Notice: Function _load_textdomain_just_in_time was called incorrectly. Translation loading for the wordpress-seo domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /home/bcm/src/dev/www/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6121 Aluta and Chill | Page 18 of 28 | Zikoko!
When you think of your secondary school days, what comes to mind? The books? The classes? The teachers? Or how simple life was in those days? We hope this list will help you remember clearly.
1. Bic biro.
Only legends will get how smooth that pen is.
2. Eleganza biro.
Another worthy competition for Bic was Eleganza. Now this is between us alone: I preferred Eleganza. It was lighter on the notebook.
3. Leo Smart.
This one pen that would never disappoint you in an examination.
4. Olympic exercise books.
Who remembers?
5. Big notes.
The true origin of the “Big” note thing.
6. The heartbreak of all secondary school students.
I don’t know about you, but it was killing for me.
7. Essential textbooks.
Three classes in one. SS1, SS2, and SS3.
8. New School Chemistry.
AKA: Ababio. We carry yansh.
9. WAEC past questions.
For real, I’m so happy that I am not preparing for WAEC anymore.
10. Ugo C. Ugo.
Remember that time when all your worries was just how you’ll pass common entrance? Lol. Look at you now.
Let’s start from 2003 when Eedris Abdulkareem released ‘Mr Lecturer’, a song about Bimbo Owoyemi, a female student at an unnamed Nigerian university who was being sexually harassed by her lecturer, Olayemi Olatunji.
In the final scene of the music video, Bimbo gets a reprieve from the trauma when the lecturer is arrested. Unfortunately, this is the gap between fiction and reality: hundreds of female Nigerian students who are sexually harassed by their lecturers do not get any form of justice and are threatened into silence.
Fast forward to 2018 when the sex for grades conversation began to make waves for the first time in recent years. An audio conversation between a lecturer at Obafemi Awolowo University, Professor Richard Akindele, and his student, Monica Osagie, got out and set off a slippery slope. In the recording, Richard was heard demanding a five-round sex marathon from Monica. As she told CNN, the professor of Accounting gave her two options: sleep with him, or fail the class. The OAU management dismissed him and later, a court sentenced him to 2 years in prison. According to the judge, Justice Maureen Onyetenu, the professor needed to be taught a lesson to serve as a deterrent to those who abuse their authority. He was released on March 19, 2020.
That felt like a major breakthrough, but as time would tell, Akindele’s fate didn’t serve as a deterrent to other lecturers who got off on sexually harassing their students. In October 2019, A BBC Africa Eye investigation into cases of harassment, led by Nigerian journalist and filmmaker Kiki Mordi, exposed lecturers at the University of Lagos and University of Ghana. Boniface Igbeneghu, who was one of the lecturers exposed in this documentary was suspended from his duties as a senior lecturer by the UNILAG management.
The documentary and the set of actions that followed its release, including the re-introduction of the Sex for Marks bill, a legislation that would ensure the incarceration of lecturers guilty of sexual misconduct for up to 14 years, seemed like a step in the right direction. However, it hasn’t been passed and ASUU is currently fighting it. This brought with it an uneasy question — Will these cases ever stop? An answer came a few months later.
On January 15, 2020, Premium Times reported another sex for grades story from Obafemi Awolowo University. This time, it was a lecturer at the Department of International Relations. His name? Bisi Olaleye.
According to the report, the student, Motunrayo Afolayan lodged a complaint at the university’s Centre for Gender and Social Policy Studies, claiming that Mr Bisi Olaleye had allegedly failed her because she refused to sleep with him.
We don’t have all the details about the action the university took. But at the time of reporting this, Bisi Olaleye is still a lecturer at the university.
We spoke with three people who were students of Bisi Olaleye to reflect on their experiences with him and how he wasn’t the model lecturer. They asked to be anonymous for fears of retribution. The names have been changed to protect their identities.
“He used to do a “hand-to-the-neck” sign, as though he would strangle anyone who gave him trouble and his favourite thing to say at the time was “I will go for your guillotine”.
Edward: (International Relations, graduated in 2010): Bisi Olaleye was my course adviser in my first year at OAU. My first personal encounter with him was intense. I’d gone to his office to check my result because the department didn’t paste our results. When I got there, he didn’t hear what I said, so he snapped at me. I was very scared and from that moment, I developed this apprehension whenever I had to go to his office for anything. What added to my fear was the fact that he used to do a “hand-to-the-neck” sign, as though he would strangle anyone who gave him trouble. His favourite thing to say at the time was “I will go for your guillotine”
Bukola (History and International Relations, graduated in 2017): He taught me first when I was in 200 level. His aggressiveness was hard to miss. He said the most vulgar things, especially when he wanted to mock students.
Grace (History and International Relations, graduated in 2015): He did like to deride students, especially female students. He always said things like female students would fail because the only thing we knew how to do was to dress up and look pretty.
Edward: He abused the dynamics of the student-lecturer relationship. He did and said everything he could to keep us subjugated and retain his hold on us. In his presence, we had to overthink everything because nobody was sure what would upset him.
Bukola: An experience that stood out for me and showed that Mr Bisi would do all he could to get what he wanted was when Mr Bisi thought a guy in my class was dating a girl in my class — they were just friends. Mr Bisi called the guy to his office and threatened to fail him if he didn’t stop talking to the girl. The guy tried to explain, but Bisi wanted him to stop talking to her altogether and he was very serious about it. The guy had to be tactful and stopped talking to the girl, at least in class or wherever he could find them.
