First Generation schools’ Principals visit QC for assessment

Kofoworola Belo-Osagie
Seven principals of first generation secondary schools in Lagos state have visited Queen’s College to verify the claims of epidemic in the 92-year old girls’ only secondary school.
The principals, under the umbrella of the Lagos First Generation Heritage Colleges Association (LAFGHECA), were led by the founding chairman of the association, Otunba Dele Olapeju, also the former principal of King’s College Lagos.
The delegates of the association, which comprises of the oldest public and missionary secondary schools in Lagos State, came to the school from the group’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) held at King’s College.

The delegation included the principal, CMS Grammar School, Revd Sunday Sofekun; Principal, St Finbarrs High School, Mr Victor Biyibi, who was elected LAFGHECA Chairman on Thursday; Principal, Ansar U-Deen Girls’ High School, Itire, Mrs Sherifat Mohammed; Principal, Ansar U-Deen College, Isolo, Mr Tajudeen Adebambo; Principal, Western College, Yaba, Olusegun Olamoyesun, and Principal, Ansar-U-Deen Grammar School, Randle, Surulere, Mr Habeeb Badru.
After a session with the Principal of Queen’s College, Mrs Tokunbo Yakubu-Oyinloye, the visitors asked to see the sick bay to confirm if indeed many girls were ill.
Mrs Yakubu-Oyinloye said there was no epidemic, adding that the girls who had flu had been allowed to go home to treat themselves.
She said: “We don’t have any epidemic in the college. What we had were some students with flu, which we have been told is prevalent around this period and seems to be all over Lagos. But I do not know why someone decided to plant fake news in the press.
“But I thank God, the Ministry of Health have been here – LUTH, LASUTH, Epidemiologists and others. You must have seen their press release inside the papers– where they said it has nothing to do with water, or food. That is upper respiratory tract. It does not have anything to do with what happened in 2017.
“Some children were sent home because some of them do not use drugs. So that they can get individualized care and minimize the sneezing, the touching of each other – we sent them home.”
Principal of Western College, Olamoyesun, said he was glad there was no epidemic as the incident of 2017 water-borne disease which left three pupils of Queen’s College dead, affected his school.
“Our school is close to Queen’s College so when I heard of the rumour, I had to drive down. But I thanked God when I saw children trooping in and out,” he said.
Otunba Olapeju said after going round, he had debunked the epidemic claim, attributing it to mischievous elements. He said the LAFGHECA principals were in solidarity with Mrs Oyinloye-Yakubu.
“Everything is cool, calm and collected. The epidemic is a figment of somebody’s wide and riotous imagination. The only thing leadership requires is courage to confront negative news, fake news – say it as it is,” he said