Your Royal Highnesses, representatives of ODU, past Presidents of this Association, the school Principal, eminent delegates from far and near, current teachers and students of Offa Grammar School, distinguished invitees, ladies and gentlemen.

On behalf of our great Association, I wish to express our sincere thanks for honouring our invitation to yet another land-mark in the annals of this great school. I welcome you all most heartily to this Diamond Jubilee of Offa Grammar School, one of the oldest Community Grammar Schools in Nigeria.

Offa Grammar School is SIXTY (60) and we are happy and PROUD about that. We rejoice over being one of the oldest community schools in Nigeria. That status also has its price.

Precisely ten years ago, in this very hall. Some of us were admonished for the poor state of almost everything in this school. We could not clink glasses but as old students of this great school, some of us took up the challenge and promised to pick up the gauntlet. We resolved to start to renew our school. Under the inspired leadership of that God-sent leader at the time both the school and the Association needed him most, our dear Kabiyesi Alayeluwa Oba Oladele Olashore, the present Ajagbusi Ekun of lloko (he was then a prince) promised to devote time and resources endowed to him by the Almighty God to give a befitting facelift to the decaying infrastructures dotting our Alma Mater.

Immediately after the Golden Jubilee, efforts were geared towards raising funds through the endowment fund inaugurated, from members of the Association and friends of the school.

By the end of 1996, three years of sustained efforts under the leadership of Oba Olashore culminated in the execution of the following projects at a total cost of N3,100,090.00 (Three million, one hundred thousand and ninety Naira only.)

	Activity	Cost Naira (N)
a.	Construction of six classrooms of the old science Laboratory	1,343,490
b.	Renovation of the six classrooms Ground Floor (Old Science Laboratory)	139,000
c.	Renovation of Girls Hostel (uncompleted)	497,600
d.	Construction of Tables, chairs for Teachers and Laboratories etc	210.000
e.	Purchase of 800 Plastic Chairs for Ludlow Hall and Transportation	460,000
f.	Purchase of 500 gallons of paints for classrooms	450,000
Total		N3,100,090

The present executive of your Association took over the mantle of leadership when our immediate past President ascended the throne of his forefathers to become the Ajagbusin Ekun of lloko in 1997.

At that time, we pleaded with members nationwide for increased support and understanding in order to be able to steer^ the ship successfully. The modest achievements which we shall recount today in marking this Diamond Jubilee came as a result of improved awareness amongst members and the wonderful support received from hitherto moribund branches and newly established ones. We therefore have cause to glorify the Almighty God for giving us the will to forge ahead at a reasonable pace to achieve these modest feats. The journey so far has been tortuous but pleasantly rewarding.

Some succor came from the execution of the following projects:-

1. The 1969/73 set renovated a block of 12 (twelve) classrooms to mark their 25th Anniversary celebration Project cost was estimated at N 450, 000.00 (Four Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira.
2. The 1965/69 set carried out the renovation of the Principals office at approximately N 500.000 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira)
3. The STAR achievement of this period came from our" Millennium branch" - ABUJA. The branch that was inaugurated in the year 2000 successfully carried out complete renovation of the three science blocks and also supplied NEW SCIENCE EQUIPMENTS for all! These two projects cost about N 3.5 million (Three and a half million Naira).

   In addition to the above, a strong member of the branch Eng. J.A.Akinola, was instrumental to the siting of a MONDERN BOREHOLE in the school. This has eliminated the problem of water shortage in the school permanently. A very good friend of our ABUJA branch is being honoured today for his handsome donation of over N 3 million (Three million Naira) to this project.

