Happy New Year to you, my lovable readers. I hope your holidays and rest were good and enjoyed. I've seen that people were a little reluctant to return to the hustle and bustle of the New Year. Would you know why? It was probably from the fatigue of 2020, the pandemic with its attendant troubles viz lock down and in Nigeria, the unrest and curfews. Well, this is 2021 and we are back at it again...hustle. Hmm.... Anyway....
Last year, I had wanted to pen down some of my experiences at the University of Ibadan, as a student and to a little extent explaining possible causes of the silly people's advent to my NYSC also in Oyo State, although I didn't invite them. I've decided to dub this Tales out of the University of Ibadan, Tales out of UI or in short, #TOOUI. #TOOUI is going to set the record straight and put to shame only those who have lied about my interactions with them. I'm not coming at anybody, I'm just telling those false friends or those who carry about as my guardians, friends, associates or by whatever tag to know how it was. I'm not denying anybody. I'm saying enough of that bullshit already. Who paid for my education? Who took my JAMB examination called the UME - University Matriculation Examination (or you didn't know that I wrote JAMB to study Law at UI and ended up graduating with a 2:1 in Igbo?), who carried my bag to UI gate, who introduced me to Mr Michael Ajayi and who gave me accommodation all starting in 1998?
In early 1998, having graduated high school the previous year, I took JAMB to study civil law at the University of Ibadan or Nnamdi Azikiwe University, which was my second choice. I chose UI because it gave me more opportunity to switch to the Humanities having done cores science subjects in secondary school. I had nobody to contact for information about UI nor UNIZIK but I was adamant on earning a good tertiary education. I wasn't inviting idiots into my life in any way. It was going to be an experience to have or so I had thought. By the way, JAMB is insisting on NINs - national identity numbers - for admissions this year and that's a good thing for this country. Woohooo! End the identity thefts, please. Who will save Nigeria if the leaders of tomorrow are all thieves? Eh?
Having chosen the University of Ibadan to be my first choice and not having any contacts there, I began to ask around for any information about the school. During a conversation with a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the church I attended with my family then) whose son was doing the LDS Church missionary work, I found out that he was stationed in Ibadan. I asked for the guy's address and wrote a letter to him. He replied to inform me that one of the church leaders worked in the school. That was how I would learn about Mr Michael Ajayi who worked with media services of the school. Out of courtesy, I asked my mother to write to him to find out about the school and admissions. Our dad was lackadaisical about our formal education so he wasn't consulted.
Mr Michael Ajayi's reply got me started on travelling to Ibadan to seek admission into the University of Ibadan in Oyo State. I travelled mostly at night in order to arrive in Ibadan in the morning, transact my business and return sometimes same day to Aba, Abia State. This happened at least once that I had to do a same day return while I schooled at the University of Ibadan from 1999. I hadn't gone as far as Lagos before and I didn't really know what I was to expect at a university. It turned out to be close to a brothel and a gossip factory, my first year. Those things shouldn't be associated with a citadel of learning that was to be the fulcrum of national development. The University had churned out great men and women among them were Mabel Segun (an earlier misnomer in this post had called her Margaret, which mistake is regretted and corrected) and Chinua Achebe. Of course, these are only a few of them. Even Professor Nolue Emenanjo graduated UI. Professor Wole Soyinka did a stint at UI before going abroad. So, UI was a highly sought after university and has really impacted my life in great ways. It has also hindered my progress in no small way and that's why I have chosen to write this blog series. This is the first one. But what I must write here is how personal people are allowed to get at the University of Ibadan albeit behind one's back and why it retards national development and progress. No country runs well where mad men and women, whores and harlots, burglars and animals are allowed to graduate higher education. For a University that brags about graduating students based on their 'character and learning' and claims to be the 'fountain of sound wisdom' if that's what RECTE SAPERE FONS stands for, the University of Ibadan has more work to do in shaming what needs the shame and less the gossip and lies. No civilization has been run as a madhouse.
To be continued....
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