Sunday, April 30, 2023

"Ìyàwó alárédè" ( a play by Sunday Ẹ̀ṣọ́-Olúbọ́rọ̀dé).




Mojere is doing a Sandwich first-degree program at UNILORIN during the university holidays( while she works with her NCE at Osogbo at other times). Her friend, Fúnmi, visits her in her room and notices she looks depressed after returning earlier than expected from visiting her boyfriend, Atẹ́rẹ́. Mojere defers discussing the issue but insists on travelling to Osogbo for the weekend that very night (with Mama Segun, a fellow student), against Funmi's advice.

At the motor park, there are too many passengers for the available vehicles. Mama Segun manages to get into a vehicle but Mojere doesn't. After walking away a little, a 7-passenger private vehicle picks her up. The vehicle's occupants (the driver, the vehicle owner and Ìyá-àgbà, an elderly woman) refuse to pick any more passengers and later turn out to be kidnappers. She narrowly escapes from the bush into the expressway around Ìdọ̀fìàn in her undies only. Most motorists dodge her until Ọládélé and his friend Ọláwùmí pass by. They pick her up, drive back to Ìdọ̀fìàn to make a police report and then drop her at Osogbo.

Back at the hostel, Mojere narrates her kidnapping ordeal and the cause of her earlier depression to Funmi. A week after Atere has persuaded Mojere to abort her 2-month pregnancy, she visits him unannounced and meets 4-month-pregnant Sìk ẹ́, the woman he wants to marry, living with him. Though he was absent and Mojere waited till his arrival, the women didn't fight each other (maybe because both were in delicate states of health, one pregnant and the other recovering from an abortion). Funmi and Mojere discuss Mojere's nice Christian exes (Johnson and Ebenezer) and some nasty Muslim ones (some of whom were worse than Atere).

Mojere and Oladele start dating and she gets pregnant. When her parents discover the paternity, they (especially her father, Ayinde) fume. Oladele's parents and uncle visit Mojere's father. Even after recognising them as the relatives of the man who rescued Mojere from kidnappers, Ayinde still insists that Mojere should come back home to marry a Muslim after giving birth and handing over the child to Dele. Mojere gives birth to a son , Ibidapo, in Oladele's house. Kebijo, her mother's friend, comes to say that Ayinde is still adamant. Mojere returns home, leaving her child behind, but tells her father she will rather remain single forever in his house than marry any other man. Kolawole, Ayinde's older brother, later arrives and
preaches religious tolerance, citing the Holy Koran. Among other things, he said," Prophet Muhammad said God commands him to believe in Jesus as God's prophet sent to guide mankind... A Christian wife of a Muslim man is allowed to continue practising her religion but the children must follow their father's religion. Please allow Mojere to continue being a Muslim. My brother , please accept God's plan over Mojere's life and pray for her. My son, Rọ́pò, too wants to marry Felicia. Do we want her parents too to object?". Ayinde is won over and consents to the marriage.

Oladele's and Mojere's marriage is done in stages : letter writing between the couple's family heads, introduction, payment of bride price and bringing of traditional marriage gifts, and finally the statutory marriage at a local government secretariat. The registry official informed them that it is bigamy to marry someone else (even if it is under Native Law and Custom) while married under the Act.
During their wedding reception, a woman is caught begging with "twins" by the mother of one of the babies. The beggar explains that she rents babies for her begging business from day-care centres (who normally tell her where not to go, to avoid being seen by the real mothers). She was caught this time and taken away by the police (along with the child's mother and the mother's friends) for further investigations.

After many disappointments, Mojere too has become an "ìyàwó alárédè"(
a woman married under the Act), whose husband must not bring home another wife unless she dies or is divorced.

¤

OTHER CHARACTERS (NOT IN THE FAMILY TREE ABOVE)

FUNMI: Mojere's friend.
OLAWUMI & TUNDE: Oladele's friends.
DEREBA, DIONA , IYA AGBA : kidnappers.
KEBIJO : Mojere's mother's friend and Mojere's confidant.
MAMA SEGUN, OLUSOLA, IYABO, NIYI, ADEYEMO, DEJI, FUNNSO: other university students.
MORIRE: Muslim cleric who prayed at the reception.
ALUFAA OPEYEMI: Christian cleric who prayed at the reception.
BODUNDE: the court official who conducted the registry wedding.
FISAYO: marriage registry secretary.
IFAGBEMI : chairman at the wedding reception.
ADETUTU: chairwoman at the wedding reception.


Wednesday, April 19, 2023

Fibroid surgery and the recovery process




 In preparation for the surgery, you will be given an enema to clear your
bowels. A catheter will also be fixed into your urethra (to help you
urinate during the surgery and a few days afterwards ). Most surgeries
are
done under spinal anaesthesia (where only your abdominal region is numbed
through an injection into the epidural space via the muscles of your back)
rather than general anaesthesia (where your whole system is shut down and
you are made to breathe through a ventilator). This is because spinal
anaesthesia allows the medical team to constantly monitor your pulse and
check your consciousness by chatting you up. A patient under general
anaesthesia can easily die during surgery and never wake up without anyone
knowing, since most wake up only 12 or more hours after the surgery. It is
said that the slightest movement during the spinal injection leads to
inability to walk for life but my anaesthetist dispelled the notion and I
never had cause to move because my injection was painless.( Please
play it safe by not moving, to prevent stories that touch the heart.)
The hospital
gown will be tied to the drip stands across your chest , leaving only your
head and shoulders on one side and your lower body on the other side for
the surgery. A brush will be used to smear a cream on your bare skin from
the chest down to demobilise you , preventing you from moving your body and
interfering with the surgery. To remove the fibroids, the following layers
will be cut open : the abdominal skin, the muscle, fascia, peritoneum and
uterine wall .Throughout the surgery (and for days afterwards), you will be
taking in liquids through drips and urinating through the catheter into the
urine bag (to be emptied when full into bed pans by the nurses). Water is
life.