“Female students were easy targets. A lot of us knew he liked to sleep with female students.”
Grace: Everything was about power to him. He always wanted us to know that he was in charge and that there was nothing we could do about it. Female students were easy targets. A lot of us knew he liked to sleep with girls.
Bukola: In one of his classes, he said something about how his wife knew that he had ‘bitches’.
Grace: He also liked to talk a lot about how the “big girls” who were forming in class would come to beg him when it was time for exams.
Bukola: There were female students he called into his office and propositioned, asking for money or sex. Typically, none of them said anything. But there were lots of people who came to class, wearing long faces. It was torture for them to spend hours watching him teach in class.
Edward: There were instances when I wanted to see Mr Bisi Olaleye. I would knock for minutes non-stop on his door and he wouldn’t answer. Later, a female student would emerge from his office.
Grace: He once asked my friend to meet him at Buka. Another lecturer was with him when my friend went, but Mr Bisi didn’t care. He made lewd comments and asked her to have sex with him. My friend was visibly disturbed when she returned.
Edward: Sometime after I’d written my final year exams, I was by Ede road with a few classmates when he drove by with a lady in the car, probably to drop her off. On his way back, he stopped and chilled with us. I guess the dynamics were different then because we didn’t have the lecturer-student relationship anymore. There was this bar opposite Maintenance at the time; we moved there to get something to eat. The attendants brought the menu, which didn’t include any swallow and he wasn’t happy about this. According to him, he preferred swallow and lots of vegetables because it gave him stamina to have a lot of sex. Then he began telling us stories about our female classmates he’d had sex with. He’d gotten drunk, so his guard was down.
“He has students who help him to get girls. The students who he gives these tasks have two options — get him the girls or risk failing his course.”
Bukola: He thought he was untouchable, so he was loud about his exploits. I think he was comfortable because he’d been enabled for a long time. The lecturers who could hold him responsible protected him because they wanted to keep their secrets buried too.
Edward: Everyone in the department knew about his behaviour, but no one did anything to caution him.
Bukola: I think the worst part of this is that he has students who help him to get girls. The students who he gives these tasks have two options — get him the girls or risk failing his course. An audio recording went viral when this recent story broke out about a male student coaxing a female student to have sex with him for marks. I know the guy. We were supposed to graduate together but he’s still in school because he’s entangled with Bisi, who is his supervisor.
Edward: I know he did everything he has been accused of. I hope he doesn’t get away with it this time. If that happens, this man will become more brazen. And that won’t be good for his students.
We spoke with Mojeed Alabi, the journalist who broke this story, and Kiki Mordi, an investigative journalist who has been actively involved in the Sex for Grades conversation.
Mojeed Alabi (Deputy Head of Investigations at Premium Times): We got a scoop on Bisi Olaleye and we decided to follow it. There was a real story there and that was what we published.
Kiki Mordi (Investigative Journalist): Some students from OAU had reached out to me before the story broke. It was a relief to see that the story got published because these students were emboldened, and it was only right that something came out of it. I tried to continue the conversation online, so it could get more attention and engagement. I also shared the story with a couple of my journalist friends who work with Human Right Commissions, just to bring it to their attention.
Mojeed Alabi: We continued to follow up to ensure that the people concerned took it seriously. Word of Bisi Olaleye’s behaviour had gotten to the management before the story broke and they were investigating it, but we had to do this story to let them know that the public was also watching.
Kiki Mordi: Sexual harassment by lecturers is a culture already and universities are complacent in fixing it. I hope Bisi Olaleye doesn’t get away with it. And if he gets anything less than what he deserves, we will always be here to demand for better.
Mojeed Alabi: A lot goes into reaching a final verdict. But it’s practically impossible for Bisi to get out of this. I believe that the OAU management are committed to meting out justice and I’m sure Bisi won’t go unpunished.
Kiki Mordi: The Sex for Marks bill has not been passed by the National Aseembly and I’ve expressed my frustrations at this so many times. When it passed the second reading, I was hoping that it might be passed. ASUU is trying to knock down the bill though.
Mojeed Alabi: They (ASUU) are kicking against the bill because they felt they were being targeted. They didn’t think the bill would protect them from students and what they could do to them.
Kiki Mordi: The bill does protect the lecturers because it puts the burden of finding proof on the students. It’s hard to prove these things, but when a number of people have complained about a lecturer or you’ve been able to establish a pattern, you can conduct your independent investigation. The universities should be able to do that, and if they can’t, they should delegate to whoever can. I’m still hopeful that the bill will be passed. We will see how that goes.
Mojeed Alabi: I understand the need for lecturer-student relationships to facilitate the exchange of ideas that academic institutions are created for. I am in for a holistic legislation that will address the concerns of the lecturers, the students, the parents, and every relevant stakeholder. That’s the best way to go.
The management of the university, through the Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olanrewaju, confirmed that the university set up a panel to investigate the scandal last year, months before the story first broke. “Mr Olaleye was suspended after the panel submitted its preliminary report,” Mr Abiodun Olanrewaju told us. On the status of the investigation and when a final verdict might be passed, he said he couldn’t comment on that at the moment because all official duties in the university had been suspended in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Students in Nigerian universities have stories to tell, but hardly anyone to tell them to. For our new weekly series, Aluta and Chill, we are putting the spotlight on these students and their various campus experiences.
