Grier House of Our Time
Prior to our time (1965) Grier House had the greatest number I of rascally boys which earned us the notorious nickname of Grier Mugs. DJ Bullock, the Principal decided to put the very small boys in Grier House where the average height in Grier was 4 feet as against other Houses that had boys who were big enough to husband wives. The move as laudable as it was, of course reduced rascality to the barest minimum but equally had serious effects on our performance on the field of sports. As soon as ..... Read More
Coming To Government College Ibadan
For me, coming to GCI for my Higher School in 1970 was a Revolt against a system that kept some sets of students in some special schools tagged Government Colleges/schools at States or Federal levels. These fortunate students were over pampered, provided with the best of everything from learning facilities including the cr�me-de-la-cr�me of teaching staff, to sports to feeding and boarding only for a peanut as school fees compared with what the larger proportion of the remaining ..... Read More
Government College Of My Time
I was admitted to GCI in 1970 for the Higher School Certificate. The subjects I choose made me a right candidate for the Arts Class. I was placed in Carr House. Up Orange! There, I became a House mate or Roommate of the likes of Derin Adewunmi, Late Yomi Agboola (RIP), Bayo Bello, Niyi Ademola (my Lord). Sola Cole, and Segun Oshinyimika.
GCI was not all study and no play. There was adventure too! I remember the day 1 "bolted" out to Scala Cinema along with some accomplices (I only remember ..... Read More
SAMPLE LETTER OF ADMISSION
Ref No. GCI. 7/63 Vol.11/78
Government College
Ibadan
19th October, 1963
Name & Address of Parent/Guardian
Dear Sir/Madam,
Government College, Ibadan:
Admission to Class I January 1964
1. I am pleased to be able to tell you that we are offering a place in Class I next year to your son/ward Will you please let me know as soon as possible whether you wish to accept the place. A deposit of $9 is required and must be paid either in cash or by cheque or Postal Order to the Bursar's ..... Read More
STAFF LIST 1964
1. D.J. Bullock B.A. (Durham) Headmaster - Literature
2. JE. Oni B.A. (Durham) Vice Principal - Geography
3. M.O. Alafe-Aluko B.A. (Wales) - Mathematics
4. N.O. Oyetunji B.A. - Latin/English
5. AA. Badmos B.A. (London) - Mathematics
6. L.A. Banjo B.A. (Glasgow) - English
7. M.L. Brachet (Miss.) B.A. - French
N.J. Minnis B.A. (London) - English
9. J.M. Akintola B.Sc. (London) - Biology
10. P.A. Oguntunde B.Sc. - Mathematics
11. DA. Hardcastle ..... Read More
"GCI Made Me"
Reflections of a Sixth Former (Arts) 1970-1971
For reasons lost to history of the twists and turns in Nigeria's Educational system, Government College Ibadan had discontinued with Higher School Certificate "Arts" only to resume it in 1969 and fortuitously I was among the second set to enrol for the this programme in 1970 with bright starry-eyed youths cherry-picked from top-ranked schools who were later to become titans in their various field of human endeavour Names that immediately spring ..... Read More
What Government College Ibadan Means to Me
UP GCI!,UP SCHOOL!!!. My classmates and I attended this famous institution for boys from January 1964 to December 1970; some left after class V in 1968 [WAEC), while others like me, spent another two years for the then Higher School Certificate [HSC]. I was a teenager coming in and I was more than twenty years old when I left.
An institution that had such academic, social and athletic influence on one's life is impossible to forget. GCI is like an ALL STAR football team to those of us ..... Read More
Harmattan
Lagos boys were not used to the kind of harmattan mornings that you encounter in Apata, Ibadan. By Lagos boys of course, you know this refers to those boys from Lagos who found their way to Government College, Ibadan.
January and February are the worst harmattan months--" yes, I can see you wince, you remember! You had to fill your metal bucket overnight for your bath in the morning. Your first baptism in the morning was use this very cold water to wet the floor, of course, a stupid form one ..... Read More
An Aonian on The Rock
I arrived at the gate of Government College at the time and date indicated on my letter of admission after paying the stipulated fees for my studies and boarding. The gate into the compound was massive with concrete engraving of the name of the school and its coat of arms. This gate led to a dual-carriage road which ran for about four hundred yards before becoming one road, still large enough to take more than two cars, one going in and the other leading out of the school. This tarred road was ..... Read More
Recollections
Recently, I was in a discussion with a group of friends and we were all trying to determine what periods of our lives over the past sixty years have been most interesting. Surprisingly, for me, my seven years at GCI had some major consideration. That period definitely had a major impact on my development and future as a responsible individual. Here are some recollections:
I had attended Yaba Methodist Elementary School prior to my enrollment at Government College. At Yaba Methodist, two of ..... Read More