12th October 2024, NewsOrient, Books, Arts, Culture, News
By Dapo Thomas

Realizing that it would be very difficult to distance myself from any semblance of scuffling and rascality after two years of fraternizing with a popular gangster like Darasingh and undergoing intensive coaching under the same man, I went before GOD in 1974 as I was about to start my secondary school education, for special anointing to avoid trouble or, at best, to be delivered from frequent brawling.

There was no need to deceive myself that there could be any form of rapid exorcism without spiritual arbitration. Most of the secondary schools in Lagos in the 1970s, particularly the ones I attended-Benevolent High School, Yaba, and Eko Boys High School, Mushin- were mostly “concentration camps” for juvenile pugilists.

Fracas was a common spectacle on Lagos streets. In fact, street brawl was turned to gaming machine as fighters and spectators began placing bets on possible winners and losers.

Sometimes, you could place a bet on the first person to “injure” his opponent. So, when I fought with Olumuyiwa Power in my form one, the same year (1974) I asked for anointing and I escaped being expelled by a stroke of grace, I thought that would be my last fight in secondary school. No, it was not. I fought again in Compro less than 40 days to exit the school.

We were preparing for our “A” levels final exams. It was good I asked for grace because between the first fight in 1974 and the present one(1981), there was a 7- year gap. This was a remarkable achievement. For a boy with an incurable restlessness and penchant for trouble some years back, such achievement should be lauded by all peace lovers. One of the reasons I decided to celebrate this improvement in my life.

Regrettably, the fight was with my friend and brother, Tunji Akinyemi. Needless to repeat that two or three weeks to any exams and during examinations, I didn’t use to leave my hostel. My disciples would organize how to bring my food to my room. But Tunji did the same thing that Rótìmí Koleosho did-collecting my food from Morakinyo Akiode and Anthony Omolayole, two of my disciples.

I went to confront him over this at the dinning hall but he was not in the mood to offer apologies. My other friends, classmates and neighbours, Segun Odukoya, Seyi Alakiu, Femi Madarikan were with him. He belonged to their caucus. He thumped me on the chest as a sign of war declaration. I didn’t take the declaration seriously. What came to my mind when he smacked me on the chest was “Late-tua’s” common phrase for a mismatch: “A clever rat caught a rabbit, how much more you Moladdy”. As usual, if you asked him what that meant, he would tell you “Emi nikan loye” meaning ” I am the only one that can understand it.”

Tunji is like a younger brother to me in our neighborhood in Surulere. His brother, Muyiwa was my direct friend but because Tunji and I were classmates in Compro, disrespect had crept in. I could recall asking him if his brother, Muyiwa, had not told him about my past. I said so because I knew Muyiwa was familiar with my friend and gang leader in primary school, Bidemi Pedro. They were living on the love garden side of Western Avenue while I was living on the Paddington side before joining them in 1974. Bidemi was living at Aiyepe Street while Muyiwa and Tunji were living at Alayaki Street.

So, when he started bouncing like a new born baby boy doing “butty” leg-works for a street fighter like me, I was almost laughing. Anyway, I accepted his challenge by warming up and flinging my hands here and there only to discover that he was bleeding in the nose. I didn’t even know that while warming up, a harmless punch had hit his nostrils. As far as I was concerned, the sparing match was yet to start. In our parlance in Mushin, that was a “technical error”. When your opponent is injured before the formal commencement of a fight, you have scored a technical point but it doesn’t mean you won the match. I collected my food and went back to my room. I really felt so sad about the incident especially when one of my female disciples, Foluke Oniyide, who saw the action, told me to my face: “Senior Dapo, e ti buru ju” meaning “Senior Dapo, you are such a bully.”

It really touched me that my own disciple, my favorite for that matter, saw me as a bully when I thought I was a very nice guy. As neighbours in the hostel, the whole misunderstanding was quickly resolved in the night.

Their group was very friendly to me. We didn’t know what happened. We regarded it as “Ise awọn Aye” (handiwork of our enemies).

Since examinations would be starting in June and ending by the end of June or first week of July 1981, I decided to spend three full days in May for the music competitions we would be having in Oronna Hall, Ilaro and Centenary Hall, Ake.

The Principal had been patronizing me concerning these music competitions. It was for all the Secondary schools in Ogun State. However, for any of the schools to qualify for the finals that would take place at the Centenary Hall, Abeokuta, it must be one of the three qualifiers at each of the three Divisional levels.

The State was divided into three Divisions namely Ẹgba Division, Ijebu Division and Egbado Division. This meant there would be nine finalists overall from the State. This was a very prestigious competition among Ogun State Secondary schools especially the elite ones.

Besides, the Principal wanted to win the trophy for the school to add to the list of his achievements.

Personally too, I was dead set on winning the trophy for the school as an indelible mark of the 4040 legacy in Compro. I really needed it to compensate for all my other iniquities.

I mobilized all my angels in the music club for a 3-day rigorous rehearsals. We had one or two male students in the group but somehow they didn’t show up for these crucial rehearsals on the excuse that they were preparing for the school certificate examinations.

Without much ado, I went ahead with the few that showed up. The list included the following names: Yetunde Durojaiye, Lamide Ìdòwú, Folahan Sodeke, Bose Olukoya, Funke Akinleye, Moji Ogunnaike, Tẹju Sule, Yetunde Boyede, Dewunmi Odunaike, Sumbo Adeuja, Moji Obadeyi, Titi Ogundeji, Yomi Olubi and Foluke Oniyide.

In view of the fact that there would be no further rehearsals until July which was the month of the competitions, I made every rehearsal look like the competition itself. It was professionally conducted.

