My Legacies Will Stand The Test of Time at Oyemekun Grammar School – Akoni Oluyide

The Education Desk of the PATH NEWS MAGAZINE chatted the Principal of Oyemekun Grammar School Akure (The Only School) Akoni Adeniyi Oluyide on the school resumption for 2026/2027 Academic Session, preparation, academic line up, achievements among others.

New academic session has commenced, what is the level of preparation at Oyemekun Grammar School, Akure?

Yes, first and foremost, I need to appreciate Almighty God, the One that made it possible for all members of staff and the students to resume today, 10th September 2026, for the new academic session and a new academic term in the education system of Ondo State.Although, in terms of preparation, the staff had already resumed last week. So, we had our statutory meeting, which is called the pre-session meeting. In that meeting, we outlined the programme for the school, and the school developmental plan was also outlined to the staff. We are fully prepared and ready for academic work as all necessary things for effective teaching and learning have been put in place.

Your school is one of the fewer schools visited by the Honourable Commissioner of Education. How would you describe the commissioner’s visit?

We are very happy to received the Honourable Commissioner, Prof Igbekele Ajibefun to the school. Oyemekun is a leading school in Ondo State and we are not surprised that he visited with his team.He came to identify with the school and to see that the school comply with the directive from the government. He prayed for the students and advised them to be good students, while also calling on them to focus on their studies.

Your words of wisdom to the students while addressing then at the Assembly ground?

I told the students that their watchword should be success, because if they want to achieve success in life, they should start from the beginning of the term. That is the right time for them to start in order to be promoted at the end of the session. I equally told them that success does not come by chance. It comes through attributes such as hard work, resilience, dedication, punctuality and commitment to their studies. I also informed them that they should be focused on their academics, respect the school rules and regulations, and at the same time respect their parents at home.

What is the level of compliance at Oyemekun Grammar School on the Collectibles approved by the Ministry of Education?

Yes, based on the collectibles, all those ones that were approved by Ministry of Education, we complied by it strictly at Oyemekun Grammar School. If you check the notice board, all the collectibles have been pasted on the notice board for transparency. The tuition fee that the government asked them to pay has also been pasted on the notice board. Then, at the same time, the mode of payment is now quite different from last term. They are going to pay all the money into an account. We call it the Gateway Collectible Account for all the schools in Ondo State. I believe this is a new idea and a new innovation, and it’s going to make payment easier for the parents because they can pay through the app at their own comfort. But I want to appeal to the parents that when they are making such payments, the narration should carry the name of the student and probably the class of that student. They must equally print the receipt, and the receipt must be brought to the school immediately so it won’t fade away.

This central payment system that has just been introduced by the Ministry of Education, it is believe in some quarters that it’s for accountability and transparency. Do you share the same view?

Yes, 100 percent in agreement. It’s for accountability and transparency. And it’s also an easy mode of payment for parents. So, parents can just pay at their own comfort zone, then it will generate the receipt and they can bring it to the school for confirmation.

On admission, can you tell us the number of students so far admitted into JSS1?

You know, being the boys-only public school in Akure, many people want their wards to come to Oyemekun Grammar School, especially boys, based on the legacies of the School. Oyemekun Grammar School is known for academic excellence and moral discipline, and most of the students that attended the School can be found in high places in Nigeria and across the world. By the special grace of God, during the placement examination, almost 3,000-plus students sat for the examination because they wanted to come to the school. But the current capacity of the school cannot take more than 557 students. So, we are working towards that. The admission is still in progress.

What do you want to be remembered for as the Principal of this great citadel of learning as you about to bow out of service?

Yes, by the special grace of God, every principal comes and leaves legacies, and every principal writes his name in gold through the achievements he is able to make during his tenure. During my short period, I’ve tried to do fencing, which had been a difficult problem for Oyemekun Grammar School for a long time. But during my tenure, within a year, the whole compound was completely fenced. So, this has been a very good achievement for my administration. Then, not only that, the students represented the school academically in quiz competitions, spelling bee competitions and debate competitions, and they came back with trophies, medals and awards.

In the areas of academic, sports, and infrastructure development of the school in the last one year, how would you rate these?

From the academic perspective, the school is doing well. Concerning sporting activities, the school is also doing well. So, I’m going to be noted for that, apart from other infrastructural developments that have happened in the school. These include the renovation of classrooms, building of classrooms, the supply of solar street lights, the supply of a massive borehole, and an ICT programme that is being brought to the school by the National Secondary Education programme, which was facilitated by Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire The programme is still ongoing. Definitely, all these legacies projects, both academic and infrastructure would stand the test of time.

You mentioned the support of the students and the school. Can you tell us more about the support from the old students?

Yes. If you look at the beautification of the school, it is being done by the old students, the Alumni Association.I want to tell you categorically that we have very vibrant and very resourceful persons in our alumni. The Alumni Association teams up together, and it’s just like a competition between the Sets and different branches in order to develop Oyemekun Grammar School. As a result of this, I give kudos to all members of the alumni, Oyemekun Grammar School Association, for developing and for coming back to our alma mater.

If you have the resources before you exit this office, what other projects do you plan to embark on?

We started the second phase of the fencing because we have a business ventures area. So, we want to fence out those engaging in those business ventures. We don’t want them to have access to the school compound. So, we have started the second phase, and we are working on it.

On a final note sir, what’s your advice to the students

I already adviced them on the assembly that there is no way they can get to the top without working very hard. I also told them that, it is the way they lay their bed that, they will lie on it. For them to be great in life, they must be hardworking, and focused on their studies because there’s no short cut to success.