As the remains of the pioneer President-General of the Unity Schools Old Students Association (USOSA), Albert Egbaroghene Okumagba’s was laid to rest on Friday, the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the group, and many of its members paid tribute to their friend and colleague, who passed away on November 19, 2020, at the age of 56.
Mr Okumagba, an economist, capital market operator and financial expert from Delta State, was the former group managing director of BGL Group, a leading investment and financial services group.
The Chairman BoT of the organisation, Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode, stated that Albert was an extraordinary Nigerian and true USOSAN, who would be greatly missed.
Muhammed-Oyebode said, “Albert was a Nation builder and as pioneer President General of USOSA, he worked assiduously to birth and grow the body, spending his time and resources in those early days to give life to a community network of alumni, which comprises graduates of the 104 Federal Government Colleges in Nigeria, known as Unity Schools.”
She added that the deceased passion for education and for the unity of Nigeria knew no bounds, declaring, “the Unity Schools, – the country as a whole – especially its education sector, will no doubt miss him.”
Muhammed-Oyebode further explained that Okumagba pioneered the association, saying, “it was Mr Okumagba’s vision to grow what was initially an informal coming together of a few former students of various unity schools, and turn it into the formidable network of leaders that it is today. USOSA owes him a debt of gratitude which can be offset if his legacy is safeguarded.
“Okumagba was a de-tribalised Nation builder who worked to leave his mark on the country, as envisioned by the founding fathers of Nigeria and the Unity schools; whose tenets are to advance the objectives of national unity, national development and nation building through quality and equitable access to education in Nigeria,” she stated” .
Members of the BoT, Garba U Tetengi (SAN ) , Joseph O Tegbe Partner KPMG, Chuks Anagbogu, Uyi Akpata partner PWC, Harriet Ateke, Abdulrahman Shuaibu, Ezinwa Okoroafor and Deborah Usman, collectively made a call to all USOSAns “to ensure that they leave the association a little stronger, build their networks a little better, and do their best to strengthen the education sector and serve the Nigerian child so that our country will live up to the very lofty ideals that Albert affirmed.”
