METHODIST COLLEGE ALUMNI PUSH INFRASTRUCTURE RENEWAL, ADMISSION REFORM

The newly inaugurated National President of the Methodist Comprehensive College Old Students Association, Sagamu, Ogun State, Col Dele Oyefuga (retd.), has pledged to reunite estranged alumni, restore the institution’s academic standards and address its infrastructural challenges through strategic interventions.

Oyefuga also laid the foundation for the association’s national secretariat, saying the project, expected to be completed before the end of the year, would enhance coordination among members and support efforts to unite all alumni.

He expressed concern over what he described as excessive student enrolment, warning that the school’s infrastructure was deteriorating under the pressure of an overpopulated student body.

The retired military officer said the association would work with the Ogun State Ministry of Education to restore the common entrance examination to ensure a controlled admission process based on merit.

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Speaking with journalists after the inauguration of the new MECCOSA executive in Sagamu on Saturday, Oyefuga said his immediate priority was to reconcile all alumni groups and mobilise them to contribute to the development of their alma mater.

He explained that the construction of a national secretariat was central to achieving that objective.

“My major plan now is to, first and foremost, unify all sets of our great school. I am aware that there’s been some back and forth in the build-up of the association, so my primary aim is to start unifying all sets to be able to do the work ahead of us.

“As the president, I cannot do the work alone. So I must find a way of galvanising our members and, in doing that, I have itemised that the first on my project list is building the national secretariat for our association.

“The Ministry of Education has approved a location for us within the school premises to construct a befitting and rallying point secretariat.

“There are rancours, there are some sets that pulled out of the association. I need to bring them back because it is only when we are united that we can achieve meaningful progress for the school.

“This informs why the national secretariat is our first priority, and we trust God that before the end of this year, the secretariat should be ready,” he said.

On the state of the school, Oyefuga said, “One other thing that we need to quickly look at is that our school is overpopulated.

“What we’ve found out is that there is currently no common entrance examination for students to come into our school. With the help of the Ministry of Education, we want to restore the common entrance examination because the population of students is now far beyond the capacity of the available infrastructure.

“In that environment, you cannot get a quality education, and that means the products of our school will be inferior to others.

“In those days when we were in school, Methodist students were among the best in Remoland in terms of academic performance. We want to restore the past glory of our alma mater.”

He appealed to the state government to partner with the association in improving infrastructure in the school, saying existing facilities were inadequate for the growing student population.

“We are pleading with the state government and the Ministry of Education to look in our direction. The infrastructure in the school is deteriorating at an alarming rate. The old students have been doing so much to provide infrastructure, but the student population is overwhelming the available facilities.

“When you renovate a classroom, within three months it begins to deteriorate again because of the large number of students. When there are no more chairs, students sit on the window frames. These are some of the issues we need to address urgently,” he said.

The immediate past National President of the association, Dare Adebisi, thanked members for their unwavering support during his four-year tenure, saying the administration’s achievements were made possible by their cooperation.

He urged the new executive to lead with integrity, transparency, humility and a spirit of service, while building on existing achievements and placing the interest of the association above personal ambition.

The Vice Chairman of Sagamu Local Government, Alhaji Isiaka Salami, an alumnus of the school, commended the association for its contributions to the institution’s development and urged members to continue supporting the new leadership in its efforts to reposition the school.