As part of activities marking their 40th reunion anniversary, members of the Loyola College Old Students Association, Ibadan, have inaugurated series of developmental projects in the school.
The projects which were part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and giving back to their alma mater included construction of a borehole; renovated some sections of the school; installed a solar panel system and reconstruction of the food shed of the school as well as donation of notebooks to over 500 students.
The members dressed in their respective school uniforms, chanting their school anthem in unison, with their palms clung to their hearts.
In a week-long event in commemorating their Ruby Jubilee, the ‘G85’ Set held a public lecture with the theme: ‘The menace of drug abuse among students’, delivered by Professor Jubril Abdulmalik, a consultant psychiatrist and founder, Aside Foundation.
Speaking to over 500 Students, Prof. Abdulmalik highlighted the danger in taking drugs students, stressing that engaging in such practice damages the brain.
He stated that the commonest challenges with adolescents are anxiety, depression, drug abuse and suicidal behaviours.
This, he said, may be caused by loneliness and peer pressure influence, which are major factors.
He appealed to the students not to be involved in drugs as it destroys life and shortens one’s lifespan.
The chairman, planning committee of the event, Chief Adewale Oyewo, appreciated the members particularly those who came from the USA, UK, Canada and other parts of the continent to attend the event.
Oyewo said the G85 Set illuminated the school when it started two years ago and completed the final phase of the project to commemorate the Ruby Jubilee celebration.
In continuation of the anniversary, a dinner and award ceremony was held at Koltol Hotel and Suites, Ibadan, where it honoured the teachers who impacted knowledge in them, and sharpened their lives into what they have become.
President of the ‘G85’ Set in his speech, Prof. Babatunde Adedibu, said their Ruby Jubilee celebration was a landmark occasion, as it has been 40 years of testament to endurance, friendship, shared memories, and the transformative power of education.