Former Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, late educationist Dr. Tai Solarin and his wife, Sheila Solarin, will be honoured at the 70th Founder’s Day anniversary of Mayflower School, Ikenne, Ogun State.
The week-long anniversary celebration, organised by the Mayflower Old Students Association (MOSA), will run from January 16 to January 23, beginning with Jumat and church services in Ikenne.
Speaking at a media briefing on Monday, the National President of MOSA, Mr Wale Abdul said the school, founded in May 1956 by Tai Solarin and his wife, was established to pursue the couple’s vision of a liberal and unconventional educational system that would stand apart from existing models.
He said the late Tai Solarin and Sheila would receive Posthumous Special Recognition and be conferred with MOSA’s highest honour, the Grand Commander of the Order of MOSA (GCOM).
In addition, five past MOSA presidents, distinguished alumni and friends of the association will be recognised with MOSA Merit Awards (MMA) and other Special Recognition Awards.
“When Tai Solarin sat down in 1955 to write to the Ministry of Education seeking approval to establish a new school in Ikenne, little did he and Sheila know that it would grow into one of the best schools in the country,” the MOSA president said.
“Today, Mayflower has produced engineers, doctors, accountants, bankers and respected professionals across various sectors of society.”
He described the founders as visionaries whose values of discipline, integrity and excellence had made the school a reference point in secondary education, noting that the 70th anniversary was an opportunity to honour their enduring legacy.
As part of the celebrations, the 70th anniversary bell was sounded 70 times immediately after the briefing to symbolise the milestone.
The association also distributed 70th anniversary-branded notebooks to the school’s 2,700 students, with senior students receiving three 60-leaf notebooks each, while junior students were given three 40-leaf notebooks each.
Other activities lined up include sporting events, prize presentations to students who excel academically and demonstrate high moral standards, and the commissioning of the school’s main entrance and emblem. The celebration will culminate in the 43rd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of MOSA.
Speaking on behalf of the Solarin family, one of the founder’s children, Ms Corin Solarin, described Mayflower School as a unique institution with a strong tradition of discipline and practical education.
She praised her father’s emphasis on skills acquisition, noting that students were taught trades such as electrical works, plumbing and poultry farming before graduation.
“Every school has its own traditions, but Mayflower is unique. Tai Solarin believed that education without practical skills is incomplete. That vision has sustained the school for 70 years, producing outstanding professionals,” she said.