What has a beginning will eventually have an end, the journey that same not end has finally ended. They said the journey of a thousand miles begins with a step, this step started 3rd of September 2014, when we all got admission to study marine engineering at merchant navy institute knowns as global maritime academy at ughelli south delta state Nigeria, for a national diploma, a two-year program that looks like hell, due to the whole military training waking up early and sleeping late at night, it was difficult but after two years we are done with it, which ended at 26th November 2016.
In 2017 we undergo a one-year training program which is mandatory for one to forward his career, this training was carried out by every one of us, but in different locations which helps to sharpen our skills in the maritime industry.
In 2018 we all applied to federal university of petroleum resource effurun delta state, the first of its kind in Africa and six in the world, the five of us from our previous school were given admission to study marine engineering at federal university of petroleum resources, the name the five was first started by our queen ( Abigail ekemini James) and the head of the department (HOD) make it popular, he said the five of you study the same discipline in the same institution at the same year, and the five of you, are here again same year, studying the same discipline that how the name the five comes about since then the full department started calling us the five
The picture above is the first picture we took as the five, in our first year 200level in federal university of petroleum resources, I know some people will ask, why are all of you on boots, let me save you the stress of that, we were coming from a practical workshop, and we’re only allowed to wear boot and nothing else, naming from the right is victor essien, eghosa osaigbovo, abigail ekemini james, angetiya aaron and my humble self.
This picture was captured when we went to convocation in our previous school Global maritime academy, class 2019. The pool beside it is a five- to twelve-foot pool used for safety and survival training in maritime discipline and we are currently in our 300-level in our present institution, most time i do wonder how ladies form so quick, if you look at the first photo and compare to the second photo, just two years difference to see the remmarkable change of the only lady in our midst.
This one was taken after one of the exams where we are all supposed to be in cooperate but due to the rush, coming for the exam on time, this is the best we come up with, that day we wrote GET 521 known as engineering economics, I do ask myself what does an engineer needs economics for, but I guess no knowledge is waste, even if economic is not complete engineering course we actually nailed it.
The cover-all dress code is the third paper we wrote in our final year final semester, they is this tradition that is here in Nigeria, I don’t know if it is applicable in other countries, but during the final year final semester they are a code of dressing for every exam that is to be written, which this cover-all and the cooperate are one of it, this cover-all and the boot symbolize or shown that we are engineering student, most people do put on helmet, but I didn’t, we aren’t in the practical workshop where things can fall above and cause injuring so I don’t think that they is a need for that.
This is the final day, as Nigerians will say D-day, the day we wrote the final paper, the official signing out of the school, I don’t know how other people celebrate, but down here your white shirt will be covered with nicknames, real name and signature of people you know and don’t know, with red, blue, green and black markers, the signing will start as soon as you finish writing, which was started by the head of the department, then to the lecturer, and your fallow course-mate and others from a different department, every single person that knows you the once that don’t know as long as they are present, all this are done as a reminder that, one graduate that year with certain people, which is known as signing out.
This post has a lot of pictures, but it is the only way I can explain this better, they said twenty friends can’t play for twenty years, these five have played for 9yrs and counting, this is the five, how it started and how far we have gone.
A 5yrs program which was supposed to last for 4yrs, due to direct entry, but we ended up spending 6 yrs, due to covid-19 and the recent Asuu strike.
I know I haven’t been here for a while now, and this is the cause of my absence, I just wanted to close the chapter once and for all, to all those that have been a support, thanks and I’m back
