Those cold early mornings when I had to get up at 5.35am! I was lucky, all I had to do was go to the Assistant House captain’s room to clear the trash, sweep the room and what ever an assistant house capital’s fag did. I felt so sorry for my very young class mates - onyoos who had to do morning work, sweeping portions of allocated areas, and then gardening in the assigned portion. Umuahia was a bee hive in the true sense of it or better a boot camp ran by student! I do not envy Shaq running a TV show to enable obese, perhaps morbidly obese, American teenagers, lose weight and stay in shape. Maybe sending them to Umuahia would have been a better option.

During the early Harmattan of 1967, I took a private “motor car” ride to Umuhia in the company of Jaja Wachukwu. They lived in GRA Aba, and I lived downtown in Jubilee Road. I was the only one going to Umuhia from St. Michael’s Boys’ School. St Michael was noted them for their brilliant boys and true Aba one boys. Our teachers were so proud of my acceptance to GCU. I had turned down Uzuakoli, Hope Waddell, Ngwa High, and Anglican Chokobe, to go to Umuhia. My father was so pround of me.

But I had this longing disappointment and loneliness. Some of my friends who could not get in had decided to repeat standard six in other to get into Umuahia the next year. Others had gonbe to Stella Maris, Government Comprehensive (the newest of the Maris, Government Colleges), Afikpe, and other good schools. It was not same. I was the only one going to Umuahia. How relieved I was, when my father had mentioned to Mrs. Wachukwu who used to patronize his store to buy fabric about my acceptance to Umuahia. My late father was a known Aba merchant (or Aba trader) as it would become more popularly known in my later years. That’s how I met Jaja Wachukwu in 1966.

We had visited Umahia for the dreaded 2nd interview. We had toured the school. The dinning hall, the beautiful new student’s hostels: New House 9under construction) and school house, with beautiful lawns, trees common rooms and excellent playrounds.

Umuahia was simply beautiful. I was fascinated by the zoos: the baboons in their eages between Cozens house and the higher school classrooms; the alligators and crocodiles next to the higher school biology classrooms. Umuahia was our dwelling place. But it was also our classrooms. No wonder Umuahia produced so many scientists and doctors during my time. Stone and Cozens laid the foundation. Years later during the civil war, I would be discussing with friends, who had god to other schools, including Item High School, a first class school that my Item community had founded. Our fathers and mothers had spared no resources to build this school. They did want their sons and daughters to turn out as successful Item merchants and okrika wake up traders. It worked.

The discussion had gone this way: One boy had suggested that Umuahia were not that smart but rather teachers told them before hand what they had set in the WAEC exams. My yound mind had suggested to him to visit Umuahia and he would find the answers to the exam questions. The beautiful gardens, the excellent living quarters, the Umuahia siste, the library, the early morning PE, the standards and oh-the rigorous physical education program and of course the competitive academic program. Umuahia was a place where you had champions of champions. I remember all my life coming 1st was a given but in my 1st term at Umuahia I was 10th. My older sister and her husand would not have it. Later, the need to gather points for Simpson drove me to excel. In those days you scored points for your house if you won laurels in academics, sports drama, cadet et cetera.
It is not surprising that Umuahia produced Achebe, Okigbo, Onwuatuegwu, Okara, Tsaro Wiwa, Fubara, Harrison, Briggs, Udenwa, Ikwecheghe, Nebo, Ikokwu, Ekwueme, Imoke, Erekosima, to name just a few. In my time we had the great Mr. Sinulo who contributed to our boot camp experience, mandatory morning exercises, evening PE in any sport of your choice and of course the Great Umuahia RUN. Who ever invented that - we have to ask Dr. Erekosima whether his father told as a tool for survival. Shaq would really love the Umuagia RUN.

My Umuahia experience was from January 1967, from those trying days in Nigeria’s history. My father had asked me not to go to KC because of the Nzeogwu coup.

I am glad I listened. It was cut short in July 1967. I came back about April 1970. I could not return immediately after schools reopened because dad would not accept the twenty pounds to restart his life as pat of the famous 3Rs. When I returned, Jawa asked me to repeat class I. Ipleaded with him but he would not bulge. I refused and want to Uzuakoli where I was accepted in class 2. I came back and told Jawa, he relented and placed me in 2C. I was happy to be in C block which was the newest block in ’67. But 2C was different. I saw old friends like Otti B, Otuka I, Imo. But our old crew was gone: no more Dibiaezue (with prants), no more Prince will, and Hart B etc.

All our friends from Port Harcourt and environs were gone. However, Joe Megwa joined us later. He arrived after me but could but convince Jawa to let him join the 3rd year class. We could later go onto 3A and lower 5 and produce the great graduating class of 1972.

Boot camp was worth it. The trees in Umuahia taught us. Upper pavilion and lower pavilion taught us. Our prefects taught us by studying the dictionary in order to speak the latest bombastic during assembly. Our teachers were legendary. Who else would give you a plain map and ask you to locate Vladivostok and Montevideo but Akwiti? Who would teach Maths to young minds like Mr. Kotow, different from the way Ofobike and Osakwe taught math with their Engli-Igbo, Mr. Spencer taught physics with a different flair from Mr. Ikejiofor. Teachers who made us experiment that air occupies space with Mr. Grant. What about Mr. Oji in the wood workshop and technical drawing. While others were doing memory work studying amoeba, we saw amoeba, we drew a spirogyra. I made a bracelet fro my mom in the metal workshop!

Oh Umuahia, I had a blast. I do not know about you. Will the children of tomorrow have the opportunity to say the same 50 years from now?

That is the question.
GODSWILL OKEY OKOJI, USA, 2007