If sadness was a thing of choice, 22-year-old Odun Emmanuel would never have chosen to be sad. Although, she looks seemingly happy, a lot is wrong with her. As young as she is, the young mother of two has experienced the hell a 50-year-old woman might not have experienced; she wallows in the pains of loneliness, rejections and dejections, on daily basis.
Just few years ago, Odun left Ibadan city to double her hustle in Lagos with her 2-year-old daughter, after she had had to forfeit her admission at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) – for lack of financial supports.
The tragedy that befell her began long ago; as a kid, she had experienced the cruelty of the world even from her immediate family members. The carelessness of her parents, she said, pushed her out of the way until she became wayward. And the result of her waywardness earned her an unwanted pregnancy, at a time she was supposed to begin her tertiary education. Pardoned for having the first unwanted pregnancy but Odun would later give birth to another child for another man. But she would not be condoned this time. What followed Odun’s second child birth was a show of rejection by her own mother. With her two little children, she was exiled and later disowned by the mother.
Deflowered by Step-Father
Odunola’s childhood was indeed overwhelmed with psychological trauma coupled with lack of good parenting. Even as a teen, she had had wide and wild sexual encounters with her step-father, who raped her, subjecting her to a life-time psychological trauma.
“My step father deflowered me when I was in JSS3; I told my mother but she never believed, she said her husband will never do such a thing,” .
“On that particular day when it began to happen, I wanted to see my mum, but when I got home, I met only my step-father. I wanted to leave immediately, but he stopped me and told me to wait for her and he used the opportunity to force himself on me. I also caught him one day trying to force himself on his own biological daughter. I said all these to my mum but still she would not believe.”
I don’t know my father
Hard as it may sound to believe, Odun’s mother never stopped to disbelieve her daughter’s story of rape; she rejected her own daughter and moved on but without her disturbing daughter. Alas! Odun’s mother disowned her and vowed never to show interest in matters relating to her daughter. Odun hasn’t heard from her mother up till this moment, since she had been exiled from home. And there has been no mother-to-daughter relationship between the duo ever since. “Last year, I called my Mum that I was coming to Ibadan to pick my things from her house but I would never forget her reply, she told me not to come that she would pack my things to the bus stop, where I could pick them,” she recalled. “My mum is in Ibadan living with my step-father, I don’t know my father, he is not dead but I don’t know him!” She however expressed her hatred for her mother who has chosen to neglect her and subject her to torture and maltreatment.
Sleeping around with men
Odunola gained admission to the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNNAB) but was stopped from going when her grandmother discovered she was 6 months pregnant; the grandmother had claimed Odunola might abort the pregnancy if she was allowed to further her schooling. “Before I gained admission, I was living at Ibadan; I actually grew up with my grandma’s elder sister. My first admission was at the Polytechnic of Ibadan, my grandma’s elder sister couldn’t sponsor my education anymore, and she wanted me to leave. On the day I left her house, I went to visit my uncle, unfortunately, on getting back to the house, I met my bags outside; they have thrown my belongings outside the house. From there, I went to stay with my uncle whose house was even closer to school, Poly Ibadan. I stayed with him until he had his health crisis and gave up the ghost,” she narrated.
She continued: “I graduated from secondary school in 2013 and got admitted at the Polytechnic of Ibadan in 2014. When I got the admission, I wanted to study biology, they gave me geology. It happened that I had to start living and sleeping with my boyfriends and working at the same time. Things weren’t moving well for me at all, so I had to drop out of school because there was no money and I was not getting support from home.
“While I was on my way home on one particular day, I met my uncle on my way, and he insisted on following me to where I was living. While on our way, I told him I was living with a guy. “When we got there, he said the place was not good for me because it was a very dusty place, which was really not good for me as an asthmatic patient. He also complained that I was getting too much freedom.
“Whenever I call my grandmother for help, she keeps telling me that the person I am staying with should pay my school fees.”
When asked about her mum paying her fees, she exclaimed: ‘My Mum? She doesn’t care!”
Two kids, many fathers
There is no gainsaying the fact that the young lady’s sex life was destabilized from childhood by her step-father. In 2013, she got pregnant, at a time she was supposed to write her WAEC examination, in Ibadan.
“I was conceived of my first baby when I was to write my WAEC in 2013, which I failed because of my condition. I gave birth in July. My first child is presently living with my Grandma. “I used my second WAEC and JAMB to apply for admission and I got pregnant again in 2016 before I gained admission at FUNNAB.”
One of the psychological consequences of Odun’s sexual abuses was finding it hard to resist sexual lures that came her way. She said that on the basis that her two kids are from two different men, among many men she had met.
Scouting, languishing in LASU
“On my first outing as a server at a Magazine lunch in Lagos, I met Adegoke Brymo – a popular Nigerian musician. We exchanged numbers and he said he admired my daughter. We had an appointment and I told him I needed a job. He invited me to LASU, saying that there was someone here looking for a worker at Saphfries. So, I came down to LASU in September, 2017. On getting there truly, I met his boss and they actually got me the job. “My daughter and I were scouting at the Base, LASU Cadet with other people because I was working with the CO with my daughter. The business was not moving because of the then ASUU strike around November, last year.
“After some time, I joined a Deeper Life church in LASU, which was even hell; I joined them and worked for them for 6 months without payments. I also was employed as a teacher at Ayepe, Prevailing Children School, after teaching; I also worked as a cleaner. I met a guy called Jerry, I opened up to him that I was having issues with accommodation. “Mr. Jerry is now a LASU graduate. He was able to transfer me and Mercy from the Base to a place called PPL to live with 4 girls, who were also LASU students. When I moved in, they were four, after few weeks, two of them left. “Things were still very tough, I had no job that could fend for me and I have a baby to feed and to raise N20 sometimes is difficult, the experience was tough and unbearable. “The initial agreement was that I would only stay there for 3 months, but I stayed more not until I was given last year December to move out of the house.”
The cry for help
With heartbreaking sobs and free
flowing tears, Odunola cried out to Nigerians for help; she said she would be
glad if his step-father who destabilized her by putting her in a life-time
trauma could be brought to book. She appealed to well-meaning Nigerians for
urgent help. And said she would not be ashamed to continue her education, if
she gets help.
Courtesy: Maryam Ileyemi, News
Digest.