This week’s subject is Nathe Esther Yila, a 500 level student of Law at Bowen University. She talks about leaving Kaduna State to study in the South-West and the struggles that came with dealing with the culture shock and process of fitting in.
When did you get into school?
2015. I was raised in Kaduna and had my primary and secondary education there. Ahmadu Bello University was the closest choice for university, but my dad wasn’t sold on the idea of me studying there. He went to ABU too, and between the strikes and everything, he didn’t have a good experience. We started looking into private universities in the South-West. We narrowed the search to Babcock University and Bowen University. We settled for Bowen. I applied to study Law, wrote the Post-UTME exam, and here I am.
How much did the idea of studying in another region appeal to you?
I read a lot, and everything I knew about the South-West came from books. This was an opportunity to explore, and I was open to the experience.
Lit. What did you make of the university when you first got there?
The culture shock hit from the moment I stepped into the school. During registration, the only thing I heard everywhere I went to was Yoruba. I felt alienated immediately. Luckily, my mum’s friend who spoke Yoruba was with me and she handled the language part. Also, the people I felt met didn’t come off as helpful and the ones who out expected a reward. Everything was just so new to me, and to be honest, it was overwhelming.
How easy was it to get past that?
It was a process, and I wouldn’t say I got past it immediately. There was a general assumption that I was Hausa and a Muslim when in reality I’m Tangale and a Christian. I remember this conversation I had with another student in 100 level and how he was visibly upset when I stood my ground and told him that I was from one of the minority tribes. This guy kept saying it to my face that all the tribes are the same. That kind of ignorance can be difficult to deal with sometimes.
But that’s only a bit of my initial experience. A lot of people from the school were surprised that I was at the school.
What do you mean?
When some of the students realised that I was from the North, they became curious. It became a regular occurrence at the time for people to ask me how I knew about Bowen.
Wow.
At first, it was cute, but I started to feel like I wasn’t supposed to be here — that my world was far apart and I should have stayed there. I got a lot of questions about how I got admitted into the university like I couldn’t have managed the exams I needed to write.
There were also lots of questions about Boko Haram. But it wasn’t about the questions but how they asked them. People went on like I knew the terrorists and lived next door with them. There was a time someone asked me how they were treating us. And this was a trigger for me because I’ve lost family members to Boko Haram and I know people who have been displaced from their homes. I get the need to ask questions, but a little sensitivity would have gone a long way.
How did all this make you feel?
It was somewhat tough at first, but I didn’t feel entirely bad about it. Now that some years have passed, I remember these events and just laugh.
How did these first experiences affect your relationship with other students?
It wasn’t a conscious attempt but I think I was forced to withdraw into my shell. I was wary of everyone because I wasn’t sure what they would say to me. And maybe the most difficult part of this was that I felt like I had to behave or I would run into trouble I couldn’t get out of.
When did it feel like you started to fit in?
I didn’t really notice the process, but I know that I started to enjoy my time in school when I got to my third year. 100 level was hard and 200 level was a blur. But there was this clarity that came when I got to 300 level and I’ve been running with it since. And my grades had a role to play in that.
How?
I had some issues with a course in 100 level, and it was primarily because the lecturer spoke a lot of Yoruba, which I hadn’t quite picked up. All the code-switching made it difficult to catch up. I lost interest in the course and didn’t do well in it and this affected my grades.
I’m sorry about that.
It’s fine. There was still a lot of adjustment in my second year, so I lagged behind with my academics. At the start of my third year, it felt like I’d finally found my place and that was the turning point for me with everything. I got my grades up and started to mix in with the crowd. Now, I might say that this university has become a second home.
That’s really heartwarming. What’s the best part of studying in a new region?
I’m learning about so much more than academics. I’ve spent only a few years here but I can say that I’ve learned so much about a new culture and its people. And while my Yoruba may not be the best, I have a basic understanding that I wouldn’t have learned elsewhere. So, there are these perks and they’re so fascinating.
What are you looking forward to now?
I’m looking forward to finishing my final year project. I’m researching gender-based violence in the North-East, and it’s so important to me. I can’t wait for us to put this Coronavirus thing behind us so I can go back to school for the last lap. Naturally, Law school and NYSC after that. At the moment, I’m hoping to do my Masters in a Scandinavian country. We will see how this goes.
Are you currently studying in Nigeria or elsewhere and have a story to share about your life in school? Please take a minute to fill this form and we will reach out to you ASAP.
Can’t get enough Aluta and Chill?Check back every Thursday at 9 AM for a new episode. Find other stories in the series here.
Nigerian students are not honest all the time. If they tell you something, chances are that they mean the opposite (or something close to it) and this post is proof of that.
1. “God knows that I’m not going to that lecturer’s class tomorrow” = “I don’t feel like going to class at this moment. But I will change my mind at the last minute. That attendance is important, plis dear.”
2. “I will start working on the assignment this evening” = I won’t do any work on it until a day or two before the deadline, but I have to let myself think that I have something important to do this evening.
3.“Have you read for the test?” = “I don’t really care about you, but I need to know if we’re failing this thing together.”
4. “Efiwe. Efiko!” = “I don’t think you’re that brilliant, but they sound like what you want to hear and I need you to do a favour for me.”
5.“Please, don’t whine me.” = “I love that you think highly of me, but I have to know you’re serious about it. No, no, don’t stop now. Please continue.”
