MY ENCOUNTER WITH LATIN

This must have been sometime in late November or early December 1971 (those who remember correctly, kindly forgive me, this was over 50 years ago). I received a letter stating I would be expected to spend three days in the boarding house of GCI for an interview into Form One of this great college. Of course I was super excited as I had never spent a night out of my home without my parents. My mum hurriedly got a small portmanteau (yep portmanteau) packed for me with toiletries, decent clothes, change of underwear for at least 4 days and writing materials, exactly what the letter asked.
I got to Apata Ganga, which in itself wasn’t too strange a terrain to me as the entire Irabor family had on several Sundays in the past enjoyed the swimming pool at Lafia Hotel and Sunday lunch in the restaurant. But the portals of GCI were still uncharted territory to me; nevertheless the excitement persisted, so much that I just wanted my mum to drop me off quickly so that I could start exploring my novel surroundings.
Was placed in Grier House for of the duration the interview. The classmates I remember include Daramola, Ifaturoti (Tafi Morgan), Ayodeji Olaopa (Billy Bunter), Kole Esan (Deceased) and Dayo Amole (A – Mole). There were a few senior boys who stayed behind to tutor us (don’t know if they were prefects or not but I salute them to this day for helping to shepherd young primary school boys trying to move up the education ladder). The only recollection I have of the evening tutoring was the attempt at teaching us Latin which, apparently, we were going to be examined in. All I remember was being taught the mnemonics NVAGDA and SCOPE.
NVAGDA representing 6 grammatical cases of Latin declension: Nominative, Vocative, Accusative, Genitive, Dative and Ablative. These are a set of patterns to guide how Latin words have their ends altered to show grammatical case,number, and gender.
I know the SCOPE part is supposed to further qualify the language but I’ve forgotten what each letter stands for. I hope some guys still remember. Pity we were never taught Latin when we commenced classes in January 1972 as fresh-faced Form One students.
The interview proper: I remember finding most of the exams (oral and written) fairly easy but the geography written exam for me was a disaster! There was a question asking us to draw the map of Nigeria (which was ok) and the route to the Lagos to Kano railway tracks (I had no idea!!). I know I just sketched some spidery line from where I felt Lagos would be straight up to where I felt Kano should be. Chikena.
Anyway as you know, the rest is history. I got an admission letter and school began early January 1972 during some thick harmattan. I was placed in Field House. I had to adjust to taking my bath with freezing water (or not to wash at all or to do “Ope”: dry-cleaning). Real culture shock or reality check! Rather brutal.
Culled From: Our Story (1972 Set Anniversary Book)
Submitted By: DAVID IRABOR (SN 2457, Field House)