"Kòkúmọ́ ọmọ ọ̀dọ̀ àgbà" ( a play by Àkòfẹ́ Adéníyì).

 OTHER CHARACTERS NOT IN THE FAMILY TREE PICTURE.

ÀKÀNGBÉ: Ọlátidé's friend.

KÍKẸ́LỌMỌ : Àkàngbé's wife.

ATINÚKẸ́ : Àbẹ̀ní's friend.

OLÓRÍAWO: the king's herbalist.

FÁBÍYÌÍ , AWÓKÚNLÉ: other herbalists in the play.

JAGUN, Ẹ̀Ẹ̀KẸRIN, ALÁSÀ, Ọ̀TÚN,AJÍRỌ́BA, AMÒFIN MỌ́GÀJÍ: chiefs.

KÉBÉ:the king's messenger.

 ỌLÁWÙMÍ: Kòkúmọ́'s friend.

AJÉLABÍ:businessman.

FỌLÁKẸ́ : Ọ̀tún's wife.

WÚRÀỌLÁ: Jagun's wife.  

................................

THE PLOT

ACT 1 

SCENE 1 : Àbẹ̀ní visits her 30-year-old son, Ọlátidé, and advises him to get married and give her a grandchild. 

SCENE 2: When his friend, Àkàngbé (who is married with children at the same age), later arrives to take him to a beer parlour, he refuses. 

SCENE 3: Àkàngbé goes to the beer parlour alone and drinks so much that he misbehaves and is arrested but later released. 

ACT 2 

SCENE 1: Ọlátidé has married Adénrelé but their first son (Ọlákùlẹ́hìn) dies in infancy. 

SCENE 2: Three years later, they are yet to have another child. Ọlátidé vists Awókúnlé , who says Adénrelé will soon get pregnant. 

SCENE 3: She has a new baby, whom Àbẹ̀ní names Kòkúmọ́ (" he will not die again"). 

SCENE 4: At the modest naming ceremony, no alcohol is served so Àkàngbé goes to Ìyá Gbajúmọ̀ ( the beer parlour woman who got him arrested earlier) after eating his food.

ACT 3

SCENE 1: Kòkúmọ́ starts living with Àbẹ̀ní at 3 years of age. At 5 years of age, he starts school at Primary 2 because of his performance at the admission interview. 

SCENE 2: Five years later, he is appointed the "Senior Boy" of the school. That same day, he and his friend Ọláwùmí see a purse containing 10 000 naira on the road on their way home. Kòkúmọ́ takes the money to the police station and the owner turns out to be Olorì (= Queen) Adébísí. The king decides to sponsor his education to the university level, have him at the palace and give his parents a house. Queen Adébísí feels it is too much but the king overrules her objection. 

SCENE 3: She tells Kòkúmọ́ to wash her children's clothes with his, among other household chores, and must not report to the king. On the 6th day of his arrival, she tells him to stop wasting electricity by reading at night. He replies, " Please, Ma, it's because household chores prevented me from reading in the evening after school hours". Kábíyèsí (= "the king") overhears them and warns her against maltreating the boy. 

SCENE 4: Queen Adébísí consults a herbalist (Fábíyìí) to kill Kòkúmọ́ for outshining her children (though he teaches them at home). Fábíyìí gives her a poison to put in his food and a charm that makes whoever steps across it mad till death. After serving the children's food, the king calls Queen Adébísí (who tells the children not to eat before her return). While the other children wait, Adélékè (the crown prince) gets impatient, eats the wrong food and dies. Queen Adébísí steps across the charm while rushing back and runs mad. 

Some chiefs suspect Kòkúmọ́ until Olóríawo consults the oracle and reveals the queen's atrocities. 

ACT 4

SCENE 1: Kòkúmọ́, now a medical doctor, refuses to abort a 3-month pregnancy for Ajísafẹ́ and his girlfriend, Bọ́látitó.

 SCENE 2: The king gives his daughter Àsàkẹ́ in marriage to Kòkúmọ́ and the marriage is blessed with children.

 SCENE 3: Kòkúmọ́ assembles all the town's herbalists to cure his mother-in-law, Queen Adébísí. Only Fábíyìí is understandably able to cure her and gets the monetary reward. However, robbers ambush him, beat him up and take all the money.

 SCENE 4 : The king dies without any surviving son so Kòkúmọ́ is made the new king of Ayéwùmí.

  

          ACT 5

  

SCENE 1: Kòkúmọ́ consults with his chiefs on ways of moving the town forward. Among other things, he offers free land to any indigene who wants to build a company in the town.

SCENE 2: Ajélabí is the first indigene to come. He wants to build a cocoa-processing company and the king tells him to choose any parcel of land he likes. The land Ajélabí chooses belongs to Jagun , who insists on selling the land or getting some of the bribe he thinks Ajélabí has given the king.