6. “I don’t think I’m prepared for this exam.” = “I’ve been studying for days non-stop, and I think I’m going to crush it. But I don’t want you to know that.”
7. “Omo, that exam was tough.” = “It was actually a walk in the park for me, but since you guys are complaining about it, I’ve decided to jump on the bandwagon while I wait for my A.”
The common entrance exam was the biggest rite of passage into secondary school, and at some point, it was a thing the average Nigerian student worried about. If you’ve been there, so why don’t you take a short trip down memory lane?
1. When your school believes that you’re ready to write the exam in Primary 4
Efiko!
2. How the primary 5 students look at you when you join the class
Who is this small thing?
3. The struggle with this book
Must be the stuff scholars are made of
4. When your school starts a special lesson for everyone writing the exam
This was not a part of the deal na
5. And your parents find you an extra lesson teacher
You people don’t rate me, and it show
6. How your parents look at you whenever you’re not reading
Why do you want to disgrace this family?
7. You, on the eve of the exam
God, help me
8. When your parents wake you up early on the day of the exam to pray
You people’s own is too much
9. When you realise that you’re too nervous to eat breakfast
What’s all this?
10. You, when the invigilator tells everyone to start writing
No time, abeg
11. You, when you see questions you’ve practised in the Ugo C Ugo textbooks
Thank you, Jesus
12. When your parents ask you how the exam went
Sha, I’m alive
13. When the results come out and you pass
I’m not an embarrassment.
14. When you get to secondary school and you hear about Junior WAEC
Wait, there is more????
Take this quiz and see how many real common entrance questions you can get
The coronavirus became a thing we had to worry about and it forced everything to a standstill. Across the world, offices and schools have been closed to contain the spread of the virus. This post is the reality of Nigerian students who have been forced to return home since the nationwide closure of schools.
1. You, when the NUC directed that the school should be closed
And they thought we were starting exams next week. Lmao
2. But you realised that it meant that you were going home
Heh. I’m in danger.
3. You, when your parents happily receive you
Because your slave has returned abi?
4. When you’ve only spent a day but you’ve started running errands
You people just can’t wait, can you?
5. When they complain about everything you do and ask if that’s what you do in school too
Students in Nigerian universities have stories to tell, but hardly anyone to tell them to. For our new weekly series, Aluta and Chill, we are putting the spotlight on these students and their various campus experiences.
This week’s subject is Eto Camela, a 400 level student of Political Science at University of Abuja. She talks about how the economic inequality in the country came into full glare when she got into the university and the discomfort she felt from watching other students struggle to get by.
When did you know you were going to University of Abuja?
University of Abuja wasn’t in my JAMB application. I chose Afe Babalola University and University of Ibadan, but I was leaning more towards ABUAD. It was a private university and my friends from High School were going there too, so I thought that was exciting. Also, I’d not experienced the public education system, and I didn’t think I wanted to. My uncle and my dad had different plans.
Lmao. What did they do?
So, it was December 2016. We were in the village for Christmas. Then my dad called me and excitedly asked for a passport photograph. I didn’t have one with me, so he took one with his phone.
I was wondering what was going on when he broke the news that I had been offered provisional admission. Everything was great until he broke the second bit of the news. He was like “UniAbuja is a good school.” and I went “Wait, what?” He broke the other bit of the news properly, and all the excitement evaporated into thin air.
Weren’t you supposed to write Post-UTME?
There was no Post-UTME exam in 2016. All you needed was your UTME and O Level results. Also, I wanted to study Law. Law wasn’t accredited in UniAbuja that year and I was offered Political Science. Life was just dishing me gbas-gbos.
Did they tell you why they wanted you at UniAbuja?
We live in Abuja, so the university is one of the closest options.
It wasn’t what you wanted, but were you any excited about the prospects of studying there?
Haha, no. To be honest, I resented the school. I even think that people were irritated by me during the screening process because I came off as a snob.
Energy. What were your expectations going in?
I felt it was going to be the jungle. And I blame Nollywood for the way they portray Nigerian public universities. I thought public universities were places rife with cultists, randy and inept lecturers. I was convinced that I had been thrown into a battlefield. Those were the sorts of things I was running with. I know better than to generalise now.
Mad. What kind of mental preparation went into getting ready for school?
I wasn’t going to bother myself with all that. I couldn’t care anymore, so I was going with the “If I perish, I perish” energy. But when push came to shove, I realised that I didn’t want to perish.
Lmao. I’m curious to know how your first day in the class went.
Oh boy! I was still brimming with all the energy and doing my best to be aggressive, trying to match all the vibes I was soaking in. I was trying to push my way through into the class and I pushed the wrong person. The guy turned around, ready to fight and all. In an instant, he pushed me and staggered backwards until I hit the rails, cutting my hand in the process. There was nothing I could do. I was in severe pains, but I took it like a champ. The tears didn’t come at the time, they came after the class when it hit me that I was stuck here. I had a breakdown and called my mum — I don’t know how she did it but she had all the right words, and she was right.
What’s the thing you absolutely couldn’t deal with at school?
It’s easy to say the hostels because the student per room ratio is more than what I had in high school. I went from living in a four-per-room space to a minimum of 6-per-room. But that was bearable. The real shock was the realisation of the economy gap in the country. I don’t know how to say this, but it wasn’t until when I got into university that I saw on a full scale how much people were struggling to make ends meet .
When did you first realise that?
