Leading 94 Ogssians Worldwide: Care, Authenticity and Respect

On the 13th of February, I will step aside from my role as the president of 94 Ogssians Worldwide-the association of 89-94 class set of Government Secondary Owerri-a prestigious citadel of learning founded in 1935. The six-year journey which I started as the pioneer Secretary-General and later as a two-term president has been nothing short of eventful and as a student of leadership, a hugely enriching experience.

A unique association in many respects, we have membership drawn from all the continents of the earth, but we are organized under 6 chapters-4 in Nigeria and 2 overseas. Our membership strength is about 130. Since we left school in 1994, sadly, we have lost 6 of our classmates to the great beyond. May their souls continue to rest in peace, amen.

We have professionals in all works of life. We have senior medical professionals, brilliant lawyers, senior energy professionals, military personnel, senior bankers, successful civil servants, businessmen, etc. Though we are not all equally successful, we treat each other with a lot of respect and love as we tend to see in each of us, young boys who shared childhood in the late ’80s and early 90’s irrespective of what we have become in life.

Leading 94 Ogssians presented me with another opportunity of leading people without having formal authority over them. My leadership in SPE Port Harcourt and Nigeria council committees prepared me for this role. In my estimation, SPE was easier to lead because you enjoy the company of younger professionals who look up to you as a mentor and therefore may extend loyalty.

Leading my class set presented a different proposition. While functioning as the secretary in the pioneer exco, I learned quickly that building trust with the group was important for successful leadership. Adopting the core values of care, authenticity, and respect for people; I set out on that journey of trust-building. The first exco succeeded in delivering a few projects for the school and improving the welfare of our members. ?I served a 2-year tenure as the Secretary-General before I became elected as the president.

By the time I became president, we had consolidated as an association. By the way, we stay connected almost 24-hours a day through our hyper-active WhatsApp group that can boast of over 300 chats on a quiet day. When folks in Nigeria are getting tired, guys in US and Canada are just starting while Australian people are way into the next day of chatting. Lolz. Therefore, WhatsApp presented a veritable platform for administering the association. Beyond the exco, there is the World Executive Committee (WEC)- the highest decision-making body also led by the Worldwide President. The WEC comprises the Chapter Leads of the 6 chapters and the Worldwide president, the Sec-Gen, Vice President, and the Financial Secretary. We are guided by our By-law that defines the roles and responsibilities of each exco member, membership benefits, finance, dues, election matters, etc.

We delivered many welfare projects, knowledge-sharing sessions, and social events. Key highlights for the outgoing exco are the successful delivery of the 25th Anniversary of our school leaving in October 2019 and the launch of a functional Cooperative Society through which members are already achieving some modest financial goals. We also support each other around welfare, and we reach out to support our alma mater, the teachers, and students from time to time. Our efforts earned us recognition from the larger body of the Old Boys’ Association-a privilege only given to functional and visible class sets.

I enjoyed overwhelming support and loyalty during my 2-term (4-year) tenure as the president of this prestigious association and I am grateful to our members for that. The core values I took into this role (Care, Authenticity, and Respect for People) paid off as I never struggled to push through with my programs. Members on many occasions were always willing to propose and drive initiatives for the group. I will now proudly support the new exco in an advisory capacity as they take the association to the next level.

Let me close this write-up by reciting our prestigious school anthem:

Remember where you come from

wherever you may chance to go

Uphold the supremacy to do or to die for the right

Our alma mater and the country

we shall always hold them dear

For the Lord will surely bless thee

Good GSSO.