A former Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun, Prof. Akii Ibhadode, has called for a coordinated intervention by alumni to rescue Edo College, Benin City, from infrastructural decay and declining academic competitiveness.

Mr Ibhadode made the call in Benin City on Sunday while delivering the keynote address of the biennial delegate conference of the Edo College Old Boys Association (ECOBA).

The guest speaker noted that the college, established in 1937 as the first high school in the old Midwest region, was once a symbol of intellectual discipline and academic prestige.

He said the school could only reclaim its comparative advantage if old students adopt a strategic and unified approach.

The don stressed that while many class sets and individuals had made commendable contributions, the efforts remain “fragmented and insufficient to produce the transformational impact the school urgently requires.

“The overall development challenges facing Edo College lie in improving its infrastructure, strengthening teaching and learning, and institutionalising a robust guidance and counselling system for students.

“These contributions are valuable, but their lack of integration limits the overall impact and fails to maximise the benefits of support from government and other partners,” he said.

The erstwhile vice-chancellor warned that the school’s deterioration, which began in the 1980s due to inadequate funding, poor maintenance and teacher attrition, had eroded the strong academic reputation.

He said the reputation once gave Edo College students an advantage in tertiary admissions and career opportunities.

“The other side of the coin is the institutionalisation of a platform to support the careers and businesses of younger ECOBites,” he said.

He emphasised that development within the school and support for alumni must be treated as “mutually reinforcing.”

Meanwhile, the biennial conference also witnessed the election of new executive members to steer ECOBA’s affairs for the next two years, with  Gregg Ogbeifun emerging as president.

Mr Ogbeifun took over from a former governor of Edo, Chief Lucky Igbinedion.

In his inaugural address, the new president reinforced the concerns raised by the keynote speaker, describing Edo College as “one of Nigeria’s foremost post-primary educational institutions” whose foundational strengths must be restored.

He said though old boys had supported the school through classroom rehabilitation, laboratory upgrades, scholarship programmes, an e-library and other interventions, the gains were not yet transformative.

The president announced that the new administration would produce a 10-year strategic development plan covering 2026 to 2035 to guide interventions, resource mobilisation and implementation.

The business tycoon disclosed that the new executive would also prioritise a harmonised development blueprint, adding that a retreat would be held in early 2026 to finalise the strategic plan with the support of international consultants.

“It is our intention that within the first quarter of 2026, we will spend about five days brainstorming and developing the content of our strategic plan,” he said.

He also underscored the need for stronger mentorship and career support structures within the association.

He said incoming alumni needed uplift, guidance and opportunities that the association must deliberately provide. 

(NAN)