100 level. We had to buy a textbook for a course. The price was #2,500, and anyone who didn’t buy it risked failing the course. The price wasn’t a big deal to me and I paid. Two of my friends asked if I could pay for them as well and they would reimburse me later. I paid for the three textbooks on the spot and forgot about it.
On my way back to the hostel, I ran into one of my classmates. She was on a call and was visibly worked up. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I caught the conversation. She was telling the person on the other end that she had to get a textbook and couldn’t afford to buy it. Man, the way I held my breath. I was thinking about how I had dropped #7,500 on the spot, and there was someone else who had no idea how she was going to raise the money she needed for one.
After she ended the call, I approached her to ask her what her plan was. She was beaten and had resigned to fate. According to her, she would fail the course because there was nothing she could do. She was in school because the church was paying her tuition. What her mum made from selling biscuits wasn’t ever going to be enough to get her and her siblings an education.
Bruh.
That was a rude awakening for me, and boy, was it overwhelming. It was the first of many. The other one that stood out happened because of #70. There is a school shuttle that conveys students to the second campus. Usually, you pay before you get the ticket. But this girl slipped in without paying and when they discovered that she didn’t have a ticket, I thought she was being rude and called her out. It turned out that she didn’t pay because she didn’t have enough money on her. I felt terrible about myself and it took some time before I could shake it off.
Was there any moment when you felt guilty that not every student in your school wasn’t as privileged as you?
A lot of times. And it wasn’t fun. I understood that it wasn’t my fault, but it didn’t feel right. It felt like my eyes had just been open to the realities of students who were struggling to get by, and everywhere I went was a reminder of that. The school tuition was increased earlier this session, and that was what a classmate needed to drop out of school. He’s now working as a vulcaniser.
Man! How did this affect your relationship with other students?
For the longest time, I felt like an outsider. I was always lost when I was with them. It didn’t help that my pidgin was terrible and I sounded stupid whenever I attempted to speak the way they spoke. We had different coming-of-age experiences and I couldn’t relate to most of their stories. They knew this too and wouldn’t stop taunting me about it. They didn’t think I had my own struggle, which irked me a little.
How did you deal with that?
I realised that pity wouldn’t do anything — it wasn’t anything I could change. I translated the pity into respect. Now, I just admire them and everything they do to get an education. Once I got past the pity, it was easier to fall in line with everything, bond with them and feel like I was a part of something.
However, the whole experience affected my relationship with God and religion. Growing up, I saw God as someone who answered my prayer. God was a miracle worker to me. Now, I was in a place where I saw bad things happen to people who were only trying to make the best out of what they had. The one that hit the most was a girl who got raped when she was coming from church. I started to nurture some resentment and it turned into disillusionment. I went through the process, but I’m rebuilding my relationship with God in a more beautiful way. I’ve realised that God is a miracle worker and I can live with that.
I feel you.
But yeah, It’s a good thing for me that I came to this school and lived in the hostel. It’s introduced me to a new reality, one I didn’t know I needed to see. I’ve realised that life is dynamic and it’s just the resilient that can survive. It’s what it is.
Are you currently studying in Nigeria or elsewhere and have a story to share about your life in school? Please take a minute to fill this form and we will reach out to you ASAP.
Can’t get enough Aluta and Chill?Check back every Thursday at 9 AM for a new episode. Find other stories in the series here.
Students in Nigerian universities have stories to tell, but hardly anyone to tell them to. For our new weekly series, Aluta and Chill, we are putting the spotlight on these students and their various campus experiences.
Trigger warning: This story contains some disturbing details.
This week’s subject is a female student at the University of Uyo. She talks about her experiences with lecturers who have sexually harassed her and how she’s absolutely sick and tired of them.
Tell me how you got into school.
I wanted to study Building Engineering. My mum wanted me to study MBBS in a foreign university. I didn’t want it and we didn’t reach a compromise, so I wrote JAMB that year, but I didn’t pursue admission into any university. She suggested a private school in Nigeria, which I didn’t want either. After a series of back and forth, we agreed on another course. Now, I wasn’t sure which university to apply to. I wanted Federal University of Technology, Akure, but I was avoiding a school that offered only 5-year courses.
My mum went to Uyo for a conference and she came back, gushing about how beautiful the city is. I’m from Akwa-Ibom State and I’d never been there, so I thought it wouldn’t be bad to try it out. I did the JUPEB program first, then I applied to the university through the DE option. Eventually, I got into the school in 2015 and started from 200 level. I found out later that my course runs for 5 years here too. Lmao.
Mad! Was Uyo everything your mum told you it would be, though?
Uyo is really beautiful. The only problem is that some of the men there are vicious and abusive. It’s normal for men to harass women and nobody would bat an eyelid. I’ve had my share of that too: I’ve been slapped at a park because a man tried to harass me and I talked back to him. Also, the caretaker of the house I lived in my first year slapped me and chased me with a machete because I came home late one night. So, stuff like that happens and it’s really frightening.
Wow. That’s a lot.
It is. I’ve not been a fan of Akwa-Ibom men since then, especially after my other experiences.
Wait! There have been more experiences?
The rest happened in school, with my lecturers.
Can you take it back to the beginning?
As I said, I joined the class in 200 level. I was already behind on a lot, and as if that wasn’t enough, I had to register for some 100 level courses. I ran all the courses concurrently. I had a medical condition too, and in the middle of it all, I became sick and left school for a while to take care of myself. It was a whole lot. My first year was horrible and it was the beginning of my problems in that school. I should have left and gone to another school.
