Albert Egbaroghene Okumagba

As the remains of the pioneer President-General of the Unity Schools Old Students Association (USOSA), Albert Egbaroghene Okumagba was laid to rest on Friday, the Board of Trustees of the group, and many of its members paid tribute to their friend and colleague, who passed away on November 19th, 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, Board of Trustees of the organisation, Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode, stated that Albert was  an extraordinary Nigerian and true USOSAN, who would be greatly missed.

“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 his 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, Muhammed-Oyebode emphasized, “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.”

Members of the Board of trustees, 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.”