LEFAK AND THE DARMAN MIRACLE- BY PROF. DOSUNMU

This, I donate. 

Each time I recall the story I am about to chronicle, I always giggle within myself. The lecture was to hold on a Wednesday but the lecturer sauntered into the lecture hall and explained that the lecture would not hold due to an urgent ‘University assignment’.  A student behind me stood up, raised his two hands towards heaven and shouted ‘ope o’. His jubilation was caught short when the lecturer looked at him quizzically and announced that the lecture had been rescheduled for the Saturday of that week. It was the practice then that once a lecture did not hold at a stipulated time, it would be the following week but Lefak would not buy that ‘stuff’. Few students were elated while majority got deflated. Pardon me that I will not tell you the group I belonged. The latter group got so moody because Nigeria Under 17 team was to play a competitive international match that day.

At 2pm exactly, the lecturer bounced into the hall (L & H). The lecturer was tall, dark and athletic. He looked cool like a cucumber but words flowed from his mouth like Niagara’s fall. He methodically moved to the edge of the chalk-board, wrote the topic on the board and twitched his nostrils. If noses grow longer by the number of times they are pulled, Lefak’s nose would have ….. He wore a spotted t-shirt, looking spic- span. Lefak would not compromise neatness and tidiness in dressing. He always paid special attention to the gaiter of his trousers. Well born, well bred and well connected, he combined refinement with good breeding. Writing about his outstanding cerebral capability should be a task for another day. The only problem I had with his exegesis was his copious examples of ‘skirts and bra’. No wonder some students labeled him lover boy. Well, labeling is a social fact in academic setting.

When Nigeria was ‘down’ by 4 – 0, the class was attentive. We listened to Lefak as he explicated and displayed his mastery of the topic.

The note was becoming voluminous – unlike these days when students and lecturers are in a hurry and notes are nothing to ‘write the village about’. Lefak was never in a hurry. As he explained, Nigeria scored 2 goals; as he expanded, Nigeria made it 3; as he expounded, Nigeria equaled four and the class went into rapturous ‘ it is a gooooooal!’ Lefak twitched his nose again and as if he was in another planet, he continued to expatiate with multiple examples and finally, Nigeria scored the winner. The class went into wide jubilation. Lefak looked at us as if trying to decipher if were suffering from youthful exuberance or adulthood harlequinade. A lot of lecturers would have joined in the fray or their vertebra capitulated. Lefak has a legendary contempt for being taken for granted. He stood his ground, cleared his throat (while the piece of chalk dangled in between his fingers) and continued his lecture. The noise simmered, his look sobered everyone. 

After some time, he gestured as if we were going to another topic and while we got glued to our books like stenographers, he announced the end of the class. He had class his class, we had our fun. 

Join me to give three GBOSAS to this great leader of men and materials. Gbosa,  gbosa and... Happy Birthday to you sir.

PROF. S. A . DOSUNMU

@SOCIAL SEER