A Stroll Through LAUTECH (Episode 1)

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, locales, or actual events is entirely coincidental.

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            As we entered through the main gate, the birds tweeted and the crickets chirped. The leaves on the trees spilled the gathered dew that had stayed for too long on them. The wind whistled as the sky became cloudy, ready to bring down another downpour of frustration and agitation.

LAUTECH, Ogbomoso.

We felt welcomed in an environment that had suffered for visitors for many months, more than a year even. We trod through a well-trodden path that had now gathered a lot of sand and weeds due to few people passing through it.

A habitat that always bustled with academic activities had now turned into an abode of meditation. Silent and lonely and uncomfortable. We were not a bit surprised. We had expected it and that, was the tragedy of it all.

I am no more a student but my cousin, Dayo, is a 500-level student of the department of Chemistry. He had been stuck in 500 level since 2015 and now in 2017, I belief he would think of that fact every day. Every additional day that this mess has dragged on for too long.

The mess had started like every other countless industrial actions did in the past. The government and lecturers had begun their push and pull and students had expected an early resolution. The students must have asked for too much because the months started counting and no resolution appeared in sight. Now, it has gone beyond the realm of anti-development into satanic. Toying with the future of over thirty thousand youths has no better description.

Beside us, on the far left, I could see a new building, it was absent when I left the school in 2012 and 2013 painted on it bore a testament to that. I looked on and in front of us was M. K. O. Abiola lecture theatre. The statue of a man stood in front of the hall in a permanent smile and a finger pointing to the future. If it could hear me, I wanted to tell it:

“Now we are in the future but we wish we had stayed in the past. At least there was free quality education in the past. And the leaders tried to be responsible and accountable. The new generation of leaders have gone away from the path that you trod. They are overseers over chaos. They have neglected the values of education that raised Nigeria up and gave many of them the opportunity of education. With pride they have adorned the mantle of arrogance, unaccountability, and recklessness with no respite, with no regard for the law. Wallowing in illegalities, blatantly stamping the face of the law, and drunk in irresponsibility and perceived power and authority. You had a dream but our present leaders are yet to wake up from their corruption induced sleep to realize the dream.”

Samuel Ladoke Akintola pointing to the future.

We walked into the hall and unsurprisingly, we were the only two souls in the hall. The first time I saw this hall was in 2007, ten years ago. In all the years I’ve been inside the hall, it had never been empty. If students had no lectures, then some were reading.

“This hall is silent,” I said.                          

“The hall is lucky to have us today,” Dayo said. As he said that, a door made a loud bang as the wind pushed it close.

“I wonder when somebody came here last,” Dayo said. I went to the front row of seats and sat in a seat in the middle.

“You know,” I said, “I never achieved this all my years in school.”

“What?”

“Here,” I said. “I never sat here for a lecture. I received lectures here in 100 level.”

“Elect/Elect right?”

“Yeah.”

“I received my lectures in 1200 lecture theatre.”

“You are a crowd in the faculty of pure and applied sciences.”

“I’m surprised you never sat in front,” he said. “You must have been a truant in those days.”

“I came to most classes.”

“Then you must have been a bit unserious.”

“I was serious,” I said, “by my standard. It was just that there were many students who were more serious than I was.”

“Do you always arrive in class before commencement of lectures?”

“Yeah,” I said. “Many times but not all the time. You know how it is.”

“No.”

“I had a partner in crime.”

“You always have a partner in crime,” he said with a smile. “Who?”

“Bola,” I said. “Ever met her?”

“No.”

“Adebola,” I said. “Sweet Adebola. What a fine lady. She was my first love in Lautech.”

“You must have had many.”

“Not many,” I said. “Few lovers, many sex partners. They all thought we were in love though.”

“You must have been a competent liar.”

“Far from the best,” I said. “But good enough to get the job done most times.”

“So how did you meet this Bola?” he said.

If there was something that I took great pleasure in, it was talking about my love conquests. I have been trying hard to deny it but I think my life purpose is probably running after people in blouse and skirts, and gowns. I am talented in that arena and I think I could really build a career on it. I just need to find someone who would pay me for my skills.

Someone said know how to do something very well and find someone to pay you for it. I’ve been looking for someone who would appreciate my skills and pay me for knowing how to run after the ladies. One day, I will go abroad and market my skills. Nigerians can be very stingy in that regard but the whites would appreciate it. They seem to always appreciate things like that.

One of the reasons that made me cherish my relationship with Bola was that she was one of the most beautiful girls in hundred level, faculty of engineering then. The first day I saw her, I was sure that about twelve guys were also watching her. I caught five myself. Easy to predict six other guys who could watch a girl without being caught.

I was fast and I was lucky. After the lectures, she went through the door that was close to where I sat. I ran after her.

“Fine girl, how are you?” I said.

“Fine,” she said. Yes, the most difficult start I could get.

“Please I need a favour from you.”

“What?” she said with a teasing smile that said I will not grant it.

Read Episode 2 HERE, Episode 3 HERE

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