Summer 1990. We were in the final days before our SSCE exams. Boys were more studious; less noise and giggling in the classes; except when you go to SS3:3 where the quiz masters - Ayo “Isu ati ewa” Omotosho, Niyi “Ogo piun” Ogunlusi, Tayo “osan” Ogunkorode, Damilola “Posho” Oni, Muyiwa “Omo baba” Adeliyi, Biodun “oloye Segilola” Oloye and sometimes Babatunde “Aromatic Aro were quizzing. They had a quorum where they set questions for each other and the winner sets the next round. Of course, certain entities won too many times so it became a round robin exercise so these winners are not doing it all the time 😙. People like drifted in to listen in .. Tani Ikan gidi o wu?. Iron sharpens iron. They had some of the creme de la creme educationally in our set questioning each other. Other classes had their pockets of book worms reading - Dami langalanga Ogunyakin is chatting with Biodun Tekobo Olaniyan, and Bode Zembe Omolafe still reading his Biology in class, I can see Dele Aina and Femi Adeosun buried in their books at a desk, total focus. Definitely instructions from home - *🎼Omo Ile iwe o, ka iwe e 🎼*.
Back to the story. On this blessed day, I was in SS3:2 as it was extra lesson during the holidays sitting next to Niyi Ogunlusi. I have asked for help earlier as I was struggling with some areas of Chemistry (Organic chemistry) and Physics (Projectiles) and had solicited help. In those days if Niyi and Damilola cannot help you, there is very little help left. Not even the teachers. Possibly Dele or Femi. Maybe Muyiwa. As Niyi was explaining what I got wrong, the Principal comes in. Chief ERA Babalola. Disciplinarian extraordinaré. Rotimi Abitoye and Billy Adebusoye can testify to that. The class fell silent that you can hear a pin drop. “You guys are not serious. You are not putting the effort in. In my time, we had done every past question available😳”. My head was spinning. In 1957 when he graduated, I am sure there were no past papers but what teacher remembered from the previous years. This is before Nigeria got independence! Anyway, who born monkey to pipe up🤪? Coming back to reality, the principal was still speaking. “I have my masters in Physics and thought physics for 20+ years before becoming a VP. I can answer any questions you have.” Who wants to ask ERA a question?🤷🏾♂️? Bode Oyirere Owoeye decides to do his too know as usual antics and asked one his nerdy mathematical-physics question in Newton’s law of motion. ERA wades through it and bats it aside with the same alacrity. Most of us were praying he leaves soon. We came to study but we do not need his added pressure. Maybe Mrs. Akinrolabu will come and get him on school welfare issues or the bursar will tell him the numbers don’t add up and get him to call Wema Bank. Something. Someone. Nothing happened and then our saviour on the day speaks... 💥
Niyi Ogunlusi. QED 😀. Niyi gets up and reads a cubic expansivity question from Senior secondary Physics by Okeke. I start scrambling at it but I am not getting anywhere. ERA was thrashing through it and each time he gives an answer, Niyi just said he got it wrong. Or more politely - “No sir, that is not the answer 😜”. Now, ERA has been at it 20 minutes and sweating in his agbada.. We were all gaining confidence and now making noise because he was lost in his world of solving the question and trying to save his reputation.
After 40 minutes, he asks Niyi to give him the question and he will take it away and come back tomorrow. Jesu! 😇! Freedom! I look at Niyi and he scribbled the solution. He smiles with his dimple ever so hollow. “ It was the only way to put him in his place on the day.” I take a look at the genius besides me and there comes the fantastic 6 converging again to start the quiz. They had done this problem a few days before and knew the answer so they were laughing as they sat in the empty 3:3. I was the outsider. I followed them in, listened to their questions, jokes and banter. I learnt two lessons:
1. A great team always ensure the whole is always greater than the sum of its individual parts.
2. It is always better to be humble when knowledgeable than proud and aloof. I found out that in the Bible years later.
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