I can call this a post if I want to.
I've had some names typed on a piece of paper for nearly a decade now. And I might loose it. They are names of costars in the animal kingdom(seniors and juniors excluded). Some are recurring and others are guest star appearances.
Meaningful only to those who knew Wesley College in my time.
And to those who have every intention of going on this adventurous journey with me.
MEAD HOUSE
Samson Ozemoya mog
Dokun Balogun balo G
Peju Odebunmi benson
Tokunbo Babalola toks
Tobi Omokungbe nan pao
Gboyega Olaiya
Badeji Adebisi jonny bravo
Fadipe Adeoluwa kedigbe, susii
Muyiwa Olawuyi oloh, okolosi(sorry i know... i just had to)
Damilola Osikoya branco
Ademola Adesokan longman, adex
Segun Abodunrin
Godwin Lawani
Dapo Oyedele
FREEMAN HOUSE
Makanjuola Adebulehin st.maks
Remi Ogunkayo blakky, black shit
Yomi Adedeji baami
Niyi Oni biggie
Moshood Taiwo lampro
Macaulay Gabriel mascor
Saheed Oyedeji otutu
GRIFFIN HOUSE
Bola Amosa bobo(i hear say u dey akwa ibom)
Rasheed Alogba gusto gony
Leye Oyediran leyito
Bashiru Shoyombo ijebu
Remi Adagunodo stagnant water
Bisi Faleye holy spirit
Tola Omotosho
Femi Aiki iyanibo(female tortoise)
Niyi Adetunbi neyo
Seun Fawehinmi belego agipsin (where r u?)
Ahmed Atere
Damola Alayande alsatian, SP
Wole Oguntoyinbo oguns(call me. lost my number?)
*Seun Oguntoyinbo manjogi
Segun Komolehin se iwo rije
Remi Abiodun
WEBSTER HOUSE
Segun Obisesan
Yinka Amole anelka
Ayobami Makinde solo, mankind
Idris Oyedeji ategun
Julius Aluko ajunko
David Fashakin ogaga(the guy tall)
Tosin Oke okefin
Debo Oguntuga
For guys whose names are not included, my apologies. It's been a long time.
I use to have the gals lists too, but I can't find them right now. Not that they actually fit into our side of the animal kingdom. I would put them in the endangered species section of the kingdom.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
FIRST DAY
Scofield was dropped at sona gate and one of the guards said 'this is as far as we can go'. Mama dropped me in front of the hostel with my things and said 'we'll come during visiting day'.
Sounds the same to me.
Every new student is taken to the hostel captain, who then assigns those who will help him get a bunk, locker and help arrange his things. What?. It's true. (you know one sometimes needs to conserve strength). Before you leave his room, he reads to you the riot act.
1. You dare not call a senior student by name(this is actually the holy grail of all rules).
2. Morning and Afternoon duties most be done.
3. You are sent to school as an help-mate for seniors, therefore this is your primary assignment.
(a) you fetch water for him.
(b) you wash his clothes, including the undies.
(c) he finds it tedious to go for his food himself. so you go to the dining hall to get his food.
(d) you don't refuse him. he wants your mattress, you give him. he wants your food stuff, he
gets it.
4. All juniors are often told to assemble at 'aso rock', as commanded by any senior for reasons
best known to him.(aso rock is an open space in the hostel with a 'wide' stair case which we sit
on).
5. No 'mofti'. you must always be in your hostel uniform. failure to comply corrected by
appropriate punishment.
6. No junior must be seen in the hostel during school hours, and outside the hostel after 10pm.
7. The seniors are free to violate any of the rules above.
Tunde, the hostel captain, then shouted 'one boys....., two boys...., one boys, two boys, one boys, two boys. And suddenly out of nowhere, I saw students running from different directions, towards him, and also forming a line as they got to him. After they all got to him and the line was completely formed, he then picked the last two boys and told the rest to go.
Then he said "coolio, tunji, carry his things to mead house", "get a bunk and a locker for him, and then help him arrange his things", "when you are through come back to report to me".
I felt like it was my lucky day. This hostel must be sweet. 'when your mates are ordered to help you with your things on your first day'.
