By Olarinoye Tunde
Your Excellency, Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq,
This is not an attack, but a heartfelt plea from a concerned old boy—a call borne out of deep emotional attachment and sincere patriotism. I write not just with my pen, but with the pain of history and the burden of truth. I ask you, sir, to read these words with empathy and vision, not with defensiveness or weariness.
Government Secondary School, Ilorin—fondly called GSS Ilorin—was established in 1914. It is more than a school. It is a legacy. A cradle of excellence. A towering symbol of Northern Nigeria’s educational heritage. But today, this once-proud institution sits in neglect, its halls echoing not with the laughter of thriving students, but with the silence of abandonment.
The last semblance of renovation this great school saw was in 2005, and even then, it was a half-hearted effort that failed to match the dignity of a school that has produced some of the finest leaders Nigeria has ever known. From Chief C.O. Adebayo, the former civilian governor and federal minister, to the late Governor Mohammed Lawal, from Senators like Mohammed Hammed and Nurudeen Abatemi to respected academics like Prof. Suleiman Age and Prof. Saka Mahmud—these were men shaped by the classrooms and corridors of GSS Ilorin.
Emirs, traditional rulers, captains of industry—men who went on to build nations—once walked barefoot across this campus. It is painful that none of them, nor many among us, would today feel proud or safe enough to send our own children back to that very same institution.
The school, over the past four decades, has survived not by the will of government, but by the mercy of its Old Boys. We have come together, as sets and individuals, to patch walls, fix windows, and replace broken dreams. But there’s only so much we can do.
Your Excellency, we commend the construction of the internal road network. It is a good gesture, but one raindrop does not end a drought. GSS Ilorin needs more. Much more.
The land grabs that have stripped this institution of its space must be investigated and reversed. The school needs a proper perimeter fence to secure it from further encroachment. The continued occupation of part of the school land by Craneburg, a construction company hired by the government, is not only inappropriate—it is a disgrace in an academic environment meant to inspire learning, not industry noise.
We need you, sir, to visit this institution yourself. Conduct an on-the-spot assessment. See what we see. Feel what we feel. Let your heart speak, not just your office. GSS Ilorin should be a mega school, a flagship of education in Kwara State—not a relic of what was.
The hostels? Inhospitable. The classrooms? Crumbling. The laboratories are non-functional, and the once-proud football pitch now lies bare, without even a decent pavilion. How do we inspire the youth when the very walls that should shape them are decaying?
Let us dream again. Let us hope again.
This administration has already shown a passion for education. Cement it by prioritizing one of the oldest and most symbolic schools in the north of Nigeria. Let GSS Ilorin be your legacy. Let it rise again under your watch.
You will be writing your name in gold if you answer this clarion call. Posterity will remember you not only for the roads you built but for the future you rebuilt through education.
Thank you, Your Excellency.
With deep respect and unwavering hope,
Olarinoye Tunde is former Secretary, GSS Ilorin Old Boys Association
