By Dupson Collins, 24th November, 2022
The bickering over the ownership of the Oyemekun Grammar School Akure has continued to generate controversy between the Anglican church and Akure Community.
While Anglican Church Mission under the leadership of Archbishop of Ondo Ecclesiastical Province, Most Rev Simone Borokini is laying claims to the ownership, Akure Community insist that the school was built by the people of the community.
Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu led government in Ondo State has given Mission Schools in the state an open cheque of reclaiming their school back with motive of improving the standard of education in the state, but the kind gesture has been shrouded in unresolved controversy.
In his reaction to the claimed of the Archbishop Borokini, Dr Adeleke Adedipe of the Elemo lineage has faulted the disposition of the Anglican church on the ownership, saying the school was built by the community contrary to Archbishop Borokini claims.
In a statement released to the press, Dr Adeleke narrated the efforts of the Late Oba Alaiyeluwa Afunbiowo Adesida I – 41st Deji of Akure, Pa Adegbola, Chief (Hon) Orisabinu Adedipe IV – 13th Elemo of Akure), Pa Agunloye, Prince Adegboye Adesida, Pa JA Faloye among others in the building of the school, saying the efforts of these leaders shall never be in vain nor sacrificed on the altar of unholy religiosity.
The Press Statement Read:
I have just been intimated with what took place at the meeting – held on Tuesday 22nd November 2022 with Ondo State Commissioner for Education by an eye witness and participant. This account puts things in perspective for me on Bishop Simeon Borokini, PhD – the Archbishop of Ondo Anglican Ecclesiastical Province
My statement above is done advisedly because I found it difficult to believe the account of the news magazines on the disposition of Bishop Borokini as pertaining to Oyemekun Grammar School Akure (OGSA) and its ownership. That he repeated the same disposition at the meeting with the Ondo State Commissioner for Education meant he was not misquoted by the news magazines
It is a fallacious argument on the part of Bishop Borokini to equate Akure Community (an heterogenous and multi-religious society) with Anglican Communion because of the quest to appropriate the ownership of Oyemekun Grammar School Akure
It is a known fact of history that the quest by Anglican Communion to appropriate OGSA dated back to the mid 1950s shortly after its establishment when some people toyed with the idea of renaming it Oyemekun Anglican Grammar School Akure and it took the vehement opposition of Oba Alaiyeluwa Afunbioeo Adesida I and others (e.g., Chief (Hon) Orisabinu Adedipe – my father) to forestall such ill-motivated adventure
The forceful highjack of the land and landed property (e.g., School Chapel) of Oyemekun Grammar School, Akure under the guise and garb of religiosity in recent times (post 1984) is really absurd, untenable and unholy.
Without an iota of doubt, the labors of our (Akure Community) heroes (Oba Alaiyeluwa Afunbiowo Adesida I – 41st Deji of Akure, Pa Adegbola, Chief (Hon) Orisabinu Adedipe IV – 13th Elemo of Akure), Pa Agunloye, Prince Adegboye Adesida, Pa JA Faloye, and others) past shall never be in vain nor sacrificed on the altar of unholy religiosity
I have nothing against the Anglican Communion or its local leadership in Akure but I have something against inappropriate stance and attempt(s) to blot out the good work of Akure Community and cast the labor of her heroes past into the dustbin of history. No honest and God-fearing Akure indigene will allow such perfidy to go unchallenged. The man dies in him who keeps quiet in the face of tyranny.
