By ‘Ladeji Popoola
If the award for the worst student can be given, Pogun Peter believed he deserved one. As he sat on the bolsterless wooden chair in his room at Agbowo, he took in a deep breath. His chest heaved, intermittently, this would be the seventh time he had dragged in and let loose heavy breath in twenty minutes. He knew the aspiration which had placed him on the academic road for the first two semesters would lead him to his parents’ house or a place beyond his imagination. ‘This fate, miserable one has been sealed,’ he concluded as he felt weak inside the warm aura of the silent room.
The terrible news was broken through the ‘Book of life’, what could have made a gallant man be secluded from the outside world and choose his room for lamentation on a hot February afternoon? Pogun Peter had scrolled through pages searching for names. The first surprise he met on the screen struck him with amazement. “Tolani Adegbite made it, really?” he said with a chuckle that made deep-seated sadness bare on his youthful face.
The truth is Tolani was on 0.43 out of 4.0 CGPA and had managed to scale through 12 out of 39 units in the first semester. He guessed big magic had been done, although he had expected to see him as his companion with what he now saw, he knew that 1.20 CGPA means poor lad continue your studies. As this thought that he alone would unmeritoriously match out of the University of Ibadan, he discovered both his hands were on his head in apprehension and his phone made for the floor, and a thud awoke phobia in him. He knew the university had put it mildly as an ‘advice’ but everyone knew it was a red card. He had no doubt that the sun had just set on his studentship. He took another breath but a deeper one.
