Hiatus

Folks I will be away for some time. I promise I will be back soon.

THE CHAPEL REVIVAL

The Wesley College Chapel is not just another building. Not just another place of worship. The chapel had diverse meanings to many students. But more importantly the Wesley College Chapel was (and maybe still is) the most popular building in the school. Students had both good and not so good reasons of going to the chapel for devotions and services. I’ll dwell on the good reasons; the not so good for another day.

We so much enjoyed going to the chapel; the songs we loved, we danced and rejoiced to melodies every night for three straight years. The Chapel was like a hide-out; a sanctuary for juniors to escape the hostilities of our seniors. 9 pm everyday was a time we gathered to loosen the accumulated tension of the day. The Chapel kept our sanity and gave us the will to go on. Events in the school Chapel were predictable unlike our seniors and even sometimes, us.

2^nd term 1999, events took a new turn. An end to predictability. I suppose the Chapel executives headed by the Chapel prefect invited some ex-Wesleyans to preach the word. The sermon delivery wasn’t like anything we’ve been used to, and the ‘heaven-hell cards’ were played. Trust me, this period was like a call to order, a call questioning our declared love for God. We became so spiritually charged; my communion with God was at an all-time high. The atmosphere in the Chapel was so permeated with the Holy Spirit, we could feel it, and we were able to key into it.

We had more Chapel services during the week than ever before. And during these services (I don’t know where those guys came from); it was common occurrence for people to fall under the anointing. I can remember myself telling Makanju how wonderful it would be if I could maintain that level of spirituality. I couldn’t.

Spiritual gifts were imparted. The gifts of speaking in tongues and even its interpretation, and the gift of prophecy.

The effect of their visit reverberated even into the next academic term. They left but we were still able to maintain the level of spirituality. More students started coming into the Chapel for devotions, even Muslims got converted. One individual even changed name.

But there was a particular gift that really stayed with us after their departure. The gift of prophecy. We had many prophets and prophetess. So many prophesies were delivered. I even got one. My personal prophecy till date.

Girls would even prophecy during school hours in their hostels; they would go to the hostel, listening and writing down prophesies. Spirituality was fashionable, its either you can prophecy, speak in tongues, or interpret. If you don’t have any of these gifts, you feel like you don’t belong. How could I forget.

The Chapel revival did not last forever. It lasted that academic session. But the revival gave birth to something else. Increased familiarity. More friends. And when I say friends, I don’t mean boys. The Christian sisterhood-brotherhood atmosphere opened many doors… no, some doors. It did.

STING OPERATION

Sting: to affect with sharp quick pain. To overcharge, cheat.
Covert: not openly shown, secret.
Operation: something to be done, an activity. A military action, mission, or manoeuvre and its planning.

Okay, let’s ‘manoeuvre’ our minds to those CIA movies, where agents are sent into enemy zones mostly as undercover. The enemies are hit before they knew what hit them. Sting operation perfect, quick operation.

It should be surprising therefore, when teenagers exude such military finesse. Just like a friend narrating a story you told him of how you met and wooed your ex-girlfriend, what you did… but funny enough you can’t remember telling your friend such a story… and when did she become my ex? But he sounds so convincing, when did all this happen?

You feel dumb and stupid. You’ve been playeSS1 Second Term

Two senior students (SS3) came into the boarding house, my house in particular; for obvious reasons, they came to prepare well for their final examinations. I think one of them came to retake some papers. Dapo Okuyiga and Chude. The only reason a senior would like you as a junior is if you are always ready to run his errands. Dapo Okuyiga liked me; Chude was his friend, they both like me.

Their uniforms were always neat, thanks to me. An average day went this way:

I get back from school, head straight into the senior dormitory. Dapo is already there waiting. He sees me, throws his uniform at me, without saying a word. That was the daily ritual. Or on other days, if I’m nowhere around, he makes sure he gives the uniform to no one else until he finds me.

But since Chude was his close friend, he uses his friends’ laundry man. Me.

As time passed by; they raised the bar, they moved from uniforms to checks, then mufti (especially trousers). I was a great laundry man. Till I struck gold. Literally.

Third Term SS1

Our seniors are always busy this time of the session with their final examinations. Laundry business wasn’t moving. But once in a while ‘customers’ still bring their laundry. Chude brought his. He gave me his trouser, told me to wash. I loved my job, so I washed it immediately. But I don’t take washed clothes to customers, they come for their clothes.

He did not come for his trouser, so I just wrapped it and kept it in my locker. A day turned into two days. Then a week. One month. Till I forgot I had a foreign trouser in my locker. Why Chude forgot the trousers, I can’t say. Maybe exam pressure.

