Why I Don't Gamble
My memories of interesting occurrences at Government College Ibadan (GCI) are plentiful and evergreen. I will highlight only a few.
In 1963, Cassius Clay fought Sonny Liston for the heavyweight championship of the world. I was a huge fan of the champion Sonny Liston who I believed was invincible.
So confident was I that Liston would annihilate Clay that I had a bet with Adedeji of Form 3 on the outcome of the fight. Adedeji bet on Cassius Clay. At stake were two plates of dodo (fried ..... Read More
Corporal Punishment In GCI
CORPORAL PUNISHMENT IN GCI
(Excerpts from �Before My Obituary� by Olaleye Falore)
The use of corporal punishment for correcting erring boys was restricted to only six members of staff the Principal, the Vice Principal and the four Housemasters. No other person in the school was given the power to �flog� any student, no matter the gravity of his offence.
Caning in GCI was, more often than not, carried out in a ceremonial way, be it on the house grounds by the Housemaster or ..... Read More
My French Teacher
The only hope of any form of exchange between my French teacher and her numerous admirers was in a classroom situation, hence, this became the arena in which all jostling and hustling for attention were played out. Everything was done in good humour.
There was a need for peace among warring males. There was a silent need to keep individual thoughts and desires private though this would come bursting forth in periodic moments of camaraderie. Nevertheless there was this undercurrent of ..... Read More
Nicknames in GCI
It is over 44 years now that our class set left GOVERNMENT COLLEGE, IBADAN. We, members of the 62 Set are trying to remind ourselves, of the various call names we used in mocking one another.
Some of these names have gone into oblivion, while many others remain evergreen.
Some boys brought names from their various elementary schools. Those roots may not be known to many of us. Some came with designer names, which today�s boys call �guy names�. A few examples are: OBI TANKO for Obileye, ..... Read More
The bugging: "Mo gbagi o ja e"
The palm wine incident came to a head when, despite several entreaties to late Arc. Sola Olugbesan (Solee), the editor of the GCI in-house magazine, the magazine went ahead to bug me, using annotated cartoons to enrich the narratives. You should have seen the caricature of me sprinting.. .so comical, even, I was amused. The 'bugging' was captioned "Mo gbagi oja e."
The cartoon showed that I had received the baton and was scurring to safety. At this time, the whole matter was squarely ..... Read More
The Palm Wine Bar Incident
Over time, I had become a regular evening visitor to a dimly lit palm wine joint, located some metres outside the GCI gate, towards Afrograms.
On this particular evening, I met other boys there including Demola Ajibade (of blessed memory) and Tunde Oremodu. After savouring the usual one bottle of palm wine in an Aromatic Schnapps bottle, it was time to depart since prep was about to end. I paid the attendant but was startled by her exclamation. A customer, who was probably tipsy or had had ..... Read More
Of Bad Faith And Foul Play
OF BAD FAITH AND FOUL PLAY - AKINTOYE FOLARANMI (PELE)
The practice was to lay strategically some shards of broken mirror-glass on the floor, reflective side up, above which the unsuspecting ladies - the few of them who were among the teaching body - would walk.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, let me name names and sidestep the sparing of blushes The victims, poor Misses Orisasanpe, Neuhard, and including even the revered History teacher Mrs. Ogunode, who also happened to ..... Read More
GCI Prepared Me For Leadership And The Practice Of Law
GCI Prepared Me For Leadership And The Practice Of Law
Some of the traits of leadership already identified in Obafunso Ogunkeye, more commonly referred to as Oba Soccer by his mates in both his primary school, St. Luke�s Primary School, Ibadan, where he became the Football Captain in 1967 and in Government College Ibadan (GCI) where this trait was further reinforced. He also became the Head of both the Literary and Debating Society and the Dramatic Society. In recognition of these ..... Read More
The GCI Tradition (Myths, Slangs, Nicknames, Anecdotes, Euphemisms, Jokes & General Trivia)
THE GCI TRADITION (MYTHS, SLANGS, NICKNAMES, ANECDOTES, EUPHEMISMS, JOKES & GENERAL TRIVIA)
The School/House Family
It is an ancient GCI tradition designed to promote camaraderie and a sense of belonging among the students. In 1968, there were 4 Houses Carr (Orange), Swanston (Blue), Field (Green) and Grier (Maroon). A 5th House Powell (Purple) was added in 1973.
Upon admission into the boarding house, each first form �Boy� was assigned a school Mentor/Teacher (called ..... Read More
That Day At The Motor Park
THAT DAY AT THE MOTOR PARK
I dragged myself reluctantly from the taxi, paying the driver who appeared to be very much in a hurry to escape the noise and stench of the surrounding. However, I couldn't blame him 'cos, in his shoes, I would not have done better... but in my own case, I had no other choice. Worse still, I was to spend the two hours in this hell.
At this time of the day, the sun was still burning hot and I had the uneasy feeling of some fire down my neck. Looking ..... Read More