I found out minutes later that these guys(coolio and tunji) were actually my seniors.
I had unknowingly made two enemies on my first day. These guys turned out to be thorns in my flesh for the next two years.
By this time it was already 5pm. within an hour they got me a bunk and locker, and also helped in arranging my things. coolio and tunji left without saying a word. I was introduced to the house captain, who again read the riot act and dispatched me. I was told the next time I am able to get such a personal audience with him was if I did something wrong. That didn't scare me anyway because been the gently guy that I was, I always managed to stay out of trouble. So i thought.
At this juncture, it will be important to let you guys know that the school was a mixed school.
6:30pm. Dinner time. 7:30. Prep time. 9:00pm. Chapel time.(yes, we do pray).
The evening prep was always observed in a large hall called dining hall.
At a quarter to nine. A senior stood up with a bell in his hand, clang, clang.. "all SS1 and SS2 boys should assemble at aso rock immediately after chapel". Turned around to hear murmuring all around me.. turned to my new friends, 'scope', and ayo, and i asked what was wrong. They said they didn't know, but with the look in their eyes (fear) i knew something had gone terribly wrong.
If there was one edifice that I can NEVER forget. It was the school chapel. It is not the building itself but what happens every 9pm inside. It was fun. We had different reasons for going for night devotion. To worship(of course), dance like crazy, check out a gal you admired dancing and also to cause distractions (exclusive to seniors, they always sat at the back. which I later did anyway). Praise and singing, fun. Sermon, not fun, and then you hear seniors chatting and laughing at the back. Then you do some scouting(long story).
After chapel
This is a time i dreaded for the next two years.
Aso rock is close to the hostel's main gate, infact you can't get into the hostel without passing through this place(except if you take the freeman jungle...or webster). This day, we all got to aso rock and sat down. SS1 on one side and SS2 on the other. We all sat this way for the next 15minutes without anyone coming out to tell us why we were summoned. (later found out that we could get summoned for the trivial of reasons: a senior might have an issues with just one or two of us, but decides to summon everyone).
All of a sudden, a senior came out.
"Bobo, bobooo... ounje mi da"(bobo where is my food), "bosita" (come out). bobo comes out. "where is my food". on your knees. What one would expect at this time was for us to be sent to our different dorms. But no.
Another senior comes again and says "Biggie (biggie had been sneaking all around school that day trying to avoid this guy). Biggieeee...(no one responds). he brings out a touch-light to fish out biggie. Then. "se biggie ko ni yen" (is that not biggie). he removes his belt. "iwo, owo mida" (you, where is my money). (Meanwhile bobo is still on his knees praying that his punishment is light. But the first senior is nowhere around, has he forgotten?).
"oya lo se angle 90 sibe yen funmi". (Angle 90 is a kind of punishment whereby you squat in such a way that your back is parallel with the wall, then your thighs and legs forms the angle 90). he stays monitoring biggie. the first senior is nowhere to be found.
Then senior 'lala' (nickname, never knew his real name) came to deliver his speech( i was later told that he does this every time we were summoned to aso rock.
"where is yinka?". yinka stands up. then he calls one of his friends nearby. micheal, you know i saw yinka in front of the girls hostel today, and he didn't answer me when i called him. micheal then says.What!!. "oun da". where is he? yinka receives two slaps to each side of the face.
"I don't know what is wrong with you boys. so because you are with a girl, then i can't call you. The same thing happened with bobo last week, he was with his school mother, and he did as if he did not hear me when i called him"(sure bobo had already been punished for that, why not). "You wan dey do fine boy for me, abi". "Next time I see any of you with a girl and i call and you don't run to me you are in trouble". Understood?. Then he turns to leave.
"Ha, bobo, ki lo se?". "bobo, what did you do?". bobo explains.
"scope(my new friend) go and bring my 501 belt". "You are in trouble tonight".
"I don't know why you boys don't always want to do anything". he then turns his head and sees biggie doing angle 90. then the second senior explained how biggie ran away with his money.
"O tie da bayen". "it's good this way". "the two of you are in trouble tonight".
By this time it was already 11pm.
scope comes back with the belt.
"Biggie lie down". But the other senior intervenes, saying the angle 90 punishment was enough.