They left school

I STRUCK GOLD
A friend of mine, Demola who had his locker close to mine, and I, were doing the once in a while locker cleanup. And I struck gold. I saw a trouser in my locker and I could not remember how it got there. Searched the pockets, I found a nylon. Inside the nylon. Lo and behold, jewelries. Earrings, neck chain…How did I get this? Then I remembered. My laundry job had paid off after all.

STING OPERATION
Demola was by my side, I didn’t show him he saw it Two is a crowd, they say. But I had no choice; I would have showed him anyway. What are we to do? We could make good money, we agreed. We have to go to Sabo; Demola could not help with that, but a mate of ours could help he suggested. Godwin. Godwin is always ready. He confirmed he’s got contacts at Sabo. It was agreed that we would set a date aside to go to Sabo. Godwin and Demola. So I wrapped the jewelries and kept them safely in my locker.

That was the last time I would see those jewelries.

**now before I proceed, I personally did not indict these two then, neither do I now**
That was the last time I would be seeing those jewelries.

Few days later I got back from school, felt like once again beholding the jewelries. They were no where to be found. Now I don’t really know what to write about this incident. I guess I should have called the CSI crew. This is what I know.

There was no sign of forced entry (into my locker). Demola and Godwin both appeared surprised on discovering this theft. But what was more surprising was how some of my seniors got wind of the theft. Who told them? Seniors Tayo, Ayo, Michael, Bimbo (maybe) called us for questioning.

It was obvious they suspected Godwin and Demola, but I also discovered they knew more than we did. Ayo and Tayo particularly appeared to know where the jewelries were.
The incident was so serious, they intimidated Demola. I guess it contributed to his decision to leave the hostel. Ayo and Tayo were my close friends of, though they were my seniors. They told me who stole (took) the ‘goods’. A senior (in Griffin) did the Italian job.

But who was I to confront him.
I guess he is now rich from the money he got from those jewelries.

JUVENILE

Some things we did, so immature; we thought been in SS3 was it. We were kings; no one could ask us, query us. We were the untouchables, the invincibles. We did whatever we wanted, whenever we felt like.

Ironically, less than a year after leaving school we meet such people, juniors, seniors, who we
had months back maltreated and vice-versa. You both smile as if nothing had happened between you two. It's a sign that once you leave the animal kingdom, you leave all your inhumane
attributes.

I don't want this post to be unnecessarily long. I remember this.

Few weeks after I got admitted into the University, I met Tayo (not real name). He was then studying diploma in law, when I saw him. We were both excited to see each other. Who would imagine that two years before then I got injured, thanks to him.

It was on a Sunday.

SS3 students had one more final paper to write (Yoruba) and we SS2 students always dream of defying their orders and in extreme cases, beating them up.

Sunday afternoon, senior Michael sent me to the kitchen to get his food. On getting to the
kitchen there was no more food (as unbelievable as that was, for he was the asst. food prefect). So I had no choice but to return with an empty plate. As I was about leaving the dinning hall, I met ‘tayo’; he said he wanted the plate.

I guess my mistake was refusing him; before I knew what was happening a resounding slap landed on my face, which made me loose my balance, I nearly fell.

I got a sudden rush of adrenaline.

Me: 'Tayo, Tayo, you'll will regret this'(lol, as if I could do anything other than reporting him).

Tayo didn't say anything he just left.
Unfortunately for me some of his friends were around and they saw what happened.

Friends: 'Mi o je gba' (I can never take that). 'Is that not 'me' talking to you like that’?I guess he didn't want his friends thinking he was weak. I saw him coming back towards me, and I knew he was going to do more than just slapping me. So I took to my heels. But he ran after me, caught up with me. He was taller and stronger.

I tripped and fell on my hand injuring my right wrist in the process.

His last day(ffg.day) wasn't that cool because he was summoned by the house master, where he got disciplined. Though that didn't take away the bandage that had to be on my hand for a week.

There was this other senior, Tunji (real name); he was my number one enemy. He was always after me. It was my fault to have allowed them (tunji and coolio) carry my things as commanded by the hostel prefect, on my first day. A real thorn in my flesh he was.

I can't recall the number of times I had him reported to Mr. Okegbola and Mr. Akinleye.

It's really funny how we both became close friends in the University. We were even in the same department, different majors though, and we still keep in touch.

So, to all juniors that I had one time or another maltreated.

I am sorry (I know you can't even remember what I did, lol).

EYESORE

Events took me to Wesley College in 2006. That would be the second time after graduation that I would be there. The first being in 2002.

There is this feeling of anticipation and anxiety that many people have, when visiting place(s) they’ve not been to in a while. I was looking forward to once again seeing the school which I had so many memories. The school area, the workshop, administrative areas, chapel, the laboratories, dining and jubilee halls, the staff quarters and the hostel.

