The Anglican Diocese of Lokoja has described the recent attack on the Anglican mission and misconceptions about the proprietorship of Crowther Memorial College, Lokoja, by the old students of the college as uncalled for, unwarranted and terribly absurd.
Most Revd Emmanuel A.S. Egbunu Diocesan/Proprietor, responding to the claim by the old students of the college alleging that the mission is running the college without due process, noted that in normal circumstances, the main role of an alumni association is to endeavour to give a little back to the school from the invaluable sundry training the alumni have received.
While thanking God for bringing Crowther Memorial College to its 61st anniversary, he said the Church Missionary Society (CMS), which established the oldest secondary school in Nigeria, CMS Grammar School, Bariga, Lagos, in 1859, finally reached them in Lokoja, which was a joy.
Reverend Egbunu listed other missionary schools that enjoy similar status to CMC, including Offa Grammar School, which he said was founded in 1943 among similar initiatives by the CMS.
He also mentioned other missionary initiatives like Holy Rosary College, Idah (1957) preceding the Crowther Memorial College, saying that the Crowther Old Students Association Should Know Better about the operations of these institutions.
Speaking further, Most Reverend Egbunu stressed, “Over the years, the Alumni of Crowther Memorial College have followed the noble steps of similar associations to “give back” to the institution that shaped them.
“Their efforts have received appropriate commendation by the proprietor, the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Lokoja. The association has always been accorded honour due to a respectable group of respectable individuals.”
However, he regretted that the present executive committee believes they want more, and on their own terms. He said that, most unfortunately, they have chosen a time of celebration of their 61st anniversary to launch blackmail, setting aside what ought to be decent consultation.
“Now they have come to the open and in a manner that makes one wonder if those who taught them would not disown such conduct. Many who have listened to them will find their outing quite delusional, given the role of such associations.
“Their members went around harassing children in a most unbecoming manner, and we are to believe that this is what they have to show as products of a mission school.
“In normal circumstances, the main role of an alumni association is to endeavour to give a little back to the school from the invaluable sundry training the alumni had received. These could be in the form of donations of educational materials, the renovation of the school, or the honouring of the Proprietor.
“One would have thought that when the abandoned former hostels that had become dangerous hideouts for drug addicts and rapists were now being put to more positive use, it would attract commendation. Where were these old students all those years? Or again, one would also have thought that the goodwill of our mission in releasing our facilities to host government offices, notably the Kogi State Teaching Service Commission (TSC) for over two decades, which was finally vacated without any repairs, and we had to undertake that, would attract commendation; one would have thought that occupying some of those abandoned buildings with two more educational institutions when their beloved alma mata got little attention from the government that charged and collected the fees and would not hand over as others had done would attract applause.
“Did they ever wonder why it became necessary to start another school? No, this set of alumni wants the Anglican mission to be hands-off completely so that they can roll in their own ‘better-funded’ plans. And their grouse is not because the present population of staff and students lack classroom accommodation.
“What an absurdity that all they can see about the place of worship is funerals! Not weddings or other joyful occasions. It has never been wrong when the school has been hired for funeral receptions, when TSC was there with all manner of characters on the premises, etc. This speaks volumes.
“The Alumni of Crowther Memorial College Lokoja have suddenly become larger than life. Now that they have billions to throw into the development of their beloved school like no one else has done before (I hope they care to gather more information about the alumni of older mission schools and their relationship with their proprietors).
“A sense of decency prevents us from trading words in public. We believe there are enough well-informed old students of CMC who know the boundaries of alumni bodies to give direction to their inadequately informed members — some of whom are merely seeking some refuge from their tattered identities,” he said.