Nicknames
I went to medical school at the Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, Nigeria many years ago. My classmates were a varied bunch of people from different places, different ethnicities, different languages and so on. Yet, the rigors of medical school made us bond for a lifetime. Even today, when many of us have not seen each other in so many years, those bonds remain.
One way we marked our kinship was to give nicknames to each other. Some of these were as simple as shortening the name and adding an ‘O’ at the end in true Northern Nigerian style. I thus became Sifo (from my first name Asif). David became Davo, Isiyaku became Skimo, Mikhail was Miko and so on. Auwal became Walo, but we had two Auwals in our class, so we differentiated by calling one Walo white (slightly lighter skin tone) and the other Walo black.
Some names were initials. We had a CCC (CC Okafor), IYV (Isah Yahyah Vatsa), MSS (Mohammed Sani Shehu) and MBD (Mohammed Bello Dikko). Some were a corruption of the actual name (Ado Zakari Kudan became AZ kudanese and Zara became Zarams). Temple was always known as Temples. Even he does not remember how the S was added to his name.
Some names were based on a certain character of the person. Prof (Emmanuel Ameh) got his name because of his immense knowledge. Iliya Jalo was always smartly dressed and his boyish good looks got him the name Oyiboyish. Goli was short so he was called Brevis and his close friend Agaba was tall, so he was called Longus (from names of muscles in the human body).
Not everyone had nicknames of course, but our bonds were just as strong. So many years later, I still remember my brothers and sisters as it were yesterday. We are scattered all over the globe and practicing medicine in different specialties, but remembering those nicknames we had for each other brings back wonderful memories.
To me these names represent an amazing fellowship that we had so many years ago that I miss dearly today. Here is a list I made as to the best of my memory;
- AKA -Alakija Salami
- Alhaj Bobo -Kabir Sabitu
- Anastomosis -Moses Audu
- Ayour -Ayo Oyewo
- AZKudanese -Ado Zakari
- Brevis -Lamar Goli
- CCC -CC Okafor
- Chi Chi -CC Ekwempu
- Computer -Ibrahim Mohammed (IM)
- Davo -David Ewaoda
- Frikkado -Farid Tahir
- Fusco -Furera Sule
- Geeno -Mohammed Yakubu
- IYV -Isah Vatsa
- Jugul -Bitrus Danboyi
- Lizzie -Elizabeth Ogboli
- Longus -Emmanuel Agaba
- MabJo -Mela Mansfield
- Mallam -Ahmed Yakubu
- MBD -Bello Dikko
- Medo -Ahmed Girei
- Miko -Mikhail Yusuf
- MSS -Sani Shehu
- Mr. T -Taiwo Irinoye
- Nash -Ibrahim Nashabaru
- Oyiboyish -Ilya Jalo
- Prof -Emmanuel Ameh
- Ralour -Tony Akpotabore
- SamP -Sam Epelle
- Sankas -Robert Sanda
- Sifo -Asif Zia
- Sikkiways -Sikiratu Kailani
- Skimo -Mohammed Isiyaku
- Temples -Amaefulla Temple
- TSW Anya -Daniel Tswanya
- Verna -Veronica Ubakanma
- Walo black -Auwal Abubakar
- Walo white -Auwal Abubakar
- Zarams -Zara Mairami
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| Faculty of Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University |
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