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 regret. We were soon in Ibadan and at GCI. Preliminaries were quickly done and I was deposited in Room 2, Field House and mum was gone! I was independent! Little did I know! The first members of my new abode that I met, insofar as I can remember, were Bajomo (Head of Room) to whom my mother specifically commended my care to, Orenuga, and Yerokun. Other members of Room 2 whom I later met were Williams, Fagbemi S., Oluyede and Owoeye. There were other members of the room but, for the present, the names just don’t come. I met some other seniors that first day; Abe (Head of Room 1) and Waite (Head of Room 3). As it would happen, my last year in GCI was also spent in Room 2 thereby proving the case that, as the Bible states, the meek shall inherit, and I was ever a meek man.
But the most important person I met that day was another lowly fox. I was wandering in the region of the block when I was accosted by a fair complexioned roundish boy wearing Bunter-like glasses. After confirming that I was myself a new boy he introduced himself and straightway took me into care and taught me the rudiments of cricket (using what we called a cutlass [actually a specie of machete] and a table tennis egg). In addition, he gave me sound advice about the wickedness of class 2 boys and even foxes like us who might want to take advantage of our lack of knowledge and play tricks on us; as the Bible states, folk perish for lack of knowledge. His advice served me well in the days to come when one was trying to navigate the perilous and sometimes treacherous paths of being a fox in a great school. Rest in Peace, my brother, Alfred Okonjo.

Culled From: Our story (1972 Set Anniversary book)
Submitted by: IMONIKHE AHIMIE (SN 2422, Field House)