THE D-DAY: SPEECH AND PRIZE GIVING CEREMONY!

SATURDAY 8TH JULY, 2000

Today is the D-Day. Early in the morning the bell for compound work was rung. I decided not to go since I was in the company of an SS3 student Shettima. Later on Abu-Imam came to the hostel and wake me up, told me to run away, Mr Ishola is hunting for those that absconds from the compound work. I quickly walked out of the hostel and followed near Administrative Officers house towards the Assembly Hall where the compound work is taking place. 

After compound work I came back and went to the dinning hall for breakfast. A breakfast of eggs and bread was quickly shared before we were rushed out of the dinning hall. The bell for main event was rung at last. I was on my way to mosque to get some water and clean my face and feet when Senior Ziya-ulhaq (Annex B house captain) told me to go and get dressed up. I went to the hostel and with a little difficulty got an iron to iron up my clothes with. I borrowed iron from one SS1 boy and ironed my clothes neatly like never before. I shared a bucket of bathing water with my classmate Jimmy. 

On arriving at the assembly hall where the event is going to hold, I was told to sit at the front together with the rest of the students. The members of the Army Band were the first to arrive.  Then our Commandant followed by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) and the Plateau Commissioner of Education who is representing the Executive Governor of Plateau State Chief Joshua Dariye. They all made speeches and the Chairman of the occasion made a donation of N25,000 to the Science Department.

The awarding of prizes began in earnest. I won six prizes in six subjects: Mathematics, English Language, Agricultural Science, Integrated Science, Hausa Language and I was the second overall best in JSS2. The prizes consists of textbooks, exercise books, mathes set and a towel. I felt so great when I shook hands with the Commissioner of Education, Plateau and the Chairman of the School's PTA.