The President-General of the Unity School Old Students Association (USOSA), Michael Magaji, has called for renewed government commitment to public school safety and funding, warning that insecurity and declining educational infrastructure are threatening the values that once brought Nigerian children together.
Magaji spoke in Ibadan during a wellness programme and the inauguration of the USOSA Ibadan chapter, where alumni gathered for a fitness walk and medical checks designed to encourage members to pay greater attention to their health.
According to him, the Unity Schools were established in 1966 to bring young Nigerians from different parts of the country together, expose them to diverse cultures and backgrounds, and foster a strong sense of national identity.
“People will leave Ibadan and go to school in Bauchi, Maiduguri or Kano,” Magaji said, stressing that such movement enabled students to understand Nigeria beyond their immediate communities. He, however, said insecurity has made that tradition increasingly difficult to sustain.
He therefore urged the government to make schools and the wider country safer, saying improved security would help restore the freedom of movement and interaction that characterised the Unity School experience.
Magaji also raised concerns about the growing number of out-of-school children and the deterioration of public education infrastructure.
He argued that public education should remain the most affordable and accessible option for Nigerian children, noting that education is recognised as a right of the child.
“Children should be brought back to school,” he said, advocating stronger government intervention to improve enrolment, infrastructure and learning conditions.
He noted that overcrowded classrooms and inadequate facilities were increasingly affecting the quality of learning, contrasting today’s classes of 50 to 60 pupils with the smaller classes experienced by many Unity School alumni.
While acknowledging that alumni associations were contributing to their former schools by constructing classrooms, donating books and supporting indigent students, Magaji stressed that the government retains the primary responsibility for public education.
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“It’s not just to fund it by way of the numbers, but to ensure that there’s good governance to support that growth,” he said.
Magaji said USOSA, which represents alumni of Unity Schools across Nigeria and abroad, remains committed to promoting national unity, excellence, hard work and integrity.
He urged members in Ibadan and across the country to continue projecting those values wherever they find themselves.
“We believe in Nigeria,” he said, adding that Unity School alumni were raised to value excellence, honesty, hard work and national unity.
For Magaji, the enduring mission of the Unity Schools is not simply about producing graduates but about producing Nigerians who understand and appreciate the country’s diversity.
“If you don’t, people will just stay in their worldview and will just remain as a state, not a nation,” he said.
The Team Lead of the USOSA Ibadan chapter, Dr Chisom Fajimi, said the event was organised to encourage members to monitor their vital health indicators and adopt regular physical activity.
Fajimi said the chapter intended to make fitness activities a regular feature, possibly on a quarterly basis, while also opening future walks to members of the wider public.
She emphasised the importance of monitoring blood pressure and other health indicators, describing health as an important form of wealth.
The Ibadan chapter’s wellness initiative is expected to continue as part of efforts to promote healthier lifestyles and stronger engagement among alumni.