By: David Desbordes
The renowned College of the Immaculate Conception, C.I.C., for short, is the elite secondary school, nestled in the serene Uwani suburb of the Coal City metropolis, which has produced a veritable host of distinguished and prominent Nigerians who are excelling here in the country, as well as in the diaspora.
The school was established in 1942, and has ‘Semper Fidelis ‘ as it’s motto. This Latin phrase means ‘ Ever Faithful ‘.
A necessarily short list of distinguished alumni include Dr. C.C. Onoh, former Governor of old Anambra State; Hon. Justice Philip Nnaemeka-Agu, Justice of the Supreme Court; Col. Robert Akonobi rtd., a former Military Administrator: former Enugu State Governors, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani and Barr. Sullivan Chime; Air Vice Marshal Mike Iloenyosi, rtd.; Major-General Emeka Onwuamegbu, rtd.; Dr. John Nnia Nwodo, former Minister for Information, Dr. Kingsley Udeh SAN, the current Minister for Science and Technology, and so many others who remain unlisted here due to space and time constraints.
The C.I.C. 79 Set , known as the Trailblazers, has been in the forefront of the ongoing renewal of all aspects of their alma mater, and have helped midwife the Multipurpose Building, the Sports Complex, water reticulation projects, sundry hostel renovations, and the ongoing Staff Quarters, to mention just a few.
From Friday, August 7th till Sunday, August 9th, 2026, all roads led to Enugu for the grand 47th graduation reunion of the C.I.C. Class of 1979.
The first segment of the reunion, tagged Meet and Greet, kicked off from Friday evening, at the posh Carlton Swiss Hotel and Suites, Independence Layout, Enugu, where old classmates met, feasted, and socialized till the wee hours.
The reunion proper took place the next day, Saturday, at the Cinema Hall of the prestigious Enugu Sports Club, G.R.A., Enugu. The event kicked off with an opening prayer, breaking of kolanuts, and a solemn one-mimute silence to honour fallen classmates, whose names were called out individually.
This was followed by lectures on health insurance, life insurance, self-insurance, business ideas, and other welfare packages for the well-being of the old school comrades.
This segment led to the coffee break, a sumptuous lunch, more speeches by old classmates, networking, and ‘mixing’, the class euphemism for enjoying chilled choice drinks.
Later, the grand Gala Night began , at the same venue, as the former comrades danced the night away.
There was a Thanksgiving Mass on the last reunion last day, at the new School Chapel, and a visit by the ’79ers to their old Principal, the legendary Rev. Monsignor Charles Ikeme, widely and fondly known as Odobro, who is now in his 90s and doesn’t get around so much.
The Trailblazers, in the characteristic manner, also took time to raise a considerable sum of money to aid the further development of their beloved old school.
The ’79 Set remains the highest donors in the drive to make C.I.C great again.
All in all, the 2026 edition of the Trailblazers reunion served as a fresh meeting point for the former mates, many of whom had not seen each other for upwards of 40 years!
Everyone who attended thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and are looking forward to repeated reunions from 2027.