1972 - A Year of Clamors

GCI's regulation outfits for social outings are specified by Class levels. So, by his clothes, it was easy to decide which Class a GCI student was in. Forms 1-4 students wore khaki shorts with their white shirts. Form 5 students wore pairs of white trousers; and Lower and Upper Six students wore pairs of grey trousers - with their white shirts.

However, in 1972, a revolution took place. The Class of "69, in Form 4 at the time, decided to lobby for permission to stop wearing pairs of shorts. I can't remember those involved in the negotiations but I remember late Bola Adejobi was either with them or had an insider's track on them. He always updated us on the situation in Swanston House. Eventually, the lobbyists achieved victory. One day, at the Assembly Hall, Principal announced that Form 4 students could thenceforth wear pairs of white trousers instead of khaki shorts as their social outings.

Not done with the victory, or, perhaps, emboldened by it, the Form 4 students mapped out their next battle: they sought permission to attend End-of -Year (ENDO) Dance in December, 1972. ENDO used to be for departing Form 5 and the A Level students only. We won again: complete with joining the Form 5 - Upper Six students in the privilege of wearing our personal outfits rather than regulation social outing uniforms for the event. This was the first in the history of GCI.

ED's Note: Could the Principal have been allowing for the fact that he knew that the Class of "69 would only spend 6months in Class 5, in 1973? Nonetheless, the highlight and the kudos to the Class are still deserved for the idea and the will to ask.

On another level, as part of preparations for that year's ENDO, I joined Demola Odude (68) and Toyin Oriola ("68) to drink "ogogoro" at an Apata place a few hours before heading to the Assembly Hall area, which was the venue of the ENDO. The three of us convinced ourselves that we needed greater boldness to excuse girls for dancing at the higher level of the ENDO event; and that we could ONLY get such boldness from getting drunk on ogogoro. What happened to the three of us at the ENDO event is a tale for another publication; and at another time!


Kayode Majekodunmi, School No. 2009.