MON -- 11:45 AM -- JAMB Registration Center, Yaba -- Lagos State -- March 2006
The queue stretched around the block like a concrete snake, hundreds of hopeful students clutching registration forms and exact change, all pursuing the same impossible dream: a university education in a country with more qualified applicants than available spaces.
Elisha had been standing in line since 5 AM, but he was still thirty people away from the registration desk. The sun climbed higher, turning the asphalt into a griddle that cooked patience out of everyone waiting. Tempers flared in three languages as students jostled for position, argued about line-cutting, and complained about a system that seemed designed to test endurance before intelligence.
"Form! Form! Get your JAMB form here!" hawkers weaved through the crowd selling everything from registration documents to bottled water at inflated prices. Some students discovered too late that they'd bought photocopied forms that wouldn't be accepted, leading to fresh outbreaks of frustration and accusations.
When Elisha finally reached the desk, the clerk barely looked up. "Course of study?"
"Military Science. Nysarian Defence Academy."
That got her attention. She glanced at him over her glasses, taking in his carefully pressed school uniform and serious expression. "You sure about that?"
"Yes ma."
She shrugged and processed his registration with the mechanical efficiency of someone who'd handled thousands of similar transactions. Exam date: May 15th, 2006. Center: University of Lagos. Subject combination: English Language, Mathematics, Government, Physics.
Receipt in hand, Elisha walked back through Lagos traffic with the strange lightness that comes after crossing a significant threshold. He was officially a JAMB candidate now, one step closer to competing for a slot at the Defence Academy.
Two months to prepare for an examination that would determine whether his dreams remained dreams or became possibilities.
----
TUE -- 7:30 AM -- Mushin Public Library -- April 2006
The library had become his second home, a refuge from the chaos of Lagos where he could focus completely on JAMB preparation. He'd claimed a corner table near the science section, surrounding himself with borrowed textbooks, practice tests, and carefully organized notes.
Mathematics remained his biggest challenge. The JAMB syllabus included topics that Willowgrove Secondary had never properly covered: logarithms, sequences and series, coordinate geometry, and basic calculus. He was essentially teaching himself university-level mathematics using textbooks written for students who'd had proper preparation.
But he was making progress. Each problem solved correctly built confidence for the next. Each concept mastered opened doors to more complex applications. The work was exhausting but addictive—the satisfaction of understanding difficult material through pure effort.
Kemi found him there most afternoons, preparing for her own JAMB examination for Medicine. They'd developed an informal study partnership, testing each other on English comprehension passages and comparing solutions to mathematics problems.
"Question forty-seven," she said, reading from a practice test. "If the government of Nysaria decides to reduce military spending by fifteen percent while increasing education funding by twenty percent, and the original military budget was four billion naira while education received two billion naira, what will be the new ratio of military to education spending?"
Elisha worked through the calculation: Military budget reduced to 3.4 billion, education increased to 2.4 billion. "Seventeen to twelve, approximately."
"Correct. Though I notice they managed to sneak politics into a mathematics question."
"Everything in Nysaria is political eventually."
She closed the practice book and studied his face. "Are you nervous? About the exam?"
"Terrified," he admitted. "But not in a bad way. More like... focused terror. The kind that makes you work harder."
"My father says the Defence Academy accepts maybe one in fifty applicants. Even with a good JAMB score, you still need to pass physical fitness tests, medical examinations, psychological evaluations..."
"I know the odds."
"And you're still determined?"
"More determined because of the odds. If it were easy, everyone would do it. The difficulty is part of what makes it worth pursuing."
---
WED -- 2:15 PM -- Oriade Family Flat -- May 10th, 2006
"Your WAEC results are here!"
His mother's voice carried across the compound with the kind of excitement that stops conversations and draws curious neighbors to their windows. Elisha had been reviewing Government notes on the balcony, but he abandoned them immediately and rushed inside.
The brown envelope sat on the kitchen table like a judgment waiting to be pronounced. His mother, Uncle Femi, and even Mrs. Adebayo from downstairs had gathered to witness the moment of truth.
Elisha's hands were steadier than he'd expected as he tore open the envelope and unfolded the results sheet. Nine subjects, nine grades that would determine his eligibility for university admission.
English Language: A1
Mathematics: A1
Physics: B2
Chemistry: B3
Biology: B2
Government: A1
Geography: B2
Literature in English: B2
Economics: B3
"Eight credits!" his mother exclaimed, reading over his shoulder. "Including A1 in English and Mathematics!"
Uncle Femi whistled softly. "This boy really did it. From Willowgrove Secondary, with no extra lessons, no special tutoring..."
Mrs. Adebayo clapped her hands. "We knew he was brilliant! Eh, Elisha, your parents must be so proud!"
The celebration continued around him, but Elisha felt oddly detached from the excitement. The results were excellent—better than he'd dared hope. They exceeded the O'level requirements for the Defence Academy and put him in competition with the best students in the country.
But they were also just numbers on a piece of paper. The real test was still five days away.
----
MON -- 8:00 AM -- University of Lagos JAMB Center -- May 15th, 2006
The examination hall looked like a vision from the future: rows of computer terminals where nervous students would face their academic destiny through multiple-choice questions and digital interfaces. For many candidates, this would be their first time using a computer for anything more complex than playing games at a cyber café.