(lala had itchy hands, he even dreams of beating juniors in his sleep).
"Bobo come here, lie down flat!!".
Unfortunately for bobo the first senior was nowhere around.
Not long after bobo was beaten we were dispatched, not by the one who summoned us but by another.
I lay on my bed that night 28th day of october 199., trying to imagine how i will be able to cope. Me, a sheep, in the den of lions.
Sounds the same to me.
Every new student is taken to the hostel captain, who then assigns those who will help him get a bunk, locker and help arrange his things. What?. It's true. (you know one sometimes needs to conserve strength). Before you leave his room, he reads to you the riot act.
1. You dare not call a senior student by name(this is actually the holy grail of all rules).
2. Morning and Afternoon duties most be done.
3. You are sent to school as an help-mate for seniors, therefore this is your primary assignment.
(a) you fetch water for him.
(b) you wash his clothes, including the undies.
(c) he finds it tedious to go for his food himself. so you go to the dining hall to get his food.
(d) you don't refuse him. he wants your mattress, you give him. he wants your food stuff, he
gets it.
4. All juniors are often told to assemble at 'aso rock', as commanded by any senior for reasons
best known to him.(aso rock is an open space in the hostel with a 'wide' stair case which we sit
on).
5. No 'mofti'. you must always be in your hostel uniform. failure to comply corrected by
appropriate punishment.
6. No junior must be seen in the hostel during school hours, and outside the hostel after 10pm.
7. The seniors are free to violate any of the rules above.
Tunde, the hostel captain, then shouted 'one boys....., two boys...., one boys, two boys, one boys, two boys. And suddenly out of nowhere, I saw students running from different directions, towards him, and also forming a line as they got to him. After they all got to him and the line was completely formed, he then picked the last two boys and told the rest to go.
Then he said "coolio, tunji, carry his things to mead house", "get a bunk and a locker for him, and then help him arrange his things", "when you are through come back to report to me".
I felt like it was my lucky day. This hostel must be sweet. 'when your mates are ordered to help you with your things on your first day'.
I found out minutes later that these guys(coolio and tunji) were actually my seniors.
I had unknowingly made two enemies on my first day. These guys turned out to be thorns in my flesh for the next two years.
By this time it was already 5pm. within an hour they got me a bunk and locker, and also helped in arranging my things. coolio and tunji left without saying a word. I was introduced to the house captain, who again read the riot act and dispatched me. I was told the next time I am able to get such a personal audience with him was if I did something wrong. That didn't scare me anyway because been the gently guy that I was, I always managed to stay out of trouble. So i thought.
At this juncture, it will be important to let you guys know that the school was a mixed school.
6:30pm. Dinner time. 7:30. Prep time. 9:00pm. Chapel time.(yes, we do pray).
The evening prep was always observed in a large hall called dining hall.
At a quarter to nine. A senior stood up with a bell in his hand, clang, clang.. "all SS1 and SS2 boys should assemble at aso rock immediately after chapel". Turned around to hear murmuring all around me.. turned to my new friends, 'scope', and ayo, and i asked what was wrong. They said they didn't know, but with the look in their eyes (fear) i knew something had gone terribly wrong.
If there was one edifice that I can NEVER forget. It was the school chapel. It is not the building itself but what happens every 9pm inside. It was fun. We had different reasons for going for night devotion. To worship(of course), dance like crazy, check out a gal you admired dancing and also to cause distractions (exclusive to seniors, they always sat at the back. which I later did anyway). Praise and singing, fun. Sermon, not fun, and then you hear seniors chatting and laughing at the back. Then you do some scouting(long story).
After chapel
This is a time i dreaded for the next two years.
Aso rock is close to the hostel's main gate, infact you can't get into the hostel without passing through this place(except if you take the freeman jungle...or webster). This day, we all got to aso rock and sat down. SS1 on one side and SS2 on the other. We all sat this way for the next 15minutes without anyone coming out to tell us why we were summoned. (later found out that we could get summoned for the trivial of reasons: a senior might have an issues with just one or two of us, but decides to summon everyone).
All of a sudden, a senior came out.
