2016 Inaugural Meeting

The inaugural meeting of the Festac Grammar School Class of 1998 Alumni Association marked the formal beginning of what would become FGSCAA.

The journey had started only weeks earlier, when members of the Class of 1998 reconnected on 16 February 2016 and began discussing the need for a structured alumni body that could preserve the bond among former classmates while maintaining a continuing relationship with Festac Grammar School.

A WhatsApp communication platform became an early point of connection as the idea developed into a more organised association.

43 MembersInaugural Roll Call

A large group of Class of 1998 members standing together on a red carpet under a canopy in front of the Festac Grammar School crest backdrop at Frank Kids Park, 20 March 2016. — Members of the Festac Grammar School Class of 1998 at the inaugural meeting held at Frank Kids Park, Festac Town, on 20 March 2016.

From Reunion to Institution

At the centre of the early organising effort was Gerald Azonobo, described in the Association’s historical record as the “precursor of the group.”

He introduced the proposal that the emerging alumni body should be formally registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission and helped initiate the process that would give the Association a legal and institutional foundation.

The inaugural meeting at Frank Kids Park, Festac Town, therefore represented more than a social gathering. It became the first formal forum in which members began establishing the governance, leadership and institutional framework of the Association.

A 43-member inaugural roll call was recorded at the meeting, reflecting the level of participation at this formative stage.

Members of the Class of 1998 posing as a group beneath the canopy in front of the school crest backdrop during the inaugural gathering. — Members during the inaugural gathering as the emerging alumni body began taking a more organised institutional form.

Five members standing side by side in front of the Festac Grammar School crest and Class of 1998 backdrop. — Members gathered against the early Class of 1998 Alumni Association backdrop during the inaugural meeting.

The Working Session

The inaugural gathering combined fellowship with the serious work of establishing the emerging Association’s institutional direction. Members considered the governance, constitutional and organisational matters required to move the Class of 1998 alumni body from an informal reconnection into a structured association.

Members seated at a table in the hall at Frank Kids Park holding bound blue documents, with others standing behind them. — Members reviewing materials during the inaugural meeting at Frank Kids Park.

A member holding a microphone and a printed sheet while addressing the inaugural meeting, with green and white balloons beside him. — An address to members during the inaugural meeting.

Two members in conversation on the red carpet of the decorated hall, one holding a printed leaflet, with set tables and a stage behind them. — Members in discussion around the inaugural meeting proceedings.

Establishing the Board of Trustees

One of the major decisions of the meeting was the formal ratification of the Association’s Board of Trustees.

Founding registration trustees

Gerald AzonoboChairman
Adewale Aderoju
Mark Ahamefula
Henry EkpeSecretary
Thomas Kokobili
Abiodun Adetona

The general house ratified the trustees, and the necessary trustee signatures were appended to the documentation required for the Association’s registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission.

This provided an early governance foundation upon which the Association could continue to develop.

Preparing for Democratic Leadership

The inaugural meeting also addressed the transition from the initial organising structure to an elected Executive Committee.

Members approved the appointment of an Electoral Committee, with the Board of Trustees responsible for supervising the process.

The meeting further ratified 8 May 2016 as the date for the next meeting, during which the elected officers were to be ratified and sworn into office.

This early decision established an important principle for FGSCAA: that the Association would develop through defined governance processes rather than remain an informal alumni gathering.

Constitution and Institutional Framework

Another major item before the inaugural meeting was the Association’s Constitution and Bylaws.

Proposed amendments were presented to the house, and the Constitution and Bylaws were approved and ratified as part of the process of establishing the Association’s governing framework.

The adoption of these governance instruments helped define the structure through which membership, leadership, meetings and the activities of the Association would subsequently operate.

Frank Kids Park, Festac Town

Frank Kids Park in Festac Town provided the setting for the inaugural meeting of 20 March 2016, where members gathered to begin giving formal structure to the alumni association that had started taking shape through earlier discussions.

The hall at Frank Kids Park laid with a red carpet and tables dressed in white cloths with green chair covers and ribbons, with a member walking along the carpet. — Frank Kids Park, Festac Town, prepared for the inaugural Class of 1998 Alumni meeting.

A camera operator filming a member standing before the Class of 98 Alumni Association backdrop while other members look on. — Documentation of the inaugural gathering against the Class of 1998 Alumni Association backdrop.

Member Participation and Fellowship

The inaugural meeting also reflected the fellowship and renewed relationships that had brought members together again. These interactions formed the human foundation upon which the Association’s more formal institutional structure would develop.

A group of male members standing together on the red carpet in front of the school crest backdrop during the inaugural gathering. — Members during the inaugural gathering on 20 March 2016.

Members standing arm in arm and smiling inside the hall during the inaugural gathering. — Member fellowship formed an important part of the Association’s earliest gathering.

Four members posing together with arms around one another during an informal moment at the inaugural gathering. — Members sharing an informal moment during the inaugural gathering.

Members gathered in the hall during the inaugural gathering, one of them holding a young child. — Members and family participation during the inaugural gathering.

Looking Back to the Alma Mater

From its earliest meeting, FGSCAA was not conceived solely as a social organisation.

The inaugural meeting also considered proposals for supporting Festac Grammar School, including an item recorded in the minutes as “Project A.”

This demonstrated that service to the alma mater was already part of the Association’s developing institutional agenda at its foundation.

That commitment would later develop into educational interventions, infrastructure support, scholarships, health initiatives, humanitarian outreach and other projects undertaken by the Association.

The Visit to the Alma Mater

Following the inaugural meeting at Frank Kids Park, members walked together to Festac Grammar School to see the condition of their alma mater firsthand.

The visit gave members an opportunity to reconnect physically with the school and to observe areas in which support from the emerging alumni association could make a meaningful difference.

It reinforced an important principle that had already begun to emerge during the meeting: FGSCAA would not exist solely to reconnect former classmates. Service to Festac Grammar School and future generations of students would form part of the Association’s continuing purpose.

The walk from the inaugural meeting to the school therefore became one of the earliest practical expressions of the commitment to give back to the alma mater.

A group of members walking out through an open gate onto a Festac Town street, beside a sign reading “Okada not allowed”, after the inaugural meeting. — Members leaving Frank Kids Park after the inaugural meeting for the visit to Festac Grammar School.

Members walking together along a Festac Town street lined with parked cars, palm trees and apartment blocks, on their way to Festac Grammar School. — Members walking through Festac Town towards their alma mater following the inaugural meeting.

A large group of members standing on the pavement in front of the school wall painted “Festac Senior Grammar School”, one pointing towards the school. — Members at Festac Grammar School during the post-meeting visit to observe the condition of the alma mater.

Seven members standing together in front of the Festac Senior Grammar School wall during the visit on the day of the inaugural meeting. — Members during the inaugural-day visit to Festac Grammar School.

A Foundation for the Years Ahead

The decisions made at Frank Kids Park in March 2016 laid several of the foundations that would shape FGSCAA in the years that followed:

formal organisation
trusteeship
constitutional governance
democratic leadership
member participation
service to the alma mater

What began with classmates reconnecting in February 2016 had, by the inaugural meeting of 20 March 2016, begun its transformation into an organised alumni institution.

The meeting therefore remains one of the defining moments in the history of the Festac Grammar School Class of 1998 Alumni Association.

FGSCAA continues to preserve and expand its historical archive. Additional photographs and records from the Association’s formative years may be added as they are authenticated.