In my first year in Akoka, one of my room mates was Olumide. Olumide was bubbly, lively and very
sociable. We ‘jelled’. By the way, I had spent one year at the University of Ibadan. I moved to Unilag
because I changed my course of study, as Unilag had the best rating, pedigree and infrastructure for
my desired course. While you’re free to disagree, you can at least see that I attended the best unis in
Nigeria. That’s by the way, though.
So I was not entirely a rookie. Olumide my friend was a complete Jambite, and I tutored him in many
things. The convocation story in UI was not different, so I had given Olumide and my other friends a
heads-up and thoroughly whet their appetite. They looked forward to the fun and freebies on
convocation day.
So on a typical day, we set out as early as breakfast. There were tents and canopies everywhere with
coolers and baskets of assorted delicacies. Where there were no tents and canopies, the cool shades
of benevolent trees provided comfort, including even the countless coconut trees strewn across our
cosy, exotic lagoon front, a natural resort that makes Great Akoka the envy of all other campuses
(story for another day)
Parents, guardians, siblings and extended family members of the graduands beamed with
excitement and an air of celebration rent the air. Our modus operandum, I had lectured my Jambite
friends, was going to be simple: once we spot a convocant in his or her academic gown, that is a

fertile spot. We were to just go round and greet them with smiles and good wishes. You don’t need
to know them. If you do, lucky you! We were to look for the mummy of the convocant (yes
mummies, you can’t miss them!) and greet them. And finally, there was usually someone manning
the coolers. You must be polite to her, she must not be left out of your courtesies, otherwise she
might be vindictive. And where mummy doubled as the cooler manager, your stress was less. After
the greetings, just stay there and move not an inch, and they would usually do the needful. Daddies?
Even if you ignored them, it was never fatal, trust me. They’re the ones who would even speak for
you. “Serve my children”, they would usually advocate.

#ParentingonmyMind

#NostalgicMemories