After the surgery, you will experience surgical pains (as the anaesthetics
wear off). The pains will be intense and continuous for the first 12 hours
and gradually ease off over the next few days. [ No woman can escape the
curse God placed on Eve. If you choose a Caesarean Section to avoid labour
pains, you will experience your own pains after the surgery. Even if you
don't have a child, you will undergo fibroid surgery and experience its
pains]. You will be told to lie on your back without lifting your head (or
get 5 days' headache) for the first 12 hours. After the first 12 hours , I
took my first sip of water and was allowed to sit up on the bed. You won't
be allowed to eat for the first 24 hours so that you won't have to defecate
and get up from the bed. But you will take in water through drips and later
orally and urinate through the catheter into the urine bag.

The second day, I was led to the bathroom in the morning ,bathed by a
nurse and allowed to
take tea and liquid pap. On the 3rd day,I walked round the premises . The
urine bag was removed, allowing me to try urinating normally through the
catheter into the toilet for a few hours before the catheter and the belly
plaster were removed. I was discharged from the hospital on the fourth day.


How should you take care of your body after you have been discharged from
the hospital? These tips will help.

1. Soak a piece of cotton wool in methylated spirit,squeeze out excess
spirit into a container for later use and use the wool to wipe clean the
surface of the surgical incision (in one direction only, not back and
forth)  about every 2 hours.
  Use a mirror to see the incision clearly during wiping . Don't
bother your caregivers with this little task; let them concentrate on
heavier tasks like fetching and carrying.

2. Don't scrub or peel away any scab (the hard covering formed on a wound
as it heals). Otherwise, you may scrub away both the scab and the healthy
skin developing under it. The scab will dry up and fall away by itself once
the skin underneath is fully developed.

3. If you accidentally break a scab and bleeding starts from that spot,
don't wipe away the blood (or more blood will ooze out). Let the blood form
a new scab over the spot.

4. Cover the incision (with nylon tied round your waist) when bathing , to
prevent soaking and opening up the incision.

5. The stitches will be removed by your doctor once the incision has been
covered by pink skin throughout its length. However, the holes left behind
by the removed stitches must be protected from water. Therefore , continue
to wipe the holes (and the incision line) with methylated spirit and
protect them from water until they heal.

6. After the holes heal (and there is no scab or hole on the incision
line), you can bathe your whole body without covering up any part. However,
wash the incision area gently with your hands and soap only. The pink skin
or ridge is too delicate for any hard sponge. 🔯* After your incision has
been fully covered with pink skin, stop wiping it with methylated
spirit ; it is unnecessary. 

7.  Keep constipation at bay by drinking a lot of water and eating fruits,
vegetables and fibre-rich foods. Stay away from junk foods and drinks.
Doing this will help prevent the development of new fibroids and also keep
a host of other diseases at bay.

8. Even after your incision has closed (with pink skin), don't lift
anything heavier than 2.5 kg (or 2.5 litres of water) or bend down with
your fingers below the knee (e.g. to pick something from the floor, wash
your legs,etc) for the first 3 months after the surgery. The inner layers
of the incision (between your skin and your womb) also need to heal. *
Don't eat or drink more than that amount (2.5 kg or litres) at a time.
Taking small meals frequently is better than burdening your body with heavy
meals or a lot of water.

9. Walking and lying on your back are safe exercises you can do (from the
moment you are allowed to take your first walk) to tone up the excess flab
in your belly after fibroid removal.

10.   After the third post-surgery month, you can bend down to wash your
feet, do the laundry and other chores but don't carry items that are too
heavy for you. 

11. . Be careful about lifting young children. Most children weigh about
3 kg at birth, 7 kg at 6 months, 10 kg at 1 year, 12 kg at 2, 15 kg at
3, 16 kg at 4, 19 kg at 5, etc. Walk and play with them but don't lift
too much weight too soon.

12  .Avoid riding on rickety roads to avoid upsetting your uterine
lining and seeing blood in the wrong time of your cycle. This lesson
will also protect you from a miscarriage when pregnant. Walk instead
or find a better route.

13. . Don't stress yourself unnecessarily. It is better to fetch 60
litres of water in 12 5-litre trips than in 6 10-litre trips or 5
12-litre trips. Don't always carry the maximum weight you have safely
carried before; it may be safe to carry that weight once or twice but
not on a regular basis. Spread apart your chores. Get help whenever
you can (even if you have to beg your worst enemy), rather than injure
yourself. NEVER COMPARE YOURSELF TO SOMEONE WHO HAS NEVER UNDERGONE
SURGERY. YOU WILL HAVE TO TAKE IT EASY THROUGHOUT LIFE.

NOTE: The above tips are based on MY experiences. Yours may be different (
based on the size and location of the fibroids, extent of the surgical
cut,etc) . Therefore, consult your surgeon for specific instructions.




______________

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Monday, April 17, 2023

Missing person: Adewale ADEBOYE

Mr Adewale ADEBOYE has been missing since May 12, 2011 (at almost 21).

HEIGHT  : 5' 10" .
LANGUAGES SPOKEN: English and Yoruba.
COMPLEXION : Chocolate.
TRIBAL MARKS: None.
LAST-KNOWN ADDRESSES: (a) Oke-Ola Line 1, Modakeke, Osun State [his residence]; (b)Alhaji Adejumo Shopping Complex, Opposite Beacon Junction, Ondo Road, Modakeke, Osun State [where he ran a