What happened?
I had issues with my courses. I did well in my department courses but failed a couple of electives from another department. And this is how it works: once the lecturers start to notice that you are struggling with their courses, they take advantage of the situation. Also, If you don’t write their tests, you automatically fail the courses, even if you write the exam. I was struggling with my health, so I didn’t write the tests. I didn’t even stress it, I just knew I had to brace up and do better in my third year.
In my third year, I went to this lecturer’s office to re-register one of the courses I had to take again. I’d missed his test that semester because his class was the same time as one of my 300 level courses. When he saw that I’d missed the test, he asked me how I intended to pass his course. I answered truthfully and told him that I didn’t know. He asked me if I wanted to pay him to get a passing grade. There’s grade sorting in Uniuyo — you pay the lecturer some money, and you pass the course. I asked him to name his price, but he wasn’t talking about money, even though he posed the question that way. He demanded to be paid in kind. He wanted to have sex with me.
Whoa!
I wasn’t going to go down that route. Fortunately, I wore a ring on my fourth finger on that day, and that was my ticket out of the situation. I told him I was married, but he persisted, telling me that my husband wouldn’t know that I cheated with my lecturer if I didn’t tell him. I lied my way out of that one and cooked up stories about how I was trying to make a baby with the husband. I must have been pretty convincing. He relaxed his stance and let me go. The man was the gentlest of them all. He didn’t bother me after that and I even passed the course. The other lecturers weren’t that nice.
There’s more?
There’s always more. My second abuser was also a lecturer in that department. I failed his course in 200 level too, re-registered it in 300 level, but I failed it again. That was weird because I was pretty sure of what I wrote. I went to his office to request for my script. That was a mistake — I shouldn’t have gone to his office.
Man, what happened in his office?
He told me I didn’t write his exam well. He was within his rights to say that, but he was quick to change the subject. He veered into how he’d noticed me since I joined the class in 200 level and how much he was attracted to me. I took everything as calmly as I could, but my mind was racing. I told him okay and left his office.
Nothing happened on that day. I wrote his exam again and this time, I passed the course. But he had his eyes on me already, and the best I could do for myself was to be friendly with him. I would greet him whenever I bumped into him and stuff like that. So, I was in his office on this day. The intention was to say hello to him and breeze out as fast as I could. He motioned for me to come closer to him. It was a tough situation. I went closer, but made sure to keep a distance between us. I was too close. In an instant, the man grabbed me and pulled me closer to him. He held me there and I could feel his groin on me. God, It was such a repulsive feeling.
Oh, my God. I’m so sorry.
I struggled for a bit before he released me. I was so upset that I walked out of his office without saying a word. There was nothing to say, anyway. I felt like shit on my way home, and no matter how hard I tried to convince myself that it wasn’t my fault, it felt like it. I was only trying to be nice, and that was what it got me.
No one deserves that. I’m sorry
He tried to touch me inappropriately two more times. These people don’t stop. They have all the power. When he tried it again the third time, I couldn’t take it anymore. I poured out all my grievances. It was a risky thing to do and I didn’t even know where the courage came from.
Did it make you feel better?
Oh, yes! I felt relaxed. That was my way of getting it out of my mind and dealing with it.
This is a lot
Yes, it is. I was still reeling from that one when another lecturer in that department turned his attention to me. This one started it in class. He would randomly call my name and pass a comment. He would ask me to see him in his office, and I had to go. The visits were always a waste of time — all he did was to ask me to see him outside the campus.
Bruh!
The first time I wrote his exam, I failed it. I knew it was a bad idea to request for my scripts, so I accepted the result. That meant I had to write the exams again and I had to go to his classes before I could do that. I was still in his grasp, so the compliments continued and the invitations to his office didn’t stop. I ignored his invitations. When it was time to write the test, this man didn’t allow me and a couple of other students into the hall. Again, if I didn’t write the test, it was over. He asked us to come to his office later to sort it out. We went in a group, but he asked us to come in one at a time. And again, I was alone with him.
That doesn’t sound good.
Uhm. Well, he admitted that the reason I failed the course the previous session was because I didn’t come to see him after the exam.
Whoa!
I was still there, trying to keep calm when someone knocked on the door and came inside. When they saw that he was busy, they went back. The lecturer stood up, went to the door and locked it. I thought he did that because he didn’t want to be interrupted, but he had other ideas . My back was turned against the door, so I didn’t see him when he was coming back. He didn’t go back to his seat. He grabbed my boobs from behind and groped me. I almost died because it came as a shock. Not that I didn’t think he was incapable of it — but I wasn’t anticipating it.
Sigh.
He didn’t stop there. He tried to reach into my dress. My disgust reached a new peak, but I gathered myself and got out of his hold. This man literally said he did that only because he was happy. Can you believe it? I told him off. He didn’t say anything. He went back to his seat and asked me to write down my name and registration number.
Did you eventually write the test?
Yes! He set a date for another test. And that was the last day I saw him because the school went on strike sometime after that.
Did you try to report any of these experiences to the school management?
There is a unit for stuff like that, but reporting them is a futile thing to do. I know a girl who reported a lecturer who was harassing her and they made life hell for her. She tried to change her department, but her old department wrote the new department to send her back. She’s still battling with that, not sure if she’s going to graduate. I would have reported if I knew for sure that there was a way there.