Employing all musical components and elements from symphony, harmony, sequence to tonality and triads, the group was brilliant and focused all through the period of the rehearsals.

At the end of the 3-day rehearsals, we suspended further activities on the competitions till the first week in July when all examinations would have been concluded.

By the end of June 1981, I had completed my academic MOU with Comprehensive High School, Ayetoro. What was left was my social contract with the school.

However, most of the members of the Music Society were still writing their exams. Theirs were promotion exams. I quickly dashed to Lagos to test the water concerning my banishment. I wanted to know if my Aunty had in any way told Senior about it.

Fortunately, Senior had not been briefed about it but we had a very heated argument on some other domestic issues bordering on mismanagement of polygamy. Unable to resolve our differences, I went back to school to prepare for the music competitions.

By this time, other students had finished. Without wasting any more time, we hit the ground running . Our rehearsals were top notch. We listed and prioritized our songs according to our strengths. Some of the songs included: Meta, meta lore, Awọn ọmọ alaigbọran po ni ilè iwe, Iṣẹ OLUWA ko le bajẹ, Mo ti jawe gbegbe, O se o po, mo ti r’ogun lo f’oso, Akoi wa ta geri….

The finals of the competition at the Divisional level was slated for Friday, July 24, 1981 at Oronna hall in Ilaro. All participating secondary schools in the Egbado Division assembled at the venue to select the three schools that would represent the Division at the grand finale that would take place at the Centenary Hall, Ake, Abeokuta.

At Oronna hall, we competed with schools like Egbado College, Ilaro, Iganmode Grammar School, Ota, Owode High School, Owode, Alaye High School, Ayetoro, Egbado Secondary school, Igbogila, U.N.A High School, Igbogila, Ajoda High School, Ayetoro and a host of others.

Our performance was described as superlative by the judges who did not have any problem declaring us the winners of the Egbado Division. Egbado College, Ilaro and Owode High School, Owode, were selected as the second and third representatives respectively for the Division. A week later, Friday, July 31, 1981, we went for the grand finale in Abeokuta to compete with schools like Abeokuta Grammar School, Lísàbí Grammar School, Macjob Grammar School, Ijebu Ode Grammar, Molusi College, Ijebu Igbo and Remo Secondary school, Sagamu.

At the Centenary Hall, Abeokuta, where the grand finale was taking place, the crowd was mammoth. The atmosphere was charged. All the three schools representing Ẹgba Division were able to mobilize their students taking advantage of the proximity of the venue to their schools. The panel of judges was headed by the famous musicologist, Dayo Dedeke, the composer of popular and evergreen songs like: “Isẹ agbe ní isé ile wa”, “Ọmọ Ogun Ise ya” and “Keresimesi, odun ma de o”.

As a renown musicologist, Dayo Dedeke was reputed to be the first person to conduct 300 choirs at the Obisesan Hall in Ibadan. It was a well publicized event which attracted dignitaries from both the private and public sectors. The Commissioner for Education, Mr Akin Ogunpola was the Special Guest of honour. Meanwhile, I was monitoring the performance of each of the schools as they were being called to the stage. There was no doubt that all the participating schools were professionally coached and disciplined. Though it was difficult to know how excellently a school had performed from the applause received after their performance, the applause received by Abeokuta Grammar School and Lísàbí Grammar School was electrifying and intimidating. For instance, we had assumed that only aso oke would be allowed as the official costume but I was surprised when Abeokuta Grammar School group appeared in cassock and surplice. No doubt, it was beautiful and attractive. There was no way this would not count for them in appearance.

Immediately I saw this, I decided to shift focus from my group to myself by elevating my conducting technique to be more dramatic without necessarily devaluing the harmonious effect of the music. There was no time to give fresh instructions to my team because we were the next and the last school to perform. However, my angels were too smart to remember that I told them that in conducting, the important element was the synergy between the eye contact and the hand interpretation. That was the trick that made the difference: hand interpretation rather than hand movements. Most of the conductors were moving their hands for musical coordination. But I elected to be more creative by using my hands for coordination, interpretation, rendition and dramatization. That way, it would be difficult for the judges not to evaluate the contribution of the conductor to the team performance. That strategy was deliberate to counter and neutralize whatever advantage the wearing of cassock and surplice would give to Abeokuta Grammar School (our major rival) in appearance.

It worked. By the time we were leaving the stage, the applause was so deafening. We knew right away that it was going to be our day. Our performance was glowingly awesome and marvelous. My angels sang as if it was their gate pass to heaven. Despite the fact that our songs were not hymnal, heaven itself acknowledged our voices and rendition as being heavenly. With all sense of modesty, my conducting that day was a rarity. It was not from this land. It was a special gift for me on that day from my celestial Patroness.

When announcing the result of the competition, Mr Dedeke not only commended my creativity and originality, he went as far as explaining that “with that kind of conducting, the singers or the choir can never perform below par. Therefore, the winner of this music competition is Comprehensive High School, Ayetoro. Thank you all”. Despite being all girls, my angels lifted me high to the best of their abilities immediately we were declared the winners.

It was sad that the school was almost empty when we got back. Most of the students had gone home on vacation. The few that were around were insufficient to celebrate such a humongous victory that put the school on the “world map” in Ogun State. Though the Principal was full of praises for me, it was not before the “General Assembly” where he used to announce my misdemeanours.

I went back to meet Senior with the intention of sharing this good news with him and reconcile our differences. Unfortunately, our relationship broke down irretrievably and I left his house finally. Ironically, I now became his neighbour with full sovereignty and inalienable “neighborhood status”.

(TO BE CONTINUED)

Dr Dapo Thomas’ From Primary To Tertiary, Here Is My Diary Is Serialised Here Weekly, Every Saturday

~ NewsOrient

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