Old students of St John’s Grammar School, Ile-Ife, Osun State will, on Saturday, inaugurate projects worth N50million naira and formally hand them over to the school’s management. The projects include gated fence worth N18million; a full size bronze statue of the founder, Rev. Father Fabian Cloutier, N5.1 million; modern toilets, N12.5million; library renovation, N5million and renovation of two blocks of classrooms at N15million. Osun State Governor Isiaka Oyetola and His Imperial Majesty, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ife are expected at the event. While the gated fence was funded from the purse of the association, individual sets and philantropic old students facilitated the renovation of facilities. Among the old students who sponsored projects is Engr. Ayodele Alabi whose bronze statue of the founder welcomes visitors to the main grounds of the school. The statue, atop a marble structure, is 4.3m (13ft) in height. Besides, Ayodele also renovated a wing of a block of classrooms. Another old student, Senator Iyiola Omisore donated a computer class and generator while Senator Babajide Omoworare renovated the administrative block. The 1973/77 and 1976/81 sets renovated blocks of classrooms while the 1979/84 set renovated the library. Publicity secretary and former Lagos State Commissioner for Information & Strategy, Kehinde Bamigbetan said the association will also confer on the governor and the monarch the Grand Patron awards of the association to appreciate their contributions to educational development of the state. Established in 1962 by Reverend Father Cloutier, a Canadian Catholic missionary, the school has graduated no fewer than 9.112 students.

The St John’s Old Boys Association, SJOBA has called on serving police officers to emulate the virtues of honesty and diligence of outgoing Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Awosola Awotinde. Congratulating the Commissioner of Police on his retirement which fell on his birthday, the SJOBA praised Awotinde for living by the principles imparted to students of the school in the course of his career. Publicity secretary Kehinde Bamigbetan in a statement said Awotinde graduated from the school in 1975 after undergoing the most rigorous and all-round secondary education that missionary curriculum could give. He said, St John’s Grammar School, established by Canadian Catholic Reverend Father, Fabian Cloutier, combined spiritual and academic training to produce leaders for the African continent. ” On behalf of the newly-elected president, Dr. Festus Osoba, we hereby congratulate Johnian Awosola Awotinde for enabling the moral virtues of our school to shine brightly in him through a distinguished career in the Nigeria Police. We encourage serving police officers to emulate these virtues so that Nigeria’s dream of an efficient, incorruptible and people-oriented police can be achieved, ” he said. The outgoing Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police was born at Orunto Jaojo Compound of Iremo Quarters in Ile- Ife and attended St John’s Anglican Primary School Ilare Ile – Ife and St John’s Grammar School Ilode, Ile – Ife,where he completed his West African School Certificate. Graduating from the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University in 1984 with Bachelor’s in English, he served in the National Youth Service Corps in the old Imo State. Awotinde was engaged by the Nigeria Police as Cadet Assistant Superintendent Of Police in February, 1986 and rose through the ranks to become a Commissioner of Police. He was, at various times, the Police Public Relations Officer, Oyo State; Instructor, Police College Enugu; Police Pay Master and Staff Officer in the office of the Force Secretary at the Headquarters. His foray into international police operations include participating in the United Nations Peace keeping Mission in Kosovo( former Republic of Yugoslavia) and Sierra Leone without blemish. He was also the Deputy Commissioner of Police Admin in […]