I was in my final year last session, and I should be out of the school if I didn’t have to deal with all these courses I failed in 200 level. I don’t understand why this keeps happening to me. Even my project’s external supervisor tried to start something with me but that’s another story.
I’m so sorry. How did you manage to cope with all this?
Barely. I’ve lost count of the number of times that I’ve cried myself to sleep. I see these lecturers and I know that I have no control. I didn’t do anything wrong — I only wanted an education. At the height of it, I considered dropping out. And here’s the thing — I don’t have any problem with the lecturers from my department. I mean, I got an A in my final year project. Every trauma I’ve gone through came from lecturers outside of my department. The littlest things make me cry now. My mental health is not at its best. But how could it be?
I’m really sorry. How hopeful are you that you’re getting out this year?
I don’t know. But I have to. I’m leaving that to God. I’m done. Really, I’m done. If this continues after school resumes, I’m leaving the certificate for them. This is my last year, as far as I’m concerned. They should hold on to the certificate. I will hold on to what remains of my sanity.
Are you currently studying in Nigeria or elsewhere and have a story to share about your life in school? Please take a minute to fill this form and we will reach out to you ASAP.
Can’t get enough Aluta and Chill?Check back every Thursday at 9 AM for a new episode. Find other stories in the series here.
This is the perfect time to take a break from the 1-0-1 life you’re used to living at school and take a crack at the bougie lifestyle. The best part about this is that you won’t even have to worry about finding food — you will be served on a silver platter. So, why don’t you milk everything you can out of this opportunity?
Disturb your class WhatsApp group
Look, everyone is bored. No one has the will to fight someone because they are “disturbing the group”. Send loads of messages and memes and keep the conversation flowing. However, in whatever you do, don’t be boring.
Catch up with people you’ve not touched base with
The one excuse you liked to give when school was open was that there was no time to check up on people and whatnot. But now, you have all the time to do this. Don’t throw it away. True, you can’t make plans for lunch or any physical hangout — but messages and calls will do.
Stay busy and productive (if you can help it)
Let me guess; when you were leaving school, you packed a shitload of study materials, determined to study as much as you can. How’s that going now? See, don’t put too much pressure on yourself to study. In fact, you can ditch your school books for now and try something new. Decide what that is and give it your best try. It would be nice if you can study too, but the most important thing is staying productive and that’s what you should optimise for.
Take a break from everything
There is a chance that you will be overwhelmed with news about this Coronavirus thing going on. It’s perfectly normal. But your mental health is also important, so do yourself a solid and take time off social media. Sleep, read a book, binge-watch a series. Do anything that will transport this thing we’re fighting to the back of your mind.
Stay safe and have a good break. It will soon be over.
What’s up, Zikoko Fam? It would mean the world to us if you spared a few minutes to fill this Reader Survey. It’s so we can bring you the content you really want!
Students in Nigerian universities have stories to tell, but hardly anyone to tell them to. For our new weekly series, Aluta and Chill, we are putting the spotlight on these students and their various campus experiences.
This week’s subject is Akinola Oluwafemi. He talks about his desire to study in Canada because of his discontent with the Nigerian education system and how he tried to leave twice but couldn’t because the universe happened.
When did you get into school?
2015. I chose UNILAG, because, for some reason, my parents thought federal universities were better than private universities. Also, most of my friends from secondary schools were filling in UNILAG in their application forms. There was this whole hype around the school — about its fun and freedom — and for someone who was coming from a restrictive secondary school, that was a big deal. However, I went to UNILAG because there was no choice. I couldn’t care less about any university in Nigeria, I wanted something more.
What did you want?
A university outside of Nigeria. I didn’t want to study here.
Lmao. All of us.
Yeah, but that wasn’t going to happen at the time. So, I opted for UNILAG and applied to study Electrical Engineering. Apart from my love for innovation, I’ve always wanted to have the “Engineer” tag. It sounded cool. My parents didn’t oppose my decision, and I suspect that they even loved the idea of it. Luckily, I got in. That was a silver lining.
What happened when you got in?
Man, I still believed that the Nigerian education system didn’t have a lot to offer me. I was here but I was hell-bent on studying abroad and I continued to put pressure on my parents to let me go. I used to say I was in UNILAG for tutorials, to prepare me for the Canadian experience. In my first year, I was just in school physically. I was going to classes only for attendance. My sights were set on the remaining five months I had left to spend before I japa.
What happened?
Life oh! 2016 was weird. The second semester of 100 level came and it was time to leave. I’d written the TOEFL exam and everything was ready. I applied to University of Manitoba to study Electrical Engineering and I got accepted. All I needed to do was pay the acceptance fee.
But that didn’t happen?
I got another offer from my aunt in the UK. Her children weren’t living with her, so she wanted me and my brother to come to the UK and attend one of the universities there. She’d been in the UK for a long time and claimed that she had some international student privileges that were going to be useful for me and my brother. Well, that complicated things.
You needed to make a decision
Pretty much. And my parents left me to decide. They could afford University of Manitoba, but it was still a lot of money. Also, my aunt really wanted me to come to the UK, so I was like “Okay, I’m going to forfeit the University of Manitoba admission, and I did.”
Two weeks after the payment deadline had passed, she called that there was a new development. She found out that we weren’t qualified for the aid. She would still have to pay a whole lot to get us in.
Ah. That sucks.
Now, the UK university was more expensive than University of Manitoba. She said she could take one person. We agreed that my brother should go. After a week, she called again to inform us that she couldn’t take any of us due to a lot of factors.
