MY PILLOW OF GARI
Scene One Act One
I bolted out of school through Swanston House vía main field to watch “Fist of Fury” starring Bruce Lee at Scala Cinema. The year was 1973. I remember that I had a terror of a Teur by name Adejobi aka Odibo – mean guy. Many a night I passed under his bed, not counting countless times of stooping down and “olomokuyas”. This guy showed me pepper.
Back to my story:
I left the house grounds (Shamu) at around 8 pm during prep for the 9 to 12 mid night slot. I ..... Read More
LOVE AT FIRST SIP
“Cocoa”, that legendary cocoa-based beverage that accompanied our breakfast in GCI, must rank as one of our best loves in the school – probably second to rice and dodo. I am sure many of us fell in love with cocoa at first sip at our first breakfast. I never, in all my years in GCI, met anyone that didn’t like his cocoa, which was best taken hot, especially in the morning. Most seniors had their favourite junior (cocoa mule) for this task.
Many juniors resented being a “cocoa mule” ..... Read More
SEVEN TALES
Suspension “For What?”
A Cricket game was scheduled for Ikeja cricket ground, near A the Ikeja Golf Club, Lagos on a Saturday afternoon. The cricket team, along with the supporters’ club, left Ibadan and arrived on time. Having waited for long, the expected team didn’t show up and were worked over. I quickly seized the opportunity to dash home at Akoka, Yaba for a meal of lyan and Efo Riro with Egusi. By the time I got back to the playground around 5pm, the school truck was ..... Read More
OUR GRASS CUTTING INSTITUTE
Anthony Olujuwon Adeyemi was enrolled by my late biological father Chief Evaristus Folajuwon Adeyemi, at Government College Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria in January 1972.
Although I passed the entrance examination to three secondary schools: Saint Gregory’s College Obalende, Lagos State, Igbobi College Fadeyi, Lagos State, and Government College Ibadan, my father, after regular multilateral discussions with his closest friends, chose GCI for me.
He did this, I am now convinced although he ..... Read More
PALM WINE ADVENTURE
I was born on May 6, 1959 and lost my sight at age five to what at the time was diagnosed as malnutrition conjunctivitis. For several months after I turned five, I attended a public primary school in my part of Ibadan, Kobomoje to be specific. It was in 1966 that I was admitted into the Pacelli Primary School in Lagos, one of the premier schools in the country at the time for education of visually impaired youngsters. This was a boarding school run at the time by the Irish Catholic Sisters of ..... Read More
THE UPPER 5 LESSON
In the early days I don't have a particular scenario to remember except that I had to force myself to Carr House from Swanston. Perhaps only for regular and continuous harassment by seniors, due to the activities of my immediate elder brother who left in 1971- EshyMiliki.
I remember a particular event in Form One. My House Teacher sent me to Oloko only to be cajoled by a Form 2 student from Swanston House. I eventually lost the one pound given to me for the purchase. I carried the long bench ..... Read More
PRIVILEGED
Born on 15th December to the family of Dr. Zacchaeus Adekunle and Mrs. Olufunke Esther Adejumo in Ibadan, Oyo State Nigeria, I attended Luba Private School, Ijebu-Ode as a boarding student. I was the first student from this school to have gained admission to Government College Ibadan. That time students who successfully gained admission into secondary schools were called out at the assembly ground, and the names of respective secondary schools were also mentioned. When it got to my turn on that ..... Read More
FLIGHT FROM SWANSTON
As a 7-year old living at number 37, Ajao Road, Surulere, Lagos, our apartment overlooked the back gardens of Pacelli School for the blind. I used to stand for hours on end looking at blind children playing and having fun despite their physical challenges. I suppose this initial contact was responsible for the sympathy I immediately had for Nurudeen Amusa when we met in January 1972.
My name ABODUNDE OLUBANJI came up in Swanston House and Class 1B. After the first term holiday, I was posted to ..... Read More
BUILT ON THE ROCK
My name is Olabopo Bamidele Remilekun Williams hence otherwise known as OBR, Willie or OBRat. I must have been one of the smallest in our set competing with the likes of Adegbola and Abodunde. Although small in stature, we were never small in abilities or we would not havebeen in GCI. I was in Grier House with my best friend then, the late Badmus (Baddy). He is fondly remembered as we do Kila, Amos, Kufo, Aloba and few others. They shall all be remembered for good.
GCI, our school, was ..... Read More
OKONJO ON MY MIND
I Still remember to this day that I had specifically requested to be placed in Grier House (Dad was an old Grierson). This wasn’t a source of grief, I was going off to GCI. So, on that January day, my mother and I motored from Lagos to Ibadan. I was somewhat apprehensive of leaving my folks and going off into this great unknown as it were; however, the excitement of going off to secondary school, the very idea that one was now a “big boy” more than made up for any twinge of fear or ..... Read More