When I'm stuck on French, Onakala (hope I'm right) and Fakorede flash through my mind, when I'm in the prim and proper mode, no one beats Jiboku, when I'm getting hyper literary Akinola is it and when I think team work, I think Atiba...
We never quite had an opportunity to thank the teachers who not only got paid for teaching but went the extra mile to mentor us and put us on the path of knowledge.
It is still a challenge for parents to keep up with talks about menstral cycle, reproductive organs, dating etc but my dear Mum in ensuring I have information on what was necessary to woman development handed me over to Ms. Avoseh. Most weekends, I went for the talks which became a ritual as I often wouldn't take anyone with me. Before or after the talks I leaned some cookery skills and had good snacks; she was the first person who served me pawpaw drenched in quality Peak milk (try it, it tastes really good). I never liked my pawpaw soft but the recipe works better with ripe pawpaw.
She left FGCO before we did; I guess to get married and I never heard of her again. I probably should have asked some of the teachers but I was initially hurt that she did not deem it fit to say goodbye or consider the friendship in her decision to relocate. Today, I doff my hat to her and I know that as I remember her something good will come her way for the kindness she freely showed.
Here is a medium for you to remember those teachers in Odogbolu that stood up and stood tall for you.
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"Ogideolu" Mr Ajayi, I had to take Maths lessons with him during night prep, courtesy of my father.
Mrs Jiboku (SBM & Home Econs), she was like a mother to me as well as Mrs Durosimi Etti, nee Obikoya (French).
Kneel down there (class master SS3 Blue), Mr Akaeme I think
Mr Emebo, Mrs Aderogba, Mr Atiba, Mr Akinola...
Kudos & a big thank you to all these men & women,'cos no matter how you got kicked, whipped by a long cane, embarrased and reported to your parents, they are part of what I am today and I learnt some principles from them. Imagine Mr Akinola telling us in JS3 to pray for our future partners. I thot hey take it slow, what's he getting at? But now I know why.
Though most of you may or may not remember, I had a lady teacher, my form mistress and Integrated Science teacher, Mrs Babalola who had a song she composed with my name Gabriel that she usually sang in yoruba language as:
Gebu Gebu Gebu
Oluwa lo ni gebu
abeni gebu gebu
She also gave the name 'wandering leucocyte' to Walata because he was always fond of moving in and out of the class then. She left shortly after our 2nd term in class one to join her husband in England. I miss her because she was like a mother to us then but for a very short while.
I remember Olops (Mr. Olopele) then senior boarding house master who I remember as the one still owing me some money from the one we students kept with him in class one. As a result, I made up my mind never to keep any money with him again!
I also remember him as a man who had a reputation for flogging students very well.
I remember Mr. Akinola who made me so sick and scared of school because of his rather stern nature. He was an OVERdisciplinarian! (any such word?)
I recall once when he was form master and went chasing after man me (David U.) who was class captain and in the process he fell down. Of course man me was given a portion of grass to clear as his reward.
I remember Mr. Atiba as as man who made it a point of duty to remember the name of everyone of his students, a quality I've come to appreciate and realise as very useful when a leader must relate well with his followers.
He always gave good advice to us and I appreciate him for that.
I remember Mr. Emebo (God bless his soul) as one who flogged me in the dining hall in class 2 when a bread nylon was under my bench and we had been told to pick all nylons and I did not see that particular one.
Coincidentally, I had to work with him as a dining hall captain in our final year.
I remember Mr. Akaeme (God bless his soul) through an incident once when a student in blue arm of our classes whistled while he was in class and Mr. Akaeme started fuming and asking, "who did pin pin, who did pin pin?" and our mates used it to remember him each time.
I remember Mr. Oduguwa whose encounter with me in JS3 made me started bearing the name AMA G. If you recall, he had a reputation for flogging students with anything he could lay his hands on in such a vicious manner I could not understand.
Once shortly before we ended classes to enable us prepare for our JS3 exams, he wanted to flog me with an electric cable for a reason I cannot now remember and I told him he could not use that thing on me.