Whoa!
It wasn’t her fault, though. She got the wrong information. I reached out to University of Manitoba to see if I could still continue the process there. That didn’t happen. There was no extension and they had already registered the students that were coming in that year. That was the last straw. My parents were already pissed and were off the case. They were like I should continue at UNILAG, and that was it.
It be like that sometimes.
I wasn’t going to let that be the end of it. I continued to coax my parents. My dad had moved on, so there wasn’t a way there. But I got through to my mum. She enrolled me for SAT classes and the plans were set in motion that I would try a US university this time. I paid for the classes and exams.
But something else happened, didn’t it?
You bet that it did. The SAT exam day clashed with an exam I needed to write at school. It would have been easier if it was a test, but it was a whole ass exam for a compulsory course and a prerequisite for another course. I needed to pass it before I could register for the next one. Also, the professor was the most-dreaded lecturer in the faculty. Now, I needed to make another decision. If I didn’t write the exam, I would have an automatic extra year. And I wasn’t sure if I was willing to take that risk for something I wasn’t sure would come through.
I’m guessing you chose to write the UNILAG exam
Yes. My parents were pretty adamant that I wrote the UNILAG exam. They promised that I could always write the next SAT. That made sense, so I sat for the school exam. When the time came to write the next SAT, they’d already moved on and I couldn’t convince them this time. They were like maybe that was how God wanted it — you know how Nigerian parents are. So yeah, it turned out that I was going to spend all five years at UNILAG.
Oof. You were looking forward to leaving Nigerian and studying abroad and you tried twice, but it didn’t happen. What did you do to move on from that?
It took me a while to accept it. There was a process to coming to the realisation that it wasn’t just meant to be. I blamed myself for how I handled the University of Manitoba thing. For the longest time, I beat myself up for it. At first, it affected the frequency with which I went to class. For a while, I wasn’t sure what the point was. It wasn’t what I wanted. But when I realised that UNILAG was the only thing I got, man, I had to stand up and go on about my business as usual. I couldn’t lose in two places if you know what I mean.
I’m curious, do you think your privilege had something to do with it?
Yes, I guess it did. But also, University of Manitoba was just the right fit because I could get an international student loan. Everything was set, so it definitely felt like I screwed it up.
Did you ever settle into UNILAG?
Yeah, but it was a slow, agonising process. I spent my first two years trying to get out. By the time I realised that I wasn’t going anywhere, I’d missed out on so much. I hadn’t made friends or anything, so it was basically just me trying to find my place two years later than I should have. It wasn’t until 300 level that I started to blend in, became a normal UNILAG student, and started to enjoy the school.
Did this affect your grades in any way?
It did, actually. They were just there when they could have been so much better. I couldn’t complain, to be honest. If I had been invested from the start, chances are that they would be mad. The whole reason I wanted to leave this country and its education system was built around this idea I had that I couldn’t get much from the system. And I was running with that until I went for IT and had an epiphany. My IT changed my life.
Tell me about that.
I got an opportunity to run the 6-month IT at Total. And man, it was tough to get a spot there, More than 1000 students across Nigeria applied for it. There were a series of tests we had to write at each of the four stages. The toughest part was the waiting period. I didn’t even wait for them — I had started my IT at a radio station. When they eventually notified me that I had gotten it, I couldn’t believe it. For the first time in some time, I was truly happy.
I know what you mean.
I started there and everything just felt like a dream. They didn’t pay a lot of money to student interns, but there were a couple of benefits. I stumbled on the payment logbook and I saw these outrageous numbers. People were actually earning so much in a country I was desperate to leave. This did a lot to change the way I saw this country.
Lmao
I was somewhat cool with my supervisor and I told him my japa story. He’d been abroad and he was like living there is overrated. He advised that I learn how to play my cards right and I would see that there’s a lot to do and experience here.
Facts. How was the Total experience?
I was in the Information System and Technology department and everything I had to worry about was making sure the communication systems worked perfectly. It was surreal, to be honest. I was seeing and using all these stuff I had read about in the textbooks. I’ll admit that I geeked out. I thought I was having all the fun I could until it was time to go offshore.
Was that fun?
The best! I was in the Gulf of Guinea for about 6 weeks, surrounded by the ocean, working for one of the biggest oil companies in the world. What could beat that?
You didn’t want it to end, did you?
Nah, but it had to. I tried to extend my internship and they were okay with it. But UNILAG had to sign off on it and it was going to be a long process. So, I had to let it go and go back to school. I left with all this energy and motivation. In fact, I’m looking to go back there.
So how’s your final year going?
Not bad. The major thing to do now is to write my project and leave. However, ASUU strike and the Coronavirus have put everything on a pause, so I’m still here. It will end soon, though. I’m sure of that.
I know you said your outlook about the country has changed since your IT, but are you still looking to move out?
Yes, I wouldn’t rule it out. I still need to experience something new in another country. The difference now is if I leave, I’m sure that I’m coming back. There’s a lot to do here.
Are you currently studying in Nigeria or elsewhere and have a story to share about your life in school? Please take a minute to fill this form and we will reach out to you ASAP.
Can’t get enough Aluta and Chill?Check back every Thursday at 9 AM for a new episode. Find other stories in the series here.
What’s up, Zikoko Fam? It would mean the world to us if you spared a few minutes to fill this Reader Survey. It’s so we can bring you the content you really want!
