Anytime I’m interviewed, I always say I was lucky to have attended C.M.S. Grammar School, Bariga, Lagos.
That’s because I never sat for an interview to the school. The interview date for Mayflower School, Ikenne and CMS Grammar School fell on the same day.
My mother who felt I needed an iron hand insisted I should go for the former. I was admitted and on our way back from Ikenne, my mother had started buying the hostel items.
But then, I received a letter of admission into the Grammar School. My paternal grandparents who had not wanted me to leave Lagos were ecstatic about my admission.
When I got to the Grammar School some three years after the unnecessary Nigerian civil war, we were all united by the school song.
We never knew differences between tribes. My best friend was an Igbo. We visited each other’s homes without qualms.
At school, we shared items like sardines, bread, corn flakes, body cream, clothes, punishments and, wait for it, even “feg”.
But all that seems to have been fenced off by divisive tendencies within our nation.
While wishing my old school a happy 163rd birthday, I’m also praying that God will heal our nation!
PS: Our teachers came from all over the globe, headed by the dynamic Chief Olówu. We had Chief Ọ̀ṣínẹ́yẹ as the vice to be joined by Mrs Akínluyì. The school also paraded the best of the best of teachers. Mr Jẹ́milúgba, Miss Adégbóyèga who later became Mrs Adésànyà, most of us became crazy about the beauty of Miss Rapu. We also had Miss Tawak, Mrs Sánní, the Jacobs, Mr Adés̀anyà. Mr. Ọ̀jẹ́táyọ̀ who taught Yorùbá took a particular interest in me, so did the gentle Mrs Oyèdépo who encouraged my creativity. We had Mr. Oyinloye who rightly sent me out of his chemistry class for playing pranks and others who I only remember by the nicknames we gave them like Okoro, Rolo, etc.
Talking of nicknames, we gave ourselves some striking ones too. Bẹ́sígbó, Plyo (plyer), Igi ìwé, Repete affremoire, SU, Ẹ̀bà, etc.
In most cases, my morning duty was cleaning of the library. That enabled me to have an unimpeded access to books, magazines and newspapers from the well–stocked library.
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