I then walked out of his class since I knew it was the last before the JS3 exams. Later that day in the hostel Ekene I. came to inform me that the man had come to the hostel to look for me and said he was looking for a student named "AMA G" I was now wondering how he knew my name and then it struck me that he had seen it written on my shirt......as you recall we usually used markers to protect our clothings from being 'borrowed' by unscrupulous students.
Better believe it, that name 'AMA G' stuck with me even through my university days and to date. And life really has a way of bringing people together because while I worked at Universal Trust Bank Plc Ibadan branch Mr. Oduguwa's niece Funmi came for Industrial attachment and I told her the story of how 'kind' her uncle was. When I asked after him, she said he had been transferred to F.G.G.C. Gwagwalada.
I then wondered how he would carry such 'kindness' to an all female school.
The other teachers liked me I believe as a result of academic work - Mrs Aderogba, Mrs Odinaka (ruggy), Mr. Ajayi (gideolu).
What however, surprised me was when I came for my results in 1992, my first and last visit since passing out two years earlier. Mrs Aderogba saw me and asked what I intended studying at University. When I told her Civil Engineering, she screamed and said no and said why don't I study medicine instead?
Well, from my experience in life, I've since realised that it is not what you studied or how brilliant you were at school that mattered but rather what one can make out of life with his or her mind, a God given treasure many and I dare say again, many unfortunately, are unaware of and unable to tap into.
The human mind is the greatest gift
God gave to man. In Africa, we do not make the right use of it and the results are all too obvious. Am I digressing?
In all, I remain grateful for the opportunity the Lord gave me to pass through my alma mater and I am always proud to let people know that fact because my then FEGO was one of the greatest schools around.
God bless all our teachers.
I'm thrilled by your response. If we all can recollect and piece together our FGCO experience then we can have a book published not only to relive the experience but to let children who pass through boarding house know that experiences - positive or negative - have ways of shaping who we come to be.
Before the book comes, if it does come; this will serve as a medium to relive FGCO and possibly have a good laugh at the drama that played itself out through us...
Let's keep the comments coming.
I do remember all the teachers:
Mr. Ajayi (Ogidiolu) Maths teacher and would always punctuate he talks with en en e.g who are you en boy!
Mr. Sodeke - the maths teacher with some physical challenges. In my view he was the best maths teacher.
Mrs. Oyinlola also another maths teacher. I saw her some 7 years ago when I visited Fego. Nice teacher.
I hope to talk more about our teachers. I will serve my memory in little bits and leave teasers on each occasion.
Who remembers Akintitan, Disu & Aruya?
Mr Atiba was a man who stood for what was right and easilly spotted a talent in his students and he did see the Joker in me and insisted i joined the Dramatic society which i later headed after Seun baptist left fego and also heard me talking to Miss Dare (Guidance Counsellor) at the admin block and said I would like to hear you read the news one of this days, i eventually did read the news after joining the Press Club. I met him again this 7years after we left Fego and his daughter was coming into my department at Yabatech and i made it a point of duty to look after her as i bacame the president of my dept association. He was a good man and i am sure he still is.
Miss Toyin Dare was like a sister to me and made it a point of duty to bake me cake on my birthdays and also i had the opportunity to eat home cooked meals at her place whenever i fallowed after a massacre was unfortunately declared in my absence. She gave me alot of advice which i find still helpful. Godbless her
Mr Iheme (Agric master), i really find it puzzling what this guy came to do agric for as he probably had more DIY gadgets than inspector gadget himself. His little room at the masters quarters was all wired up. He was a lovely young man and though strict was easy to get along with and i enjoyed when he organised the young farmers day and taught us this lovely romantic song in ibo for a dance drama where i was a young farmer trying to marry this lovely damsel (Rita Makama)and she didnt give ISHO at least in the dance drama. It was a different story after that; pls dont ask me wat. Pls who knows anything about her?
Miss Fakorede, Onokala, Mr Nwabuwa (RIP) and the other very slight man (can't remember his name) all initially gave me the shivers with all the conjugations of the different verbs and i wondered what on earth was i learning it for nut i can tell you i have been able to trip a few with the little i know especially on one of my trips to france.
Sir Goks (Mr adegoke) as i was to know him from one my school fathers was my first point of contact and when my Mum asked him how much i was allowed to have on me he said Two naira but he could keep N20 for me and having just buried my granpa i had about N50 from Spraying and he screamed How do you let such a little boy handle so much cash? ofcourse mum took it off me right away.i hated him ever since till i got wiser and forgave him.
