I was privileged to be a speaker at a Career Day seminar for some senior secondary school students in Lagos few weeks ago. After the events few of the students approached me to share with them how I was able to combine my student activism with my academic performance. I shared the following story with them.
As a secondary student of Community High School, Nanka Orumba North LGA of Anambra State, I was obviously quite brilliant, and I maintained first position right from JSS 1 to SSS3, with good grades in WAEC and NECO from 1994-2000. I was also the class monitor/prefect from JSS 1 to SSS 2 before I became the school regulator and later social prefect
I would always collect the scheme of work from all teachers of different subjects and read ahead of the topics. Infact I loved challenging and preempting teachers during classes. I read every night between 1-3am as much as I could. So I always equipped myself academically in the night. My benefactors Revd Walter Ezeilo and Mrs Julie Ezeilo were seasoned academics. Infact Ezeilo family could be called the most educated family in Nanka till date with many professors and host of professionals. I was privileged to live with such people. My aunty Mrs Julie Ezeilo(nee Ifionu) was a school principal, assistant aguata zonal supervising principal of the whole aguata educational zone of Orumba North/south and Aguata LGA between 1992-2000. So I had cover and backbone.
My student activism was purely to improve learning standard and was climaxed below.
On September 1999, our physics teacher was transfered to Igbo Ukwu, and a new one was supposed to come from CSS Isuofia. Our principal released ours to Igbo Ukwu but the Isuofia teacher refused to come up till November, and we would write WAEC by May 2000.
I led a delegation to the principal and all our pleas amounted to nothing.
On November I, organized the science students, we marched to CSS isuofia, I went into their staff room while my colleague were down stairs, I was directed to SSS 3class where the lady was teaching. I confronted her, she came out of her class, after listening to me, she walked out on me imagine a small boy like me. As I was coming downstairs, I noticed some students of CSS Isuofia led by there senior prefect had rounded by team obviously to attack us for having the audacity to confront their teacher. Fortunately, I knew all their SSS 3 students and all their senior prefects, because I partially did 2months of JSS 1 CSS isuofia in 1994 before CHS Nanka was made community. I was also a class monitor before I left isuofia. I would have been one of the prefects if I had continued at Isuofia. So I was able to handle that scene.
Immediately, we left isuofia to Ekwulobia Girls High school through a back road. We all trekked and walk these distances. Ekwulobia Girls houses the Zonal education office of Aguata, Orumba North and South.
The Chief supervising principal was said to be in a meeting. I suggested we go to Awka to see either Barr Chucks Nsobundu the then Chairman, Anambra State education commission or we have audience with Gov Chinwoke Mbadinuju who had earlier declared free education. We had limitation of transport fare to Awka. I was the team lead. As we were still discussing, my aunty Mrs Ezeilo walked passed us and saw me. She was like what brought you here, did you tell me before we all left house this morning. I became terrified, but I summed courage and explained our mission to her. She was furious but chided me that I never discussed such with her. She asked us to go back to our school. Before we got back same day, news has gone round the school that I led students to Awka to see the Governor.
Our principal then, Mr Akunyili threatened to suspend me from school and stop me from registering WAEC, he called me a gang leader.
When I came home, I cried and reported to my aunty. She too was annoyed with me for not discussing the issue with her even when I lived and ate in her house. She drove me to school the next day and the principal was surprised that I had such a big personality as my guardian. The threats and scheduled punishment for my science students ended immediately. The next day, I was in the library, a junior student ran to me that a new teacher is calling me at the Chemistry laboratory. On getting there, I saw the physics teacher I had confronted at isuofia 2 days ago. She had obviously resumed as our new physics teacher and she was good in the subject. We joked about what happened and we became best of friends.
There were equally some other activism I was involved in.
I was equally stubborn and bullish. Sometimes, I will engage in flogging spree from JSS 1 to SSS 2, in the name of flogging noise makers, those that wore slippers,and those not properly dressed. In some occasions, fight would ensue between sss3 boys and SSS 2 boys because of seniority.
Nevertheless, I balanced all equations between activism, academic and some stubborn exuberances.
I later advised the students to put academic first and balance other equations. If they fail there academic, there activism would not make sense.
Such was my little knowledge.
Nwankwor Chukwudi.
Chukwudinwankwor@gmail.com
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