MY STORY (AKIN -DEKO)

Born in the late 1950s, I did my elementary school in the 1960s between Ibadan, Nigeria; and Accra, Ghana, as my father, after resigning as the Western Region Minister of Agriculture in 1962, moved to Accra to work as the Head of Mission of the United Nations - Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)

In Ghana, I attended an Anglican Mission School called Ridge Church School, which, apart from its excellent academic pursuit, put a lot of emphasis on the development of extra-curricular activities (scouts, ballet, brownies, etc) and sporting abilities (rounders football, etc). It's the only primary school I know in that era that had its own swimming pool. It was probably in the school that my coupled with the fact that my residence when I returned to Ibadan was potential and interest in sporting activities were activated. Also, arbitrarily walk to the stadium and partake in the ongoing practice of right in front of the Liberty Stadium, thereby allowing me to many of the several sporting activities that occurred in the arena.

I left Ghana in 1968 to return to Ibadan where I attended All Saints Church School, Jericho, from where I was admitted into GCI My Form mates/friends at All Saints then included Layi and David Banjo, Diptendu Bose, all old boys of GCI. In my youth, as soon as I learned to reason, I had known of my dad's desire for me to end up in GCI. He and his friends T.S.B. Esubiyi (Vice-principal, Igbobi college), Chief Sagay, that were all old boys of GCI drummed it into my head that there were only two schools in Nigeria back then, GCI, and the others. And I must study hard to be admitted into GCI. I was schooled to get an admission into GCI more than those aspiring to get into Cambridge University.

My Dad, having been a former teacher and House Master (Grier) in GCI was very familiar with the curriculum of the school. He, however, noticed that I placed so much emphasis on sports and extra- curricular activities that he humorously categorized me as a veritable candidate for the Chairmanship of the NFA (No Future Association). However, it was to his greatest surprise (and perhaps mine) that I was able to cap my sojourn in the school by making a grade one in my WASC Exams. This is with glory to God and of course testimony of the excellent quality of tuition/training that the school offered her students.


Culled From: Metamorphoses 50th Anniversary Yearbook(1970 set)
Submitted by: Gboyega Akin Deko (Grier/Powell, 2124)