

My speech at the event goes thus: “An occasion such as this brings memories flooding back into my mind. For reasons which I cannot now recall, I preferred Methodist High School, Owo, to Owo High School, Owo. Maybe because of its bright uniform – yellow shirts and blue shorts. Twice I tried to force my choice on my father. Twice he stood his ground that it was Owo High School or nothing! I think it must have been because the founder of Owo High School, Pa Michael Adekunle Ajasin, was the political leader of my father in those days. So I ended up marking time at All Saints Modern School, Owo, for two years. The third year, I wrote the entrance examination to Owo High School and got admitted in January 1970, graduating in July 1974, with one of the four best results in my Set.

“I was a day student in Forms 1-3 and a boarding-house student in the last two years. The boarding-house experience was another education on its own. It allowed students from far and near to come together. Some parents even sent their children from abroad.

“Whatever you do in school as a student, it is important that you do not allow your studies to suffer. That is your main reason for being in school. You should have an idea of what you want to become in life while still in secondary school, not after graduating. Your skills and talents ought to have started showing and flowering at this stage.

Mentorship is invaluable

“In those days, we had a library that was stocked with newspapers. It was here that I first read in HEADLINES, a publication of the DAILY TIMES group, the story of Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s treasonable felony trial and imprisonment; the Wild, Wild West’s “Operation Wetie”; and the Western Region crisis of the 1960s, among others. They whetted my appetite and, possibly, shaped my vision of what I later became in life.

“The principal asked me if I would like to study in the Soviet Union when I came to collect my result, but I said I preferred the United States. My interest was in Howard University, established and made popular by Black American liberationists and civil rights activists. It was an opportunity which I missed for lack of mentorship. Whatever you will become in life, mentorship is very important. So also are those we consider as role models and heroes. My eventual course of study in the university took after my heroes. Indeed, at the then University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), Ile-Ife, I had the opportunity of studying at the feet of one of them, Dr Segun Osoba, Marxist scholar and historian, who passed on recently.

“The ideas that I formed early in life shaped my vision and determined my choice of career. Destinies are shaped very early in life. So, don’t waste or trifle with your early life. We make choices in life. In doing so**,** we do make mistakes. I had wanted to be an academician, just like my mentors, but I ended up being an accidental journalist. Maybe that is God’s plan for me!

“Be that as it may, I excelled and got to the pinnacle of the journalism profession and have won laurels and made waves there. It is debatable whether I could have achieved more as a university teacher. However, my passion for academics has not waned, and I have found my way into the academic environment in some other ways while still practising my journalism profession. What this tells us is that there are more options than one where anyone can excel…

Winning the race of life

“The gifts and talents of God in one’s life are the foundation of success. Discover them early and operate with them. Don’t imitate others. Don’t go to where you will struggle. Discover your flair and passion early and stick to them. Then, work hard. Master whatever you do. Be focused. Decide very early what you want and let it be what will give you joy, happiness, and satisfaction. If it is wealth, you may not need to be like someone who wants to be a professor. And if it is academics, you need not run after unbridled wealth.

“In a race – which life is – everyone has their lane. Once you have chosen a lane, stay in it. If you cross lanes in a relay, you get disqualified. If you are not focused and drop the baton, you also get disqualified. Fast and steady, not slow and steady, wins the race of life.

“Life is give and take. Win some, lose some. Let challenges toughen you. Don’t run away from responsibilities. I made a name in my profession because I maintained my lane. I did four jobs but got paid for only one, and many thought I was foolish – but I was only training myself to be a jack of all trades and a master of all. Today, it pays!

“You must have heard it said that ‘Nothing ventured, nothing gained.’ Where there are privileges, there are also responsibilities and sacrifices to be made. Don’t take one and run away from the other. It was by waiting to assume responsibility and take up the challenges of my office that I etched my name in gold in my profession.

“You also might have heard them say that one road does not lead to the market. Yes, there are multiple roads that lead to success. But the principles are the same. Talents and gifts from God. Skills that we develop through education, hard work, and perseverance. Focus, patience, and dedication oil the wheel of progress. Proverbs 22:29 says: ‘Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.’

Nothing like contentment!

“Finally, whatever we achieve in life, if we don’t have contentment, it will always appear as if we have achieved nothing! Know that we are taking nothing out of this world. And when a person dies, what is usually known or remembered is not their bank account balance but the good or bad deeds ascribed to such a fellow.

Orlando Owoh, the juju musician, crooned that it is because of the poor that we were made rich. So be charitable.

“Etienne de Grellet said: “I shall pass this way but once; any good that I can do or any kindness I can show to any human being; let me do it now. Let me not neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”

“As you, too, pass the Owo High School way, are you satisfied that you did your best? When I passed through it in 1974 and looked back, I wasn’t satisfied that I did my best. I looked back and told myself I should have studied harder. My WASC result would have been far better than what it was, even though it was still good. In other words, I could have made my best better if I had been more focused. But I never had the opportunity of passing through Owo High School again to make amends!

“This, perhaps, is what is meant by ‘Opportunity once lost can never be regained!’ You, too, are passing through the OHS way today. Have you made the best of the opportunity? Be assured, however, that there are more ways ahead that you will still pass through. Will you learn from your mistakes here and make better use of those opportunities?

“You have no excuse because now you have what someone like me never had: mentoring. If only I had had the opportunity you are having now to listen to a speech like this! Now, you have the opportunity! Don’t waste it! Make the best use of it!

I must end by thanking the organisers of this impactful event. God bless you and your efforts!”

I have started looking forward to the 2027 edition, God willing!