My name is Shedrach Nzubechukwu Onyekonwu, a level 300 student of political science department, Bayero University, Kano.
After my secondary education I gained admission into this great university and it was really a dream come true for me. So, my first days in school were quiet interesting, dramatic, confusing and at the same time satisfactory. Unfortunately, we resumed when the non academic staff was on strike. So, most of the facilities in the hostel needed maintenance (some electric installations weren’t working, the water supply wasn’t stable etc.) in fact the student affairs division wasn’t there to entertain our complains; though we the fresh students (who were the first to resume) weren’t upset with the situation because as long as we were concerned, the joy of being in the campus supersedes all forms of distraction.
Upon resumption, I was more than willing and ready to make new friends but this desire was thrown into dilemma by number of advice that wouldn’t stop coming from various speakers at orientation programs organized by the school management as well as student associations cautioning fresh students to be mindful of the kind of friends they keep.
Interestingly, on that very Monday lectures were to start, we the fresh students rushed to our department for lectures even though the lecture timetable was yet to be released. So, when the timetable was later released, upon setting my eyes on it I was confused because I couldn’t make any sense out of what was pasted on the notice board. All I could see was the combination of alphabets and digits (stuff like Gsp 1202, pol 1301), so, I saw my fellow j.j.c coping the timetable on their note books then I humbly followed suit and I ended up copying the whole timetable starting from level one to level four.
After lectures had resumed fully, locating lecture halls were another version of challenge on its own. Most times I would come early and then seat at the front seat feeling like a graduate and later we would realize that we were at the wrong venue. I was so hyperactive that I would attend lectures that weren’t captured on our lecture timetable; sometimes deliberately but most times ignorantly.
I became curious on the way people stare at me probably because of the characteristics of a j.j.c boldly written all over me ranging from- my dress sense, walking step, incessant taking of pictures (due to the fantastic background all over the places) etc. but there staring never stopped my grooving.
I used to have a permanent seat in the school main library where I would seat to dismantle literatures of various author ranging from Aristotle, Karl Marx, Plato, Nicolo Machiavelli among others (remain small I for mad that time).
Up till date nobody knew that I went missing three different times within the school premises, the first was close to computer science department, later it was around old agric faculty, then the last was beside level one girls hostel (lost but found).
The level one boys hostel ( Yar’adua hostel) was an avenue where the national association of j.j.c would gather drumming, shouting and celebrating for a reason that I am yet to figure out. They would start around 11 p.m and with their disturbance, forcing everyone to remain awake. The “oga kpata kpata of them all” was when the hostel was to elect a representative ( hall rep) that would liaise with the school authority on issues affecting the student in the hostel (just like the position of a class rep); could you believe that these freshers went as far as printing campaign posters and fliers, campaigning from one room to another in order to garner support to win the election; las las the election was rigged.
Fast forward to the exam period (SMS Maths), my friend with some other of his friends planned from the hostel to mount themselves at close range in order to institute the federal ministry of information and communication in the exam hall but upon getting to the venue (Attahiru Jega Twin Theater) the plan was shattered by a criminology lecturer popularly known as Biggi, who sighted them as they were coming in and he gave them a warm welcome and then dichotomized them to the east, west, north and south of the exam theater leaving them on their own to perform magic.
Waiting for our first semester result was a very traumatizing period characterized by nightmare together with the fear of the unknown (the season of ankape). So I was like, after reading all those Aristotle, and karl marx , the result should better be good oh! Because the outcome will either make or mar somebody’s child. Though I was hopeful and to the glory of God, the whole exercise paid off.
Nevertheless, all these experiences contributed massively in helping me to get nurtured and cultured to the global standard of behavior pattern expected of a student and product of a “Universal city” (university).
viva BUK!
