Rekindling the fire of faith

MY CREATIVE EXPERIENCE AS A CHILD

When I was five years, I could do vehemently everything I could think of. My dad taught me a lot while growing up. He taught me how to write, draw images and my elder brother Agaba taught me how to sing and make music. I started painting artistic images from that tender age and my painting was near perfect. My dad was ever encouraging me, with my mum tirelessly involved in her trade to make sure the family lacks nothing like food. There is always food in the house, such that we have some of our neighbours coming to have their breakfast, lunch and dinner in our house. I was also involved in constructing all kinds of vehicles with used tins. I have a friend then whose name is Jimmy. Jimmy’s family relocated from Kano. Jimmy’s dad was retired from the military. We use to construct all kinds of cars, provided we can see the images. Cars ranging from range rover, tipper, tractors, trailer head, etc. was what we were constructing. I wish I could still be creative in the manner I used to when I was very young before I started schooling proper. I was also moulding images, especially the world cup. When I mould the world cup, I will organize a football competition, where each team will pay money to host the moulded cup and at the end, the winner will take the moulded cup. I used to make a whole lot of money then. I could not believe, the kind of crowd my craft was pulling then, and I was only five.

I could still remember how we used to construct traps with bamboo trees to catch rats. We were always going for hunting games. When grasses start drying during the dry season, we will set fire on it and gather round in wait to give a chase to any escaping rat. I used to like bush meats, especially bush rats. The hunting game was also one big fun I wish I could still replay. However, I have passed that stage of my life’s experience. I could also remember we used to hunt for snails and we will design it into a cone-like object that we use for a game, which we call Koso. When we play this game if you miss your turn not covering the cone to face the ground. You will end up receiving the punishment of been hit with the snail shell until you can dodge it. Though it is fun fare, very painful. When you are been hit by the snail shell, it sometimes causes serious injury and will leave us to fight with each other.

We also used to hunt or cashew seeds and mangoes, precisely around Otukpo Area Court. We usually quietly snick in to climb the cashew tree without the notice of the security guard. I will silently climb and plug enough cashew, when the security realize that they are people on the cashew tree, he will start heading toward the tree. The moment we notice him coming, we will quickly run down the tree. We can know this because we always have a watcher who watches from a distance unnoticeable by the security guard. The security man will give us a chase. What we were doing was indeed fun fare, but very risky. When we go hunting for mangoes and cashew, we had our leaders as one of our senior friend's name Audu and Adah. Two senior friends of ours are very smart and swift to do the unimaginable. They will silently climb the tree, tucking in their shirt and load mangoes inside, after which they will silently climb down. These two guys can do this even when the security guard is present, and they will do it unnoticed. I have never seen guys as smart as Audu and Adah. They are not just smart, but also cunningly swift. However, many funny things happened to them, but all was still part of our fun growing up.

In 1990, my mum took me to a school named Norcross Primary School. My only interview was to raise my right hand if it could go round my neck, but it did not go round. They told my mum that I was too young to start school, but my mum insisted that I am very intelligent that I can cope with any class. Therefore, they were admitted into primary one in Norcross Primary School. My experience in that school was fun because I could remember I usually go to school with my small wooden seat. During break time, before I starts playing, I can never miss buying my Tonkawa (a cake prepared with groundnut and grated millet), which I became addicted to eating. We use to buy Tonkawa for five kobos then, during this period money has value, not like the time we are, where one thousand nairas is like ten nairas.

My parent had to decide to change me from the public school because of the substandard nature of the school. Therefore, I started another school, St. John’s Nursery/Primary School with my younger sister, Patience. The school management admitted her into nursery one, while I was admitted into primary one in 1990. Then, I was only five years. One of my classmates that I cannot forget was the daughter of a doctor Nnamonu, by the name Anita. I was later demoted because I was very small and it was the decision of my mum. Therefore, I was supposed to be in primary two, I was demoted back to the primary one, where I became Anita’s younger brother’s classmate. His name is Jack, with some other of my mates, which I can still remember their name as Akogwu, Achichi Achichi, Susan Odeh, Onyowoicho Ekwu, Godfrey Ebe and Wale Alao whom we see as our super might. We see Wale as our super might because he is like the strongest guy we had amongst our mates and a serious bully. I sued to see him as the strongest in the entire school. Life experience in St. John’s Nursery/Primary School was fun. I could still remember some of the songs we use to sing when marching off the assembling ground. One of the songs I cannot forget is, “H.I.P for the hippo, P.O.P.O for the hippo and T.A.M.US for the hippopotamus, hippopotamus! Other songs are, “Parent listen to your children (children!). We are the leaders of tomorrow (tomorrow!). Try to pay our school fees…and give us a sound education (education!)

What an experience! My performance in class was very outstanding.

Around 1992, I cannot place it, but I know something happened. I just saw people running including teachers. The school was in total disarray. Parents were trooping in to pick their kids and students were crying. There was an uproar. I had to rush to my younger sister’s class, I found her in the class crying. I picked my younger sister and went away from where people were running. I was calm, but afraid since I did not have an idea what was happening. After some time, I saw my mum entering the school compound, searching for my sister and me. I rushed with my younger sister to meet up with my mum. My mum backs my younger sister, holding my hands as she leaves the school vicinity. I noticed the whole town was in chaos and people were looting and vandalizing properties of traders from the marketplace. All the schools in Otukpo were involved in this riot. I saw many people shouting, raiding markets, stealing things and people were running for dare lives. I saw some set of people carrying coffins covered with white linen, singing “Alogwu don die oh!” It was later I was told that the riot was because of Alogwu who was the then Otukpo local government Chairman. He did not pay the salary of teachers and staff of the local government. This was all I could remember about this event.

This story may not be accurate, because it is being told based on my experience while I was very tender.

Still, in 1992, my parent decided to my school. Acheinu that took me to my new school named my elder sister Assemblies of God, where they interview me. They asked me, “What is your name?” and I answered, “My name is Igoche”. They further asked me, “How old are you?” and I responded, “I am seven years old.” That was all about my interview and they admitted me into primary three. I became very active in school. I was also very prudent and sensitive, always appearing very neat. I had a close friend then, by the name Okechukwu. I also had other friends like Emmanuel Okorie, Ekene Derichukwu, Chikodi and Francis Idoko who became my inseparable friend, because we were the best football player in our school then. We won the trophy for the school and we were also active in march past. It was fun all through my primary school experience. Some of my teachers I cannot forget then were Amin, who teaches us mathematics, Mr Joe who teaches us literature and he is also our games master. We also had teachers like Mercy Ozi taking us English language and her elder sister, whom I cannot remember her name, but she took us social studies. What a sweet experience, I can never forget.

I finished my primary school in 1997 and sat for a common entrance. I sat for a common entrance in St. Francis College and Wesley High School, which I passed both, but decided to choose St. Francis College. I was number one on the list. Therefore, my friend Francis whose dad is a police officer and I was admitted into St. Francis College.