How I Learned About the Wickedness of Man — Well, in This Case, "Women"

How I Learned About the Wickedness of Man — Well, in This Case, "Women"

POV: I was nine years old. 😢😩

There are boarding schools, and then there’s Command Secondary School. I’ve heard many stories from other boarding schools, but nothing compares to what Command was like in the 2000s. I can’t speak for 2024, but back then, it was the devil’s playground. Everyone was either a pawn or being pawned.

My first encounter with the wickedness of man (or in this case, women) happened during my first week at Command. I like to call it my "Welcome to Command Saga." Grab your popcorn, Zelexers 🍿—it's story time.

It was 2006. Aside from the plane crashes that plagued the country, I honestly don’t remember much else happening. But me? I was ecstatic about going to Command and starting boarding school. I remember jubilating with my grandma when I saw my name on the admission list. I thought to myself, “No one will bug me about washing plates anymore!” I was also dreaming of all the Cornflakes and Golden Morn I could eat whenever I wanted. Oh, how naïve I was. 😅

Fast forward to my first week. I made lots of new friends—some of whom remain great friends to this day. Everything seemed so smooth that I started questioning all the horror stories about Command. Where was the suffering and the seniority everyone talked about?

Now, here’s the thing. Command had something called "Orientation Week," also known as the "Week of Grace" for JSS1 students. During those seven days, we were treated like royalty—well, more like goats being prepped for slaughter. We didn’t attend night prep or regular classes. Instead, we played and sat through “orientation classes” in the auditorium.

The real drama began in my second week. By then, we had started attending night prep. In the dormitories, juniors (JSS1–JSS3) were separated from seniors (SS1–SS3). Juniors’ prep ended at 9:30 pm, while seniors’ prep ended at 10:00 pm. This 30-minute gap was meant to give juniors enough time to fetch water from the limited number of taps before the seniors showed up to bully whoever they found. 😬

On this particular day, juniors’ prep had just ended. I was standing in front of my dormitory’s locked door, waiting for a fellowship on the lawn to finish so we could all go in and sleep. My dormitory was part of a quadrangle made up of four rectangular halls, with gates at each corner. At that time, only the gate near my dormitory was accessible.

I stood there, half-asleep, with my back to the quadrangle gate, unknowingly blocking the way. Out of nowhere, a senior who seemed like a giant appeared behind me. In the deepest voice I’d ever heard from a woman, she said, “SPACE ME!!”

Look, I was tired and confused. It wasn’t even 10 pm yet, so what was this senior doing outside night prep? That’s what my tiny, small-minded self was pondering as I turned to see who had spoken to me like that.

Before I could process anything, a slap—one of the most violating slaps of my life—landed on the side of my head. 🥴 The slap was so heavy it spun me around, and I slammed into the wall. Everything went silent except for the ringing in my ears: “tiiiiiiiiiiii.” My vision blurred, and I could barely see.

By the time I gathered myself, the ogbanje had disappeared. Chai! If only I had the chance, I would have shown her that "small but mighty" dey. But no, I just stood there, stunned. Salty tears welled up in my eyes. I was trying to form odeshi (pretending it didn’t hurt) when someone across the passage said, “Ehya, sorry.”

That was it—the dam broke. The waterworks started, and I couldn’t hold back the tears. At that moment, I just wanted my mummy. 😭

That was my “Welcome to Command” moment. It was the harsh reality check that made me realize the next six years would be tough as nails.

I feel like everyone who went to Command, NMS, any boarding school—or even prison—has one of these “welcome to hell” stories. But guess what? I survived, and it made me stronger 💪. Plus, it gave me over 1,000 stories to share.

If you enjoy amebo like me, follow my thread for more stories. ✌ Feel free to share your own too—parents of today could learn a lot from them.