A group photograph of the Esa Oke Grammar School Old Students’ Association ’81 Set at the annual get together. It was hosted by those in Oshogbo area at Owode-Ede, Osogbo, Osun State
The controversies surrounding the hosting of the yearly get-together event by the Esa Oke Grammar School, 1981, set in Owode-Ede, Osogbo, have been laid to rest.
The Set, through their spokesperson, Mr Gbenga Oni, said in a statement that “we did not and cannot sabotage Esa-Oke Day by deliberately fixing a date for our get-together that clashed with the Esa-Oke Day celebration”.
“As a matter of fact, according to our practice, we always choose our event date and venue a year ahead.
“The date and the venue of this year’s event were chosen at our get-together at Ibadan last year. By the time we realised it clashed with Esa-Oke Day celebration, we had no choice but to release two of our very active members – Idowu Afolami and Taiwo – nee Adelugba,- to represent us.
The old classmates had fixed the 2025 annual get-together party for November 8 and picked Owode-Ede, Osogbo as the venue in November 2024, during their get-together party hosted in Ibadan.
The old classmates usually host their annual get-together in November, and the venue usually moves around because many of the members are not Esa Oke indigenes.
Also, the Secretary of the EOGS ’81 Set, Elder James Adedayo, said, “the two events done simultaneously in Esa Oke and Owode-Ede share the same objectives.
He believed that “the development of our town, Esa Oke, even though one looks at this from the angle of fostering the development through our educational system”.
He contended further that “this is even more strategic because the members (‘EOGS ’81 Set) comprises more than 60 per cent non-indigenes and is contributing towards this goal”.
He urged the generality of the people not to allow sentiment to discourage these non-indigenes from identifying with their Alma Mater.