By Amby Uneze, Owerri
The Mbaise Secondary School Old Boys' Association (MSSOBA) has fixed January 4 and 5, 2027, for the Platinum Jubilee celebration marking the 70th anniversary of the school's founding.
Announcing the plan at a press briefing held last weekend in the newly reconstructed dining hall of the school, the Chairman of the Central Planning Committee, Chief Eddy Anyanwu, outlined a series of activities lined up for the event. The theme is "Restore, Renew and Reimagine Mbaise Secondary School."
Chief Anyanwu said the celebration is not only meant to commemorate seven decades of the institution's existence. It is also intended to rally alumni, government, communities, the private sector and other stakeholders behind the comprehensive renewal of a school that helped shape the intellectual and social development of Mbaise and the wider society.
He recalled that the school was founded in 1956 by the County Council, at a time when communities and local authorities increasingly saw formal education as an indispensable instrument of social advancement and economic progress. Over the years, he said, it has widened access to education for Mbaise people and beyond, cultivated intellectual discipline, nurtured character and prepared young men for responsible citizenship.
According to him, its alumni have made their mark in the professional, business, commercial, scientific, technological, administrative, cultural and civic spheres, and have contributed to national development through resourcefulness in every field of human endeavour.
Chief Anyanwu listed the old boys' interventions in the school to include the provision of security, the construction of a six-classroom block, the renovation of the main block, and the provision of a computer studio through Shell. The Class of 1980 renovated the Ibiam Hall and the dining hall, while a motorized borehole water supply was also provided. The Class of 1976 constructed a perimeter fence, renovated the school gatehouse and rehabilitated internal access roads, a project with a budget of N90 million.
In his remarks, the National President of the association, Barr. Emma Ekechukwu, urged all stakeholders, including government and communities, to support MSSOBA in achieving the complete renovation of the school and the restoration of its academic excellence.
Among those present at the briefing were Chief Christian Ikwu, one of the school's first old boys who later became its principal; Barr. Cyril Anyanwu, an old boy and former President General of Ezuruezu Mbaise, the apex socio-cultural organisation of Mbaise; Chief Austin Onwubiko; Chief Steve Onu; and Surveyor Chima Nwokoma, Secretary of the committee, alongside other old boys.
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