SCENE 3: Jagun plots with Ọ̀tún and Alásà to get Kòkúmọ́ dethroned. He alleges that Kòkúmọ́ has collected a 10 000 naira bribe from Ajélabí and is also having an affair with Ọ̀tún's wife. Ọ̀tún and Alásà refuse to come out as witnesses. Jagun loses his chieftaincy title to Ajélabí.

¤ 

"The Incorruptible Judge " by Olu Owolabi

Mr James Adé Agbàlọ́wọ́mèrí is an Establishment Officer in a Government Department. Àjàlá Òní, a young school-leaver, discusses with his classmate, Fẹ́mi Àjànàkú, outside the office. Femi works at A.B. & Co. , where his father is a manager. Ajala is applying for the post of a third-class clerk in Mr Agbàlọ́wọ́mèrí's department. Femi waits outside while Ajala goes into the office. Mr Agbàlọ́wọ́mèrí  offers him the job but asks for a £5 bribe before he can get his employment letter. He gives Ajala a 3-day ultimatum evetn after  learning that he is poor. Femi advises him to report the matter to the police.

The following day, Ajala comes back, pays the money and gets the employment letter. He coughs as he leaves the office. Detective-Sergeant Agbonifo Okoro then enters the office and accuses Mr Agbàlọ́wọ́mèrí of bribery. The 5 marked notes are found in Mr Agbàlọ́wọ́mèrí's pocket and he is arrested after trying to (a) chew and swallow the notes (b)bribe the officer.

  After being released on bail , Mr Agbàlọ́wọ́mèrí visits his friend , Mr Eniola Durodayo (the father-in-law to Mr Justice Faderin, who will hear the case the following Wednesday). Mr Agbàlọ́wọ́mèrí claims that he didn't collect any bribe. Mr Durodayo sends for his daughter, Mama Tunji, to influence her husband with 25 guineas. She explains that her husband doesn't  take bribes. When they disbelieve her, she asks them to come and talk to him themselves.  
The judge refuses to be bribed by both his father-in-law and Chief Bọ́bamẹ̀tọ́ (who brought 50 guineas from Mr Agbàlọ́wọ́mèrí). He politely tells both men to let him do justice to the case before him. He is now sure that Mr Agbàlọ́wọ́mèrí is guilty of (and addicted to) bribery and corruption.

In court, Anthony Lawanson is the Prosecution Counsel while Dúró Arógunmátìdí is the Defence Counsel. The Jury returns a guilty verdict. Mr Agbàlọ́wọ́mèrí is sentenced to 3 years imprisonment (aside the loss of his job and retirement benefits). He really proves to be a "taker from the poor" (the English meaning of his Yoruba name) for demanding a £5 bribe from a penniless school-leaver despite earning not less than £1 000 a year (after 20 years of service). 

¤

"The Incorruptible Judge " by Olu Owolabi

Mr James Adé Agbàlọ́wọ́mèrí is an Establishment Officer in a Government Department. Àjàlá Òní, a young school-leaver, discusses with his classmate, Fẹ́mi Àjànàkú, outside the office. Femi works at A.B. & Co. , where his father is a manager. Ajala is applying for the post of a third-class clerk in Mr Agbàlọ́wọ́mèrí's department. Femi waits outside while Ajala goes into the office. Mr Agbàlọ́wọ́mèrí  offers him the job but asks for a £5 bribe before he can get his employment letter. He gives Ajala a 3-day ultimatum evetn after  learning that he is poor. Femi advises him to report the matter to the police.

The following day, Ajala comes back, pays the money and gets the employment letter. He coughs as he leaves the office. Detective-Sergeant Agbonifo Okoro then enters the office and accuses Mr Agbàlọ́wọ́mèrí of bribery. The 5 marked notes are found in Mr Agbàlọ́wọ́mèrí's pocket and he is arrested after trying to (a) chew and swallow the notes (b)bribe the officer.

  After being released on bail , Mr Agbàlọ́wọ́mèrí visits his friend , Mr Eniola Durodayo (the father-in-law to Mr Justice Faderin, who will hear the case the following Wednesday). Mr Agbàlọ́wọ́mèrí claims that he didn't collect any bribe. Mr Durodayo sends for his daughter, Mama Tunji, to influence her husband with 25 guineas. She explains that her husband doesn't  take bribes. When they disbelieve her, she asks them to come and talk to him themselves.  
The judge refuses to be bribed by both his father-in-law and Chief Bọ́bamẹ̀tọ́ (who brought 50 guineas from Mr Agbàlọ́wọ́mèrí). He politely tells both men to let him do justice to the case before him. He is now sure that Mr Agbàlọ́wọ́mèrí is guilty of (and addicted to) bribery and corruption.

In court, Anthony Lawanson is the Prosecution Counsel while Dúró Arógunmátìdí is the Defence Counsel. The Jury returns a guilty verdict. Mr Agbàlọ́wọ́mèrí is sentenced to 3 years imprisonment (aside the loss of his job and retirement benefits). He really proves to be a "taker from the poor" (the English meaning of his Yoruba name) for demanding a £5 bribe from a penniless school-leaver despite earning not less than £1 000 a year (after 20 years of service). 

¤