Elisha had spent the previous week practicing on borrowed computers, familiarizing himself with the mouse and keyboard operations that would be crucial during the timed examination. The mechanics were simple enough, but he'd seen brilliant students fail exams because they struggled with the technology rather than the content.
"Candidates for the 8 AM session, please take your seats according to your registration numbers!"
He found his assigned terminal and logged in using his JAMB registration number. The screen displayed a welcome message and basic instructions, then presented the first section: English Language.
Forty-five questions, sixty minutes. Reading comprehension passages about everything from agricultural policy to literary criticism, followed by questions on grammar, vocabulary, and composition. Elisha worked steadily through them, grateful for all the hours he'd spent reading newspapers and novels in the library.
Mathematics came next. Another forty-five questions that ranged from basic arithmetic to complex word problems involving probability and statistics. This was where months of self-teaching would be tested. He recognized every question type, had practiced similar problems dozens of times, but the time pressure was relentless.
Government section: Constitutional law, international relations, political theory, and current affairs. Questions about the structure of Nysarian government, the role of international organizations, and principles of democratic governance that seemed almost satirical given the country's actual political reality.
Physics concluded the examination: Mechanics, electricity, optics, and thermodynamics compressed into forty-five questions that tested both theoretical understanding and practical application. The questions were challenging but fair, covering exactly the material he'd studied.
When the computer screen displayed "Examination Complete" at 11:47 AM, Elisha felt the particular exhaustion that comes after intense mental effort. Three hours and forty-seven minutes that would determine his immediate future.
But he also felt something else: confidence. Not arrogance, but the quiet assurance that comes from thorough preparation meeting appropriate challenge. He'd answered every question, had time to review his responses, and recognized that he'd performed well within his capabilities.
----
SAT -- 4:20 PM -- Oriade Family Flat -- May 27th, 2006
"JAMB results are online!"
Kemi's voice carried through the window from the courtyard below. She'd been checking the results website hourly for three days, refreshing the page with the obsessive dedication of someone whose entire future depended on a three-digit number.
The nearest cyber café was a ten-minute walk through crowded streets filled with other students making the same pilgrimage. Elisha arrived to find a queue of anxious young people, each clutching their registration numbers and exact change for internet access.
When his turn came, he navigated to the JAMB website with hands that trembled slightly despite his efforts at calm. The results portal loaded slowly, designed by people who apparently hadn't considered that thousands of students might try to access it simultaneously.
Registration Number: [entered]
Date of Birth: [entered]
Submit Query...
The page loaded for what felt like hours but was probably thirty seconds.
JOINT ADMISSIONS AND MATRICULATION BOARD
2006 UNIFIED TERTIARY MATRICULATION EXAMINATION RESULTS
Candidate: ORIADE, ELISHA TEMIDAYO JOSEPH
Registration Number: 67845921CD
Examination Date: May 15, 2006
SCORES BY SUBJECT:
English Language: 75/100
Mathematics: 72/100
Government: 74/100
Physics: 69/100
AGGREGATE SCORE: 290/400
The numbers stared back at him from the computer screen like a verdict rendered by an impartial judge. Two hundred and ninety out of four hundred. Seventy-two and a half percent overall, with no score below sixty-nine.
It was good. Very good. The kind of score that opened doors to competitive programs at federal universities across the country.
But was it good enough for the Defence Academy?
-----
SUN -- 6:45 PM -- Oriade Family Flat -- Same Day
The celebration was more subdued than after the WAEC results, partly because the family understood that JAMB was just one hurdle among many, but mostly because none of them knew exactly how good a 290 was in the context of military academy admissions.
"The boy from three streets over scored 250 and got into Engineering at University of Lagos," Uncle Femi offered. "So 290 must be excellent."
"But the Defence Academy is different," his mother replied. "They probably take the best students from the entire country."
Elisha sat quietly, letting the conversation flow around him while he processed what the score meant. He'd achieved his goal of performing well enough to be competitive, but competitiveness and acceptance were different things entirely.
The next phase would involve submitting his application to the Academy, complete with academic transcripts, medical forms, recommendation letters, and a personal statement explaining why he wanted to serve as an officer in the Nysarian Defence Forces.
Then, if selected for the next round, would come the physical fitness tests, psychological evaluations, and interviews that would determine whether his academic achievements translated into officer potential.
290 was a good score. It was the result of months of disciplined preparation, effective studying, and perhaps a small measure of luck on examination day.
But it was also just a number. And in the end, numbers would matter less than the person behind them—his character, his commitment, his ability to convince the Academy's selection board that he possessed not just intelligence, but the integrity and leadership potential they sought in future officers.
As the Lagos evening settled around their small flat, filling with the familiar sounds of generators and televisions and distant music, Elisha allowed himself a moment of quiet satisfaction. He'd cleared another hurdle, moved one step closer to his goal.
Tomorrow would bring new challenges, new preparations, new tests of his resolve.
But tonight, for just a few hours, he could enjoy the simple pleasure of a job well done and a dream that remained within reach.