Interesting Times in the Classroom
The setting was the 1978/79 School
Session.
Form 3B was epochal in teaching
approaches. Two Indian men were assigned to teach Mathematics across the four
arms of Form 3. One of them, Mr. Singh was assigned to my ..... Read More
Initial Days upon Resumption in September 1976
The resumption weekend at the boarding house was a flurry of largely unfamiliar faces and voices, a stream of young boys carrying metal portmanteaus complete with padlocks and stuffed with mosquito nets, provisions such as tins of beverages, milk, snacks including biscuits. Each suitcase specially packaged to fortify us against the looming unknown, some even came with ..... Read More
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
