The idea of the establishment of Osogbo Grammar school was mooted by a group of Christians, who were members of All Saints’ Anglican Church, Osogbo, and other prominent sons and daughters of Osogbo, about the year 1943. The Osogbo Secondary School Movement was formed under the chairmanship of one Mr. Lewis, a public pharmacist at the Osogbo General Hospital.
Keep pushing! – It is wiser. Than sitting aside. And dreaming and sighing. And waiting the tide. In life’s earnest battle. They only prevail. Who daily march forward?. And never say “fail”
Other members of the movement included the Reverend R.A Ashley- Dejo, then the Vicar of All Saints’ Church Osogbo; Messrs John Koledowo; Thomas Ajani (Alaran and later Baba Ijo of All Saints’ Church Osogbo); Moses Oladipo (Tailor of Olobu Compound Osogbo); Adeleke Laniyan; Inspector J.A Ajan; Ayo Oyaniyun; P.A Mosadomi; Reverend Maxwell; D.B Ladiran; Mrs. Fabiyi (late Iya Ijo of All Saints’ Church, Osogbo); and Mrs. M.L. Odetola (mother of Professor Tunde Odetola) – all of blessed memory.
They were subsequently greatly assisted by His Majesty, Oba Samuel Adenle 1, The Ataoja of Osogbo and eventual proprietor of the school, in the arduous time of finding funding for planning and establishing the school.
Funds provided by a few Christians could not sustain the type of school envisaged. It, therefore, became necessary to secure the interest and cooperation of more Osogbo indigenes and residents, as well as the neighboring towns of Ede, Ikirun, Okuku and other areas of Osun Division
There was not a single secondary school in the whole of Osun Division at that time, and the Ministry of Education was stressing the need to join hands with Osogbo to establish one. The neighboring towns and villages also found it necessary to join hands with Osogbo to establish the school for the good of their communities. Moreover, the number of primary schools in the whole area could only provide the school population sufficient to sustain one grammar school.
The Osogbo Secondary School Movement then devised a way to raise funds for stating the school. One Mr. Jacob Adeoye was authorized to collect funds from indigenes of Osogbo at home and abroad. He collected a commission of 10 per cent on amounts he raised, in addition to his expenses.
The Movement, under the guidance of Oba Adenle, thought it fit to have an Osogbo “son” with requisite qualification to be chief executive of the proposed school. Oba Adenle himself knew of only one experienced school-teacher who would soon complete his degree program then; thus, a letter was written to Mr. Julius Omigbodun in Freetown in 1947, inviting him to come home and head the school soon as he finished his bachelor’s degree the following year.
Earlier on in 1945, Oba Adenle had used his personal resources to purchase a landed property – vacated that year by the army, which had used it as a base during the Second World War – and magnanimously donated it to the Osogbo Secondary School Movement. Oba Adenle also gingered the traditional rulers in the neighbouring communities to action.
This made the then Olokuku of Okuku, the Akinrun of Ikirun, the Timi of Ede and fellow traditional rulers to spread the gospel of the need to actively support the efforts of the Osogbo Secondary School Movement among their people.
On April 7, 1947, the foundation stone of the first classroom block was laid.It was built with mud and consisted of five classrooms and an assembly hall.
Oba Adenle personally monitored the progress of the construction. The block was ready within a short period and all it needed was students and teachers to give it life.
As soon as Mr Omigbodun returned from Sierra Leone, he reported at the palace and was briefed about activities and plans.The rest was an anxienty about if things would go according to plan.
It was through the good offices of Mr. Hunt Cooke, the then Senior Education Officer for the Ibadan Division, that permission was granted to the school to open in May 1950.
The school was registered as Osogbo United Grammar School. In consultation with the Ministry of Education, a steering committee was inaugurated on 21st June, 1950, to manage the school.
Members of the steering committee were drawn from Osogbo, Ede, Ikirun, Odo-Otin and Ifelodun District Council areas.The members present at the first meeting held on 21st, June 1950, were:
The Board of Governors was constituted on 27th July, 1950; and members were:
The first entrance examination for the admission of students into the school was conducted by the principal Mr J.L. Omigbodun on 8th July 1950. One hundred and two candidates took the examination and the following eight boys were admitted:
Osogbo Grammar School started in 1950 with the eight students, two teachers and Ven J.L Omigbodun as its founding principal. The eight boys started in a sort of preliminary class since it was far in the year to commence class one.
By 1951 there were twenty-six boys on roll in class one, four of whom were boarders sharing the same building with the principal in Olobado Compound, Osogbo. The number of boarders rose to thirteen in 1952, out of 49 students on roll.
The first four sets of students that passed through Osogbo Grammar school did not have things easy.
The paucity of funds had an impact on staff as well as students. Whilst they had normal classes between 8.00am and 1.05pm, the boarders would be rushed through lunch after which all students, including those attending classes from home, were led into the jungle within school grounds to uproot trees.
There was no dodging as “Oga” (master) was there in the jungle with them monitoring the felling of trees. ”Keep pushing, boys,” their principal would shout at them in encouragement; using what would become the motto of Osogbo Grammar School.
In 1952, Mr I.O Ajiboye joined the staff to increase their numbers to four – comrising the principal, Mr J.L. Omigbodun; Mr. D.A Olugunna and Mr I.O. Ajiboye. It was Mr. Ajiboye who started the teaching of agriculture in the school. In January, 1953, Mr M.B. Lapite joined the staff and classes increased to three.
It was also in 1953 when the government awarded scholarship to six students, including:
Mr E.A Etudeo, the first graduate of the teaching staff, joined the school in June 1953. In 1954, with the classes increasing to four, the need became pressing to build more classroom blocks and the first of such to be built was the geography bluilding. It was also in 1954 that Mr T.A Babalola, another graduate teacher from Ibadan University, joined the staff and the school was approved to have class four by the government.
