William Morhefe Obele Memorial Shield -
Government College Ughelli Scholar-Athlete Award

This shield was finally presented to a winner, Emmanuel Okorafor, on Founder's Day, January 19, 2005, which was the Diamond Jubilee of Government College Ughelli. The award was created during the Golden Jubilee celebration in 1995. Although the shield and the accompanying prize were made available for the initial years, the award was never presented to any student. Perhaps this was due to a change in the Principal and the re-organization of school. Even the first shield was lost and a new one had to be made. Now that the presentation has commenced, we hope to present the shield and the prize money as part of subsequent Founder's Day celebrations. The purpose of the award is in the citation below.

Citation

William Morhefe Obele entered Government College Ughelli in September 1953. He contributed immensely to School House and to the School becoming Head of House and School Prefect. He excelled not only in sports, as a member of the Cricket, Football and the Athletic teams, but also in academics, passing respectively, the West African School Certificate in Grade I in 1958 and the Cambridge Overseas Higher School Certificate with exemption in 1960. He was one of the twelve outstanding Government College Ughelli students, (by far the largest group from any secondary school) out of about one hundred from all of the Nigeria, who were selected to study in the USA in 1961 under ASPAU (The African Scholarship Program of American Universities). In his second year in the USA, Obele, the powerful shot putter, never recovered consciousness from a simple operation to remove his ruptured appendix. To honour his memory, his friend and classmate, Dr. Oritsegbemi Ola Omatete, has donated this shield to be awarded annually to a student in the penultimate class, who has excelled not only in academics but also in sports and thus, truly embodies the concept of the scholar-athlete.

[The inscription on the shield (shown above) is read. The year's winner is announced and the shield is presented to him. He shall also be presented with 15,000 naira approximately equivalent to one hundred US dollars (US $100). His name shall be inscribed in chronologic order on the shield's nameplate.]

Photos taken at Ceremony

Dr. G. Okurume, Mr. Okoroafor (winner), Dr. Omatete

Group picture in Assembly Hall. Standing are the recipient, guests and teachers. To left of Dr. Okurume is Principal of the Senior School (SSS1-III), Mr. A.M. Agban and to Dr. Omatete's right is the GCU-OBA secretary general, Mr. Enita Okeme

Dr. Omatete presents prize (15000 Naira) to winner Okoroafor

Dr. Omatete presenting Shield to Mr. Okoroafor

Students pose with winner in front of the Assembly Hall