Mr Ezeume (natural loud speaker), i just liked his command of English and his mastery of the art of farming probably because my Parents also have a farm.
Mr Njoku (Fine Art), this guy was the first and only person to ever beat me on the soles of my feet, men!!! it was like 1000volts of electricity being passed into your body anyway he later became my class teacher in JS3C and he would never do same to me again being his class captain and always stood by me no matter what others said.
Mr Sodeke, this was such a lovely man but i felt so much for him knowing he would have been making for himself some real cash had he not gotten into the accident that affected him. Notwithstanding, i found him very understandable when he taught us maths.
Mr Nyong (PE), this chap was such a smooth talker and it didnt take a more than a few seconds to recognise his voice on AIT/RAYPOWER 100fm. I remember him always going on about the Toxic waste dumped then in the koko village and how the greed of the chiefs would eventually be their downfall. Guess he was right. Most students got along well with him but i got kinda jealous when the girls were around him on the field during PE sessions or interhouse sports events.
Thanks to them all.
Fego was a blast - I still remember the song that the JSS 3 students sang ....(tune from Stevie Wonder's "part time lover" )
(Who did Pip-pip....Who did Pip-pip....Who did Pip-pip.......It must be..eeee the form 3 students)
While this humorous tune brings back a lot of laughter ...it also brings to mind Late Mr Akaeme (.. may his soul rest in peace) ... who was very dedicated to his job... and was committed to teach us all he needed to ( be it Typing and/or business studies)
May the good Lord bless all those teachers who sacrificed for us (and their families)... Amen
Yeah people I feel y'all. Mr Akaeme (RIP) was the guy I kept my provis with. Thanks to my dad.
While he was a lovely lovely soul with an absolutely fantastic family, at the time I felt unfortunate to be linked to him in any way as I was constantly being dissed for being a slacker, for looking like a refugee and for not having pegs on my straight trousers and having him as my 'school father'
The reason I felt embarrased about being linked to him was how if I ever stabbed prep he would show up at night (even if I did not stab prep)poke his head thru the window and with the hard core ibo accent of generations past say 'Where is Ohbi? Ohbi Ohbi...where is Ohbi?'
I never heard the end of that! Then when people would would do the knee, knee knee knee knee down moves..by raising one leg slightly forward and hoping backward and forward for as long as possible saying Knee knee,knee knee knee knee knee down. I think he did it to Omar Sola...people used to do it to me all the time Ohbi knee knee knee knee knee knee knee knee knee down. Haba
I'm sure we'll all agree Mr. Emebo (RIP) touched us during our stay at FEGO. I only wish I was able to thank him before he left us. I learnt the words "CRAM" and "MO POUR" after taking his social studies exams. He taught me the value of religion early and I quickly learnt about endurance and discipline if I wanted to make it through one of his labour days (Anyone remember Dangana Andy? My saviour, he bailed me out several times from those terrible blisters).
I won't forget how he fought for some of us who bailed FEGO for a weekend to take the GCE exam in our SSII against school wishes...we ended up being suspended but allowed to return to school...whew! I was in linbo for a while since the GCE results were not published due to widespread EXPO...what's new?
I still carry some of these values and hope to pass them along to my kids (no labor day blisters though).
Other teachers that come to mind are Mr. Odinaka (my Dad's high school mate and 3rd eye over me), Mr. Atiba (made me enjoy English classes), Mr. Iheme (oh no, dis kids have killed me!), Mr. Osunmakinde (go to come o!) and Mr. Ajayi(dat of eh, da whole eh, square eh root!), Mr. Akaeme (RIP) fine family man but had something with the "typing pool". How can I forget our Principal: Mr. Tunde Afolaju (he had style & class as a principal). Does anyone remember the book he published? One-And-A-Half Decades of FGCO? I came across the book recently while moving to a new place...you could imagine the shock on my face. Fliping through the pages brought back many memories of FEGO.
I really appreciate all of our teachers, classmates and the time I spent at FEGO. I'll write more on each one as time permits...
Ohaya.. Mr Emebo (RIP) was a legend
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