Great Hall Nights: The GCI Clubs That Made Us, 1991 – 1996

And those tribes had names: Knights. Vibration. Interact. Zodiac. Press. JETS. L&D.

For GCIOBA ‘91 Jan Set, these 7 clubs were the soul of GCI outside the classroom. They were peculiar to us. And every term, the whole of Ibadan knew when GCI had a show.

The Clubs That Raised ‘91 Jan Set

1. Knights
Class, composure, and ..... Read More

From GCI Parade Ground to Civil Defence Corps: The RSM Story of Oyediji ‘91 Jan Set aka CADET

If you passed through Government College Ibadan between 1991 and 1996, one name would echo on the parade ground every morning: RSM Oyediji.

Back then he wasn’t in NSCDC uniform yet. He was wearing GCI Cadets khaki, whistle around his neck, cap tilted just right, and voice that could make JSS1 boys stand straighter without him saying a word.

The Cadet Days at GCIOBA
For GCIOBA ‘91 Jan Set, the Cadets unit was more than extracurricular. It was discipline, drills, and pride. While ..... Read More

From GCI Parade Ground to Civil Defence Corps: The RSM Story of Oyediji ‘91 Jan Set aka CADET

If you passed through Government College Ibadan between 1991 and 1996, one name would echo on the parade ground every morning: RSM Oyediji.

Back then he wasn’t in NSCDC uniform yet. He was wearing GCI Cadets khaki, whistle around his neck, cap tilted just right, and voice that could make JSS1 boys stand straighter without him saying a word.

The Cadet Days at GCIOBA
For GCIOBA ‘91 Jan Set, the Cadets unit was more than extracurricular. It was discipline, drills, and pride. While ..... Read More

GCI Codes: The Slangs, Habits & Hype of ‘91 Jan Set, 1991 – 1996

If you didn’t pass through Government College Ibadan between 1991 and 1996, you won’t understand.

GCI didn’t just teach us Maths and English. It gave us a language. A posture. A whole culture.

35 years later, some of those things are fading. But if you watch two GCI boys talk today, you’ll still see it.

The Slangs Only GCI Boys Knew

1. “Tirogo”
Translation: “I beg, I never chop” 😂
Nobody knew where it came from. JSS1 or SSS3, everybody used it. ..... Read More

The Uniform That Set Us Apart: GCI White, Blue & Wine, 1991 – 1996

If you were a GCI boy between 1991 and 1996, you didn’t just put on clothes in the morning. You put on identity.

And Ibadan could tell the difference before you even spoke.

The Kit Only GCI Boys Could Wear

1. The White & Blue Check Shirt
Not plain white. Not any check. It was the GCI check. Sharp, square, unmistakable. From Agodi Gate to Challenge, you were spotted instantly.

2. The School Tie – Wine & Blue, No Crest
Worn for ceremonial events, assembly, and ..... Read More

GCI Showed me how - Babatunde Ikotun

LEARNING THE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF LEADERSHIP

For our set, the 1962 entrants, we resumed school on January 19, 1966. My Uncle, Mr. Isaac Obe brought my younger Uncle, Mr. Israel Obe and I to Swanston House where we were allocated. A- bros-Isi whose school name was Obe was placed in room 6, and I, in room 3.

After dinner, we assembled in the preparation Room for an assembly to welcome new students and to announce the positions of responsibility for the term. Names of school ..... Read More

MY STORY (AKIN -DEKO)

Born in the late 1950s, I did my elementary school in the 1960s between Ibadan, Nigeria; and Accra, Ghana, as my father, after resigning as the Western Region Minister of Agriculture in 1962, moved to Accra to work as the Head of Mission of the United Nations - Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)

In Ghana, I attended an Anglican Mission School called Ridge Church School, which, apart from its excellent academic pursuit, put a lot of emphasis on the development of extra-curricular ..... Read More

MY STORY (Eggy)

You may be wondering what the connection between the egg and the head is; I didn't also think there was any rational or logical connection until I was admitted to GCI, and to my utter amazement, I became the subject matter and the link to rationalize the two.

The Eggy Story started in 1971 in Room 4, Swanston House, when we were in Form 2. Tunde Ogunnaike (Papa, 1965) looked at me one day and with his mathematical ingenuity aroused, he voiced an innocent observation, "do you know that your ..... Read More

JOF Falore: Ọmọ Ayékọ

By

_Kolade Mosuro_

He had a lot of stories inside him, many of which occasioned laughter and joy. JOF was jolly, a generally good-natured man.

His memory of GCI was encyclopaedic, and this always fed him stories. He belonged to the 1962 set and he was at a time the National Secretary of the Old Boys’ Association. Wherever you met him, be it in circumstances of work or leisure, he was always in a reminiscent mood about GCI. His commitment to the values fostered at GCI was total ..... Read More

MY STORY (ADEJUMO)

To compare GCI of my time to the present GCI would be unfair. GCI of my time had the entire ingredient to be an exceptional institution. The challenges that I had during my school days were how to cope with the high level of excellence amongst the students of the school. The ENDOs were great; having to take part in sports was also very memorable, particularly soccer.
Everything about the school influenced my life today, including some of my seniors and classmates - Captain Fatungase and Sina ..... Read More