4. The 1968 class set renovated the LIBRARY Block at a cost of nearly N 1million (one million Naira only). This project is being commissioned today. The class set has also promised to extend the library block this year.
5. The 1967 class set is undertaking a complete facelift of the school gate.
6. Chief E. Adesoye, the ASIWAJU of Offa in addition to giving our association an anniversary dinner is undertaking the renovation of the ARTS ROOM of the school.
7. A member of the 1971 set, Deacon John Dara during the last year conference donated N 200,000 (Two hundred Thousand Naira) worth of books to the school library. He was a gubernatorial aspirant in the last primaries of the ruling PDP.
8. MINNA BRANCH of the Old students Association is the youngest of all our branches. It is however heart warming that this young branch is today donating a brand new PHOTOCOPYING Machine to the school.

The above-mentioned modest achievements are clear indications that members are now alive to their responsibilities to our Alma Mater. Today, I am sure that we shall witness unprecedented show of love to the school by well endowed members and class sets in form of huge donations and project-oriented commitments.

In appreciation of this new enthusiasm from branches and members, your association is presenting MERIT AWARDS to four categories of winners for their outstanding contributions to the growth of Offa Grammar School. These categories are:-

(i) Members (ii) Class sets (iii) Branches and (iv) Friends of the Association.

We shall also present some of our PATRONS present here today with their plaques of office.

In recognizing some of our distinguished old students and those who have served the school creditably, 1 must mention that we have a long list of deserving persons but we cannot give everybody this year.

While I congratulate the few recipients this year, I wish to assure many other deserving persons that their turn will come.

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, the Offa Grammar School Old Students Association has continued to be the envy of many in this country. This is because we are blessed with highly placed men and women in all walks of life in the society. For example, today, we have three Rear Admirals in the Nigerian Navy. One of the three must emerge in no distant future as the head of the entire Nigerian Navy. Also, we have at least Five Paramount rulers in the south western part of Nigeria.

In 60 years of existence, our school has produced well over 10,000 (TenThousand) students. Your Association's next target is to maintain these infrastructures being renovated over the years promptly by creating a FUND to be maintained in OFFA for easy disbursement for urgent repairs and maintenance. Towards this scheme, your Association adopted a resolution from ABUJA branch at last year's conference making it mandatory for every member to pay a paltry sum of N 1000.00 (One Thousand Naira) per annum. A few members have paid their dues through Lagos Branch and I am sure that other branches will collect and pay for their members at this meeting. We are anxious for this scheme to take off and I can assure you that this will materialize within the next few months.

Also, at last year's conference, a few members made pledges to upgrade their STAR Donors list status. I implore these members to honour their pledges promptly while appealing to the generally of our members that we are still keeping the scheme open to all member's for at least another year. Your executive is still not impressed that only 18 members have paid the sum of N50,000 (Fifty Thousand Naira) or above since the inception of this scheme in 1992. Our highest donor remains Kabiyesi Alayeluwa Oba Oladele Olashore with N 378,000.00. to date. I am convinced that with a potential membership of 10,000 (Ten Thousand) members, we are quite capable of getting at least 500 (Five hundred) names on the star donors list by next year. Time may not be on the side of some of us. There exists a very positive force that reminds us that we have limited time and that no one will get out of this world alive. As the saying goes, there are some of us who actually believe we will. We act as if we have forever! I've always wanted to climb a mountain. Ill do it tomorrow" you may not.

Before I end my address, I want to call our attention to a project which is very dear to your present executive. The hall in which we are today - Ludlow hall was built to accommodate 300. Today the school has a population of nearly 2000. This Association wants to expand the Ludlow hall to a befitting size in 24 months. We believe we can do it with God on our side. Let us make this a special challenge and work assiduously towards its realization.

My appeal goes out once more to al! of us to make a new resolution today to uplift our association in order to give our Alma Mater a pride of place.

1 thank our hosts, Chief Adesoye and Oba Mustapha Olawore Ariwajoye 11, the Principal, Staff and Students who voluntarily accepted to provide for us this year.

1 thank you all for being here today and I wish you ail continued blessing of the Almighty God.

God be with you till we meet again.

Chief Femi Olukanmi
President, OGS0SA