Eulogy For Dr Paul Kehinde Joseph (1951 - 2018)
Eulogy For Dr Paul Kehinde Joseph 1951- 2018
I write as a representative of a Class Set united in grief but determined to celebrate the life of PKJ as we addressed our classmate Paul Kehinde Joseph; a loving father, a remarkable friend, a wonderful brother, a consummate doctor and a universal lover of humanity. I used the word grief advisedly for, at 67, PKJ was in the prime of life and not aged. No one would have minded obliging him a lifespan of 80 years or more in good health but ..... Read More
What It Takes To Be The Young Girl Of An Old Boy
It appears the phrase "Old Boy" is unique to GCI as I haven't heard it being used by other Secondary Schools. Rather, the pattern is "Old Student" in other schools.
This now takes me to an experience I had one day while in the service of Oyo State Government. I was passing by the Post Office at the Oyo State Secretariat premises when suddenly I heard a call, "Young Girl" . I looked back immediately because I knew that must be an Old Boy of GCl referring to the wife of one of ..... Read More
The Wooing Ultimatum
My first big scare in GCI happened in Form One when we were barely six months old in the school. There was a drama presentation to which pupils from some girls schools, including Queen�s School, St. Theresa�s College and Yejide Girls� Grammar School were invited. On the D-Day, the Form Five students in my room, called the Form One students � three of us - and issued us an ultimatum to get ourselves girlfriends or face a sanction.
I summarise the ultimatum as best as I can as follows: ..... Read More
Providential Escape From Tanning
This incident happened in my second year. The convention was that for every three school punishment, you qualified for one detention. Both school punishment and detention involved manual labour to be done by the offender. For school punishment, you were free after undertaking the manual labour meted by the school authority.
For detention, after carrying out the manual labour, you were detained (not locked up) at the school office until 6.00pm in the evening. If you got three detentions, you ..... Read More
First Night In GCI
Our first night in GCI witnessed a most dramatic event - as aforementioned, our warm and welcome reception and quick settling down. We were instructed to assemble in the prep room of each House for our first assignment, a Dictation test. At the appointed time of 9.00pm in Grier House, we all dutifully assembled, starry-eyed.
Like a bolt of lightning, a man suddenly jumped into the prep room through the window and immediately �opened fire�. The dictation had begun!!! Woe betide the ..... Read More
Rebellion Against Punishment
Rebellion Against Punishment: Turning The Tables!
Nothing quite prepared me for the harrowing experience I encountered in my first year at GCI. Before this time, I had lived a relatively sheltered and pampered life in Lagos. Now, if the endless punishment from the senior boys was somewhat manageable, not the severe Apata-Ganga cold that we all had to wake up to very early in the morning for road work, House work, or worse still, grass-cutting.
I did some self-introspection and I ..... Read More
My Life At Government College Ibadan
When I was at the School, life was generally quite secure. The only financial obligation was three pounds per annum which in 1945 was raised to four pounds per annum for students.
The first year was always a difficult one in a boarding house. In Grier House, the Head of House was Ogunbanwo, while I was the privileged �fag� of the boss of the dormitory. My bed was next to his. This esteemed bed was located at the corner of a large open dormitory with a population of thirty boys. Other ..... Read More
The Scala Misadventure
The film �Ben Hur� starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton was showing at Scala Cinema in
Mokola Ibadan and the whole school was given permission to go and see it. The film was captivating and the lead actor and actress fascinating.
Filing out at the end of the movie, my attention was caught by a poster of another film �Who�s Afraid of Virginia Wolf� starring the same Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton who had just wowed one. This was a certificate �A� rated film, which I later ..... Read More
The Near Drowning Incident
I will never forget an incident when Bode Oyewole saved the life of one of our mates when we were in Form Four.
This was soon after we were taught about fish and body parts in the Biology class. The teacher then took us in two batches to a natural fish pond at Eleyele area for practical lessons. As soon as the teacher left to fetch the second batch, the eight of us in the first batch jumped into a canoe anchored at the pond.
As each boy jumped inside, the canoe moved farther away. I ..... Read More
The 1971 Swimming Championships
The 1971 Swimming Championships: Looking Back Made Me Lose Vital Race
One memorable experience which I recall was at the Western State Amateur Swimming Championships that was held at the Lafia Hotel, Apata on 29th October 1971.
Participants came from secondary schools and this competition had contestants from the International School of the University of Ibadan, St. Gregory�s College and Kings College both in Lagos, as well as some other colleges with swimming teams.
It was the ..... Read More