As a result of the efficient performance shown during the full scale inspection conducted in the school in 1955 by the Education Department, the school was recognized for the West African School Certificate Examination. It was also in 1955 that the first hostel building, designated Block A, was erected for the boarders.The teaching of science commenced in earnest in 1956 when Mr. L.S. Johnson joined the staff, having obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics and Mathematics from Ibadan University.
Another milestone in 1956 was that the first batch of the school certificate class sat for the West African School Certificate Examination. The names were Samuel Adejoro, Adeyemi Mosadomi, Alfred Parkinson, Mudasiru Atoba, Ikudaisi Idowu, and Richard Adejoro, with Adejoro and Mosadomi passing with Grade One and Parkinson and Atoba finishing with Grade Two.
Another memorable event of the time was that the school became a full secondary school with 151 boys on roll.
Acquisition of land for development was done by the principal in 1951 and the Ataoja was most helpful. By 14th of August 1952 the site of the school was surveyed by Mr. O.E Omorogie, the government surveyor from Ibadan, and it was approved by the Director of Surveys on 24th of October, 1952.
An area of 56.4 acres was incorporated.The location now occupied by the modern new building commissioned by President M. Buhari was the first farm site which was later converted to the main football field.
A piece of land measuring up to five acres was later devoted to the farmyard, with a portion devoted to citrus trees.
The need for staff quarters became necessary as housemasters had to be appointed to look after the boys in the hostel. Therefore, in May 1955 a duplex designed as staff quarters, facing the sports field, was erected. It was followed by another hostel designated as Block B in November 1955.
The school was officially registered as “Osogbo United Grammar School” to reflect the fact that it was the united effort of communities in today’s Osogbo, Olorunda, Ede, Egbedore, Odo- Otin, Ifelodun, Irepodun and Boripe Local Government areas of Osun State that made the School a reality.
It was known as “Osogbo United Grammar School” between 1950 and 1953 before the removal of “United”
Towards the close of 1956, the building then known as Quarters Number 3 was erected near the Iroko tree and in 1958, Quarters Number 4 and 5 were also built. More buildings followed. The Science Laboratory, and a classroom block containing the library were completed in 1960. So also were Quarters Number 6 and hostel Block C. In 1962, the block of classrooms facing the science laboratories was completed with staff quarters 7 and 8.
The school exprienced rapid infrastructural development from then on.
To replace the small kitchen erected hurriedly in 1950 that was becoming very unsuitable from the point of view of decency and space, a larger kitchen and Dining Room was added in 1966 with a capacity for 400 students. The Dining facility was also used as the assembly hall in the 1970s.
When the founding principal retired in 1970, the school continued with development. School population increased as its popularity as a center of academic and athletic excellence grew across the nation. Students were admitted from all over Western Nigeria and many northern states.
The 1970s principals are:
Throughout the 1970s, the school erected more buildings, including classrooms, staff quarters, a technical training laboratory and sports amenities.
The Higher School Certificate (HSC) programme that stopped in the middle of the 1970s resumed in 1979 under school principal Mr. J.L. Popoola.
In the 1980s, the school, under the civilian state administration of Governor Bola Ige, expanded with even more students and subjects, as boarding houses began to shut down under the Unity Party of Nigeria’s free education system that prioritised day schooling above boarding schools.
A great tradition of bonding and extra-mural activities, therefore, began to decline.
The 1980s principals are:
Into the 1990s, HSC was no longer relevant as the Junior and Senior Secondary School system was introduced.
The 1990s principals include:
The 2000s principals are:
Former state Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, reinstated a unified school, with the new and old structures now renamed properly as Osogbo Grammar School – under two principals. Further changes have since been made by Governor Ademola Adeleke, increasing the number of principals today to three.
Among many notable alumni of Osogbo Grammar School are the late Dr. Ahmed Kosamotu, Former Deputy Chairman of the National Party of Nigeria; Professor Hezekiah Mosadomi, world renowned medical scholar and former Director, Research Center / Chairman, OMFS, Riyadh Colleges of Dentistry and Pharmacy, Saudi Arabia; Sir Ademola Aladekomo, Chairman of CHAMS Nigeria, the foremost technology company in Nigeria; the Managing Director / CEO of Providus Bank, Mr. Walter Akpani, and the late Dr. Depo Adenle, whose contribution to water resources policy in Nigeria is legendary.
Osogbo Grammar School has produced legends in all facets of Nigerian society, from banking, politics, traditional systems, academics to public service, medicine and the arts, to name a few.
The alumni body has been active at restoring the glory of the school through donations and development projects, including assistance to the state government during the Covid-19 outbreak.
On May 12, 2020, old students donated N2 million to the Osun State Government as our contribution towards fighting coronavirus in the state.
Osogbo Grammar School Old Students Association North America has been giving annual scholarships and payments for the West African School Certificate examination to a large number of students, in our recognition of the need to partner with the government to meet the needs of students, parents, staff and community.
In addition to these efforts, we renovated a block of classrooms at the school in 2023, and supplied new furniture for students, with additional landscaping to beautify the building.
We have initiated a a development fund to complete building projects at the alma mater. This reunion is partly devoted to raising funds for our projects at the school.
The motto of the school was coined from the following poem when the founding principal, Mr J.L Omigbodun, staff and students, considered the need to get going in spite of initial difficulties.
Keep pushing! – It is wiser
Than sitting aside
And dreaming and sighing
And waiting the tide
In life’s earnest battle
They only prevail
Who daily march forward?
And never say “fail”
We keep pushing. We are Osograms.
