'Cum' was a Life Saver

'Cum' was a Life Saver

Nobody toyed with 'cum' in Government College Ibadan.

Cum was the Saturday evening combo meal of fried plantain and beans (dodo and ewa) and it was everybody's delight.

'Cum' made my life a lot easier in my early days at GCI, after leaving the comfort of Corona School, Lagos, which many considered an 'aje-butter' institution.

I resumed at Apata in January 1967, and so, that aspect of my life's journey began. I was assigned to Grier House.

Taking up residence in the boarding house, away from the comfort of my home and family was tough, more so as I resumed just before I turned 11 years old and I was therefore one of the youngest in the class.

As would be expected, I regularly got into trouble with seniors in Grier House, especially the Prefects and the School Authorities.

At GCI, cutting grass was both a way of life and also a punishment, unlike when I was in Corona School where the worst punishment for infractions was either to stand outside by the door or to write an imposition.

This manual labour presented its challenges and also its opportunities.

After about two or three strikes of a cutlass, my hands would be covered with painful blisters. I first learnt to minimise the pains by wrapping a cloth around the cutlass and using files to sharpen its blunt edge.

Cutting grass was every man for himself.

But soon enough, I learnt that 'cum' solved the problem faster and better, without any physical pain. All it took was to exchange it for help with grass cutting by any of the stronger boys.

'Cum' was that coveted 'prize' every GCI boys would want to have.

culled from 1967 Set's Book - 'Fifty Years, Not Out'.

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IBIYEMI-ALUKO Oladele Oluyemi
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