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By Soji Ayoola-Iluku
Between Wednesday May 11 and Sunday May 15 2022, Ado-Ekiti, the capital and largest city in Ekiti State, was agog with assorted scintillating activities. 
It was the week that members of the Class of 87, Christ’s School Ado-Ekiti Alumni Association converged on the town for their class reunion. The reunion was to celebrate the 35th anniversary of their passing out from their prestigious alma mater. The last time the set had its reunion was five years ago, in 2017.
Christ’s School, Ado-Ekiti is a reputable institution founded in 1933 by Venerable Henry Dallimore, an Anglican cleric of British origin.
The school, which has ‘Christus Victor’ as its motto, has produced a good number of alumni who have made their marks in all human endeavours. The incumbent governor of Ekiti State, Dr John Kayode Fayemi, is an alumnus of the school.
Various sets of Christ’s School Alumni Association have a tradition of having reunions periodically, and any set that celebrates its 40th anniversary of passing out is made to host the annual Founder’ s Day. Yearly, a reunion is held by one set or the other.
For the class of 87, the General Executive Committee, led by the President, Professor Folarin Oguntoyinbo of the A.R. Smith Department of Chemistry and Fermentation Sciences, Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina, United States had set up a reunion committee headed by Mr Abiodun Ajayi, CEO, Optimum Care Limited, London. Also in the committee were Rev. Omotayo John, Lagos-based businessman, Mr Taiwo Adedoja, a security consultant in Abuja, and Mr Odunayo Adebiyi, a businessman based in Ibadan, Oyo State. There were also subcommittees that assisted the mainstream reunion committee to deliver one of the best- organised reunions in the history of the school. Ajayi, popularly known as Ajaba, is the Social Secretary of the set.
Members of the ‘87 set travelled from all parts of Nigeria as well as from Europe and the United States to be part of the programme.
The reunion began on Wednesday May 11 with the arrival and registration of members. There were exchange of pleasantries and banters, as some of the members were seeing one another for the first time in 35 years.
The programme commenced the second day with a session on Career and Entrepreneurship Talk which took place at the Old Lecture Theatre of the school. Anchoring the session were three renowned scholars who are members of the set. They include Prof Oguntoyinbo, the president, Prof .Goke Melodi, Professor of Engineering at Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State, and Dr Poju Ashaolu, an economist, financial expert and scholar at the Federal University of Oye- Ekiti, Ekiti State.
It was an interesting session, as the students listened with rapt attention to lectures on how they could choose their careers rightly and become self-employed after leaving school, especially in the face of the current economic situation and high unemployment rate in the country.
The students at the session radiated joy and enthusiasm to see accomplished old boys of the school coming down to their level to interact with them.
Ample opportunity was given to the students present to ask questions which were answered with clinical precision, simplicity and passion by the trio. It was indeed an interesting session where tea and lunch breaks were observed.
A delegation of the class, later in the evening, checked on the families of some of their members who had passed on. About two years ago, the set built and furnished a house for the family of late Kola Agboola, a member who had also passed on. The set also empowered the deceased’s family, particularly his fashion designer-son whom the set procured an industrial machine and other equipment for to enable him to earn a decent living. The set later had a get-together at Delight Hotel, hosted by the UK-based Social Secretary, Abiodun Ajayi.
On Friday May 13, four important events took place. First was the presentation of scholarship awards to indigent but brilliant students who had performed excellently in a selection examination which had earlier taken place in the school premises. A committee had already been put in place by the set to select beneficiaries of the scholarship awards. The committee was headed by Vice President of the set, Comrade Sola Adigun. Adigun, a seasoned educationist and current chairman, Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS) in Ekiti State, is also Chairman of Trade Union Congress (TUC) in the state. Three brilliant but indigent students got the scholarship awards.
Also on Friday, the set made the presentation of Document Management System (DMS) to the authorities of the school. The DMS, which was developed by a member of the ‘ 87 set and a United States-based ICT expert, Dipo Popoola is a novel idea that will give Christ’s School , Ado-Ekiti a veritable means of managing all kinds of documents like it is done in standard schools all over the world. Later in the evening, a novelty football match between ‘87 set team and Christ’s School football team was held.
And to cap the day’s activities was an Asun Night, a social outing that allowed interactions between old friends and classmates. It was held at the Jacob and Susan Hotel, Adebayo Quarters, Ado-Ekiti.
On Saturday, May 14, the set held its Annual General Meeting at the old Lecture Theatre of the school. And later in the evening, an Awards and Dinner night was held. It was attended by members of the set and many invited guests.
Among the guests were Prof. Mobolaji Aluko, an old student (1971), pioneer Vice – Chancellor of Federal University, Otuoke, Bayelsa State and current Commissioner for Public Infrastructure and Utilities, Ekiti State, and Mr Adekunle Dada, a member of ‘85 set of Christ’s School, Ado-Ekiti and the current Chief of Protocols to Ekiti State Governor. Also at the Awards Night/ Dinner was the Principal of the school, Canon E. Olu Oso who had been playing the role of a Chief Host since the reunion started on Wednesday, May 11. Some members of the set were honoured at the event chaired by Prof Aluko. The new General Executive Committee headed by Prof Oguntoyinbo was inaugurated at the event.
The grand finale of the 2022 reunion was the thanksgiving service which took place at the Chapel of Christ’s School. At the event, clerics took turns to pray for those at the service and all members of ‘87 set home and abroad.
President of the Club, Oguntoyinbo thanked members of the set for their generosity, friendship, camaraderie and for showing love all through the reunion. He prayed that every member would enjoy a safe trip back to their various stations within and outside the country.
And after exchanging pleasantries, taking photographs and other interactions, the event officially closed, and many of the classmates started bidding farewell to their friends and to Ekiti State. But many were they that stayed back in the city for a few more days, electing to tarry awhile to further savour the ambience of the rocky city, the pounded yam, the native soups, the palm wine and other pleasures that Ado-Ekiti offers.