What I saw was an eyesore.

The whole place looked so unkempt, so unclean. The dining hall was so dirty, I don’t know if students still eat there. The girls’ hostel was totally in ruins, the building even looked as if it was sinking. If the girls hostel as in ruins, then I don’t know what to say about the boys’ hostel. Abandoned.

The hostel I once knew, the hostel I had so many experiences, bitter, sweet, sour. This hostel no longer exists. No Aso Rock, No Griffin, Webster, Mead or Freeman. All gone. So Desolate. The Ceilings had collapsed.

It’s obvious that since I left school, no renovations or even maintenance has been carried out in the school especially the hostel area. Where is WESCOSA? Where are those people who come to the chapel for 50^th, 40^th, 30^th anniversaries?

The hostel we knew no longer exists.
Something has to be done.

I SAW MR. AKINLEYE

A couple of months back, I had just left the bank going back home, and I saw Mr. Akinleye.

I was so exited that I walked up to him. Seeing me, he recognized me; he said 'Wesley?',
I said 'yes'. He said I had changed, trying to recall how short I was way back. He asked what I was into, if I was out of school, where I was working and some other things.
He said he left Wesley immediately after I graduated, he was transferred to Government
College. We departed exchanging numbers.

Years ago, when I was in high school, I never could have imagined that there would come a time when I would be having such a mature discussion with him. He was just an individual trying to do his job. And he did one hell of a job. If we were tough, he was tougher. There were rumors going around then that he had a black belt. He was always around to cut our excesses. Don't cross him. The toughest amongst us tried, but they only proved the obvious. Don't mess with him.

We feared him.

There was a guy; I can't remember his name now, maybe shola. He was my junior (2 yrs). He just got to the hostel, but he had a problem. He couldn't get himself a locker, he came late and all lockers were occupied especially those lockers in the junior dormitory. No junior fancied the idea of having his locker close to the seniors. That meant errands.... in abundance. But there was an unoccupied locker in the senior dormitory; he had no choice but to take it.

This guy spent only one week with us, before all hell was let loose.

You know, things we blamed our seniors for as juniors were exactly the same things we did when we became seniors.

IT WAS A SUNDAY

A typical Sunday. You wake up, no juniors around, they've all vanished. Eat breakfast; make a mess, bread crumbs, and egg shells.

It's noon. You get back from the chapel after service. Into the dormitory, and it looks so untidy, the toilet looks so unwashed, the gutter, corridors dirty. Hell, these kids didn't do their morning duties in their bid to leave the hostel in time. They are in for real trouble tonight... so we thought.

Now, back to this guy, shola. He came to me later in the day. He had a serious complaint.
His money was stolen. How did that happen? Where did you keep the money? You should have been more careful. Now we have a thief here. So I called and told one or two of my mates.
'Sorry, you'll get your money back, whoever is behind this will be caught, just be patient'.

But he wasn't.

BUSTED

During the prep., the announcement summoning all SS1 and SS2 boys in the house was made. They are in for one hell of a night.

They were beaten several times all over their bodies. We had names we gave to those corporal punishments, I can't recall those names, but they were all excruciatingly painful. Some of our mates from other houses even came to lend us (us? no, them, I was just an onlooker) a hand. This went on for a long time, but the beatings continued.

I got bored, so I went for my daily dose of 'garri'. I was even trying to console the 'crying babies'. All of a sudden I felt a strong hand on my shoulders, pushing me downwards, and saying 'on your knees, now!'.

Mr. Akinleye had been around for God knows how long watching us. This was a mega-bust.

The student whose money was stolen had gone to report the incident to Mr. Akinleye earlier in the day. That was why he was in the dormitory at such an hour of the day. Not that it was strange or surprising for Mr. Akinleye to know that this was what we do. In fact we were sure he knew. But it was a different story altogether for him to witness this firsthand.

We got the beatings of our lives.

It was obvious he knew those who were actually involved directly, so there was no time for denials. He divided us into two; the actors and the onlookers.

But I said it then, and I will say it now. I see no reason why a particular guy was excluded. He did not beat anyone.... neither did I. Spirituality shouldn’t have been used as a measure. That was prejudice.

We were beaten like criminals, especially the actors.

We were moved into the quad-angle, ordered to strip, leaving only our boxers. Then he told some guys to go get buckets of water. We lay flat on the wet grass and I got six good strokes of the cane on my bare back. The guys doing the beatings, the actors, had water poured on them and received twelve strokes of the cane also on their bare backs.

I have a scar just above my left elbow. It constantly reminds me of what happened that infamous SUNDAY.

*Garri - fermented, grounded, dried, and heated cassava