“…Damzy’s matric ceremony was a day of horror for me. Aside being treated like an outcast in the midst of her coursemates, and left alone on my own like a sheep without a shepherd.
The hugs I cherished with my whole being, people were just collecting it anyhow with reckless abandon.
The one that pained me most was one big headed bobrisky lookalike who hugged so tight and refused to let go. I felt like going there to separate them by myself. But no wam. I can’t be an outcast and still be a disgrace at the same time.
Till evening, Damzy didn’t talk to me more than 3 times. It was when almost everyone had gone that she came to sit with me but everything she was talking about sounded Greek to me.
Psy141 this, Pol 111 that, PSC 121 that. Term paper said, CGPA go, course rep come. I pretended to understand and kept going, at least, she was talking to me. That should count for something.
I went home that night, determined more than ever to score at least 350 in the next JAMB exam.
By that time, they had introduced new JAMB syllables. Now we read IN DEPENDENCE instead of LAST DAYS AT FORCADOS HIGH SCHOOL.
It was like starting afresh.
Coupled with the fact that my parents concluded that I can’t be lazying about for another one year. So I was signed up for Computer training.
I was combining studying for JAMB and Computer Training. Each distracted me from the other.
Plus I have to visit Damzy once in a while in school so that sons of Adam will not collect sleep from my eyes. An Igbo adage opines that the rat does not eat what belongs to the man that is awake.
One year came and I wrote JAMB again.
Ladies and gentlemen, they gave 248. Hei! Anyị a na-agbago agbago ka anyị a na-agbada agbada?
Noooo, I can’t wait for another one year. I must get this admission one way or the other.
I started looking for alternatives to merit.
There were rumours that you can pay 500k and join the VC’s list and get any course of your choice, provided you got upto 200.
However, that’s not going to work because the only reason I couldn’t go to another university aside UNN is because my father couldn’t afford other Universities and exorbitant lodge or hostel fees outside Nsukka.
If he had 500k to buy admission for me, he would have been able to send me to a State University.
The next option was Staff Quota. We started looking for staff members that could surrender their quota to us, but all of them were selling their quota too. Some 100k, some 200k and even 300k. Nawaooo.
Time was running out. Without my parents consent, I bought the shopping form.
However, all the courses there sounded useless, except one that sounded like something strong!
COMBINED SOCIAL SCIENCES: PHILOSOPHY AND PSYCHOLOGY.
Yes, that should be strong enough course for me to do for one year before I redeploy to Law.
When the shopping list came out, my name was there!
Finally!
I got the much coveted Admission! The next biggest task was convincing my parents.
They didn’t receive the news with happiness. Rather, they felt I was going to waste.
I convinced them beyond all reasonable doubts that I will make a CGPA of 3.5 in my first year and redeploy to Law. Otu awụghi né-ezi.
After finally Passing JAMB, it was time to resume School.
How did I cope with my relationship Damzy? Did I later redeploy to Law or did Combined Social Sciences later combined me and carry-overs?
Let’s find out in season 2 of DUKE THE NIGERIAN
DUKE THE NIGERIAN
(PASSING JAMB, Season 1; Episode 8) was brought to you by Ugwuagbo Emmanuel Chizoba Daniel (Zoba De Great)