"Bobo, bobooo... ounje mi da"(bobo where is my food), "bosita" (come out). bobo comes out. "where is my food". on your knees. What one would expect at this time was for us to be sent to our different dorms. But no.
Another senior comes again and says "Biggie (biggie had been sneaking all around school that day trying to avoid this guy). Biggieeee...(no one responds). he brings out a touch-light to fish out biggie. Then. "se biggie ko ni yen" (is that not biggie). he removes his belt. "iwo, owo mida" (you, where is my money). (Meanwhile bobo is still on his knees praying that his punishment is light. But the first senior is nowhere around, has he forgotten?).
"oya lo se angle 90 sibe yen funmi". (Angle 90 is a kind of punishment whereby you squat in such a way that your back is parallel with the wall, then your thighs and legs forms the angle 90). he stays monitoring biggie. the first senior is nowhere to be found.
Then senior 'lala' (nickname, never knew his real name) came to deliver his speech( i was later told that he does this every time we were summoned to aso rock.
"where is yinka?". yinka stands up. then he calls one of his friends nearby. micheal, you know i saw yinka in front of the girls hostel today, and he didn't answer me when i called him. micheal then says.What!!. "oun da". where is he? yinka receives two slaps to each side of the face.
"I don't know what is wrong with you boys. so because you are with a girl, then i can't call you. The same thing happened with bobo last week, he was with his school mother, and he did as if he did not hear me when i called him"(sure bobo had already been punished for that, why not). "You wan dey do fine boy for me, abi". "Next time I see any of you with a girl and i call and you don't run to me you are in trouble". Understood?. Then he turns to leave.
"Ha, bobo, ki lo se?". "bobo, what did you do?". bobo explains.
"scope(my new friend) go and bring my 501 belt". "You are in trouble tonight".
"I don't know why you boys don't always want to do anything". he then turns his head and sees biggie doing angle 90. then the second senior explained how biggie ran away with his money.
"O tie da bayen". "it's good this way". "the two of you are in trouble tonight".
By this time it was already 11pm.
scope comes back with the belt.
"Biggie lie down". But the other senior intervenes, saying the angle 90 punishment was enough.
(lala had itchy hands, he even dreams of beating juniors in his sleep).
"Bobo come here, lie down flat!!".
Unfortunately for bobo the first senior was nowhere around.
Not long after bobo was beaten we were dispatched, not by the one who summoned us but by another.
I lay on my bed that night 28th day of october 199., trying to imagine how i will be able to cope. Me, a sheep, in the den of lions.
Monday, May 26, 2008
ANIMAL KINGDOM
Which animal is the king of animals? The lion? Oh, the Elephant?. which one.
ok sorry, y'all. created a blog for 2 months with nothing in it. I might as well give up. But again, you only give up on what you've started.
My high school(actually popularly called secondary school in Nigeria, and in many countries of course), high?, secondary?, isn't that contradictory?. Whatever.
As i was saying before i was rudely interrupted, (by who?, who else but yourself).
I guess you guys might be wondering 'whf' is going on. I'll tell yah. multiple personality d.... but a mild one. Not a Nikki. What could have caused this kind of behavioral pattern. Childhood experiences?.
I know how i got mine. The Animal Kingdom.
I happened to attend Wesley College. The name sounds...what? i know what you are thinking. You are all right. But no, the events that happened inside could change the name to Sona College. (Go watch prison break). I was in the boarding house.
Unlike Sona where they had a Lechero. In Wesley, guys like lechero, sammy, whistler, scofield, mahone and T-bag were of equal strength. And the rest were bellicks. (Of course i was a bellick. At least for the first two years. Before i became a mahone. story for another day). Though I wasn't stripped on my first day.
School was nice, good teachers, okay class, neat school environment, the best uniform in the land(it is), a well maintained 1929 chapel. But that was as far as it went.
The hostel, food(i always looked malnourished), and FEAR(perpetual, at least from 2pm till night).
Our seniors always kept their demons in the animal kingdom(hostel), and put up angelic attributes during school hours.
Some of you won't get me. But the few who went to a school similar to the one described will know what i am talking about. The years spent were my worst and best.
Such memorable years. Years of innocence.
Don't worry. Tomorrow I will share with you my first day in the Kingdom called Animal
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