Government College Ibadan- How Great Thou Art.
Imagine a 10-year-old being dropped off in Ibadan for the first time away from his parents, then you will appreciate what it's like to be thrown into the deep end a swimming pool without knowing how to swim. This is what it was like for me in January 1971. No one prepares you for such an ordeal. It was to be an invaluable experience in later years. It prepares you for what is to come. Going to boarding school in England for 6th form was a piece of cake, the tears still flowed, but it was easier ..... Read More
My Days in GCI
My father singularly decided that I would not be attending secondary school in Lagos but would be going to Government College Ibadan (GCI). It obviously a school he would have loved to attend, having met some old boys of GCI during his early life.
I had little or no knowledge of the city of Ibadan and had only visited once with my father on our way to Ekiti, my first trip beyond ljebu Ode. I attended Grange School, Ikeja, Lagos where very few of my mates had also been to Ibadan or heard of ..... Read More
A Visionary Silenced Before His Hour - Nigeria’s Forgotten Digital Pioneer
In the 1960s and 70s, when computers were still a novelty in most parts of the world, one Nigerian academic was already laying the foundations for the nation’s digital future. Professor John O. (O. J.) Fagbemi, Nigeria’s first Professor of Computer Science and a pioneer of informatics, combined brilliance, vision, and international stature to establish computing as both a discipline and a practical force in the country. His untimely death in a motor accident in 1975/76 cut short a ..... Read More
A Visionary Silenced Before His Hour - Nigeria’s Forgotten Digital Pioneer
In the 1960s and 70s, when computers were still a novelty in most parts of the world, one Nigerian academic was already laying the foundations for the nation’s digital future. Professor John O. (O. J.) Fagbemi, Nigeria’s first Professor of Computer Science and a pioneer of informatics, combined brilliance, vision, and international stature to establish computing as both a discipline and a practical force in the country. His untimely death in a motor accident in 1975/76 cut short a ..... Read More
TELL THE TRUTH
I was in Form 1C. In fact I was in the C arm in my one to form three. The C class had some of the most troublesome boys with all sorts of pranks up their sleeves but they were also smart in their class work.
The class of 72 was filled with boys from diverse backgrounds including some of the most brilliant boys, Aiyesimoju (Mela) and Amos (Soma) of blessed memory, to mention a few.
Some of these boys were great sportsmen in football, athletics, cricket and hockey and represented the school ..... Read More
RELUCTANT STUDENT
Reflecting on the half century anniversary of my class set’s R entry into Government College Ibadan (GCI) in January 1972, I must first and foremost give thanks to the heavenly Father who makes all things possible for bringing a good majority of us all this far. This is indeed a monumental milestone for which we cannot but be thankful to God. One must also thank the Almighty for the lives of our departed compatriots. May their dear souls all rest in peace. After the thanksgiving, I can then ..... Read More
HOOKED ON GCI
In 1971, when I was about to sit for the common entrance examination in Lagos, I applied to:
1.King’s College Lagos
2.Igbobi College Lagos
3.Government College Ibadan
I was invited for the interviews of all three, but when I went to Ibadan, I got hooked on GCI.
I arrived by air, accompanied by my tutor, Mr. Leye Akinola, a University of Ibadan student doing a vacation job at Dunlop Industries, where my old man, a chartered accountant, was the Buying Manager.
The three-day interview left ..... Read More
MY GCI CHOICE
My family and I lived in Lagos and in the run up to the common entrance examination, I selected a number of schools. There were a number of very good schools in Lagos to which I applied, although I also applied to GCI on the recommendation of extended family members who lived in Ibadan, as one of my older relatives was already studying there. My heart was initially set on attending Igbobi College and although I eventually secured admission to a number of secondary schools, two things happened ..... Read More
TEN THINGS GCI TAUGHT ME
Initially, I was contemplating writing about my Government College Ibadan (GCI) experience, which would have started from the first time I heard about her at the age of six when an uncle living with us at the time was admitted into the school right up to the time I passed out of the school at the age of 16. Yes, I passed out but never really left GCI because the school would always remain a part of me for as long as I live. But then it occurred to me that many of my classmates may want to write ..... Read More
DELAYED LETTER
In everything I give thanks to Jehovah the Almighty God. I got into GCI by divine intervention because of what happened to me in late 1971. I did the National Common Entrance and also did other individual schools’ examinations within Lagos and the old Western State. Strangely, we started receiving letters to attend interviews long after all of them had stopped conducting their interviews.
It all began with Baptist Academy in Lagos whose letter of interview got to my father’s pigeon-hole ..... Read More