After 40 years, some doctors and dentists who had sat together in class at the University of Ife, now known as Obafemi Awolowo University,  decided to meet and celebrate. Now distinguished gentlemen and ladies, they shopped for the most conducive place to hold this special re-union occasion.

They were meticulous about it. They needed space that would enable them to sit, reflect, recall memories and laugh openly and dance and rejoice because, the good Lord has so much blessed them.

After searching through the city of Lagos, they finally settled for the foremost beach resort with an ocean, lagoon and forest. The only African themed resort in the world, with the longest pool and palmwine bar! Successful doctors and dentists need ample relaxation and good rest around nature.

Modupe Oloruninbe, a Consultant Virologist, one of the top notch medical practitioners who came for the re-union at La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, shared her experience with us.

It’s a pleasure to have this interview with you, what’s this place about and what are you doing here?

My past classmates and I, are here for a 40 years reunion get together. We graduated 40 years ago at the Obafemi Awolowo University, College of Health Sciences, we are all medical doctors and dentists. We are here to celebrate 40 years of graduation. I am a Consultant Virologist and I have my clinic here in Lagos.

Many years after, how do you feel about your erstwhile school mates?

Oh, the naughty ones are still naughty, the brainy ones are there, and they have been brainy forever and then, the gentle ones like me, are still gentle (laughs).

Forty years after, looking back, what do you recall about your mates?

First of all, I just thank God because no relationship is by accident. So in 1977 when we all left, dispersed to our different future then, we only had hope. So i thank God we are meeting again. When we met in class then, I guess we were destined to be what we all are today. I just want to thank God for the opportunity of some of us meeting up together once again. Some of us had to come from the US, some from the UK, some from outside Lagos, Southeast, North, we’ve all met up here at La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort. This long weekend has been refreshingly great.

When you saw them after these years, what came to your mind?

Well like I said, the naughty ones are still naughty, the playful ones are still playful, the gentle ones like me are still gentle and nothing has changed much. When we met on arrival here, at La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort, it was like we were back in the classroom. No hairs, no pretences, everybody just being down to earth, with whatever has made us classmates. And I am so proud of my class mates, let me just put that out there. They are all successful in their various fields with some handling mega medical projects in USA and other places.

Everyone has made good marks wherever they found themselves. And when you listen to their stories of how they got to where they are now, you can only thank God and then you can say wow! Then you appreciate them more. So that’s it.

How do you feel about those of you who live in the Diaspora?

Well, it is not as if we haven’t been mixing up sometimes. We have had other reunions all over the place. For example if you go to the UK and the ones in the UK knows you are there, it’s always a great joy to come together and make up. So this is just another version of a reunion and we love them coming back from abroad. They love having us too over there, so it’s not as if we haven’t seen each other for 40 years. We’ve been having many reunions but this one has been celebrated together in a big way.

This time around, why did you choose La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort?

I’ve been here before, in 2017. And it wasn’t quite as big as this. And that was for another class reunion, my secondary school. We had a good time. So we just decided, let’s have a look at this. My colleague Dr. Shade, came to preview this place because, this time around, we’re addressing another crowd of people, another special group of people to us. A mixed gender I mean. Male and female and we are addressing an older aged group. Definitely it’s a beach resort that is best. We tried other places and we found out that La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort has an heritage, an attraction and the all intuitive, inclusive plan makes it interesting. Makes it easy to adapt to.

So did you enjoy your stay and will you come back?

We will be back? Some of us are going to come back as individuals with their own families and everything. Some of us will say we should do this again. And one of us said can we not extend the weekend, but you know, work beckons on some of us. You know I have to work.

Thank you very much for the interview.

My pleasure.