My GCI Memoirs
- flavours & fragrances to savour
Starting Out
Admission into Government College Ibadan was the most sought after by boys for secondary school education in the old Western Region of Nigeria. Pupils sat for the Common Entrance examinations and the successful ones underwent a unique one-week interview programme. It was unique in the sense that it was a residential, highly regimented, highly engaging, all-day and all-night programme. The aim was to assess and evaluate the IQ, academic state, ..... Read More
Indelible Stamps on My Mind
Government College was an obvious natural choice for most primary school leavers in the old Western Region, because it was highly regarded as the best secondary school at the time in the Region. GCI therefore was the automatic choice made on behalf of very bright pupils of Ebenezer African Church Primary School, Oke-Ado, Ibadan, by its Headmaster, Mr. Adekoya (of blessed memory). I was one of the few from that school that was admitted into GCI So, I congratulate myself.
Schooling at GCI was ..... Read More
Going Down Memory Lane
Getting admitted into GCI
My father was a civil servant in the old Western Region. He always wanted the best for his children, which included an aspiration to ensure that I attended Government College Ibadan, which ranked above any other school of that time. When he realised that a lot of pupils passed the entrance examinations into GCI from Ebenezer Primary School, Oke Ado, Ibadan, he promptly withdrew me from Children's Home School Ibadan and took me to Ebenezer. Lo and behold, 19 of us ..... Read More
An Event I'd Rather Not Remember... The Provincial Athletics Championships
It was sometime in April 1971 at the Provincial Athletics Championships competition at the Liberty Stadium in Ibadan The competition was coming to an end and as usual, it was time for the relay race, which is always the highlight of the championships. The GCI team comprised Eniola Sanu - the first leg, Tunde Bamgbelu - second leg, my good self - third leg and Yato Adeyemi, the anchor. The race started very well with fantastic and beautiful baton exchanges from the first leg to the second leg ..... Read More
My Two Big Scares
In the public primary school which I attended, there was always a competition to know which student attained the highest number of admissions into secondary schools. I sat for the entrance examination to thirteen secondary schools, and I was offered admission into all of them! But one whiz-kid (a girl) sat for and passed the examinations into fourteen schools. That was the trend then. My parents opted for GCI because it was simply the best school that everybody wanted his child to attend. ..... Read More
First Days in GCI 1967
Events Precedent
My relationship with GCI was simply fortuitous and started way back in 1965. Then, I was a Primary 5 student in Mayflower Junior School, Ikenne, Ogun State. I had gone to Ibadan and my late father, Pa. Ayinde Oluwole, and then the National Secretary of the NCNC took me on a visit to my cousin, Tayo Oyeleye (now Dr. Tayo Oyeleye) in GCI. I vividly remember that the visit was during the GCI athletics season which occurred in the l" Term in those days. We went, first, ..... Read More
Snippets of My Memorable Experience:
Forced Change of Name
Alexander Adeyinka Adebayo, who was one year my senior harassed and embarrassed me into dropping my first name Alexander for my other name Oluwagbemiga, on the ground that I could not be bearing the same name Alexander with him. I was in Class One then and we were both in Swanston House. Now, what could a newcomer do then? However, irrespective of that, Alexander remains still part of my identity.
The supremacy fight
Muyiwa Olawunmi and I transited ..... Read More
Rebellion Against Punishment
- Turning The Tables!
Nothing quite prepared me for the harrowing experience I encountered in my first year at GCI. Before this time, I had lived a relatively sheltered and pampered life in Lagos. Now, if the endless punishment from the senior boys was somewhat manageable, not the severe Apata-Ganga cold that we all had to wake up to very early in the morning for road work, House work, or worse still, grass-cutting, I did some self introspection and I wondered that my parents surely ..... Read More
The 1971 Swimming Championships:
Looking back made me lose vital race
One memorable experience which I recall was at the Western State Amateur Swimming Championships that was held at the Lafia Hotel, Apata on 29th October 1971. Participants came from secondary schools and this competition had contestants from the International School of the University of Ibadan, St. Gregory's College and Kings College both in Lagos, as well as some other colleges with swimming teams.
It was the men's freestyle finals and two of ..... Read More
Tribute to Aro Black
Our Grier Housemaster
Dateline Grier House 1967-73.
Our Housemaster in Grier House was Mr. J. O. Arodudu. His nickname was Aro black?. He lived in a bungalow off the back road exiting Government College. If I recall correctly, he taught us English Language. He was a quiet man, a short and rather dark complexioned man, who spoke in a soft but commanding voice. I particularly remember his stealth, as if he wore rubber soled shoes always. Most times, he had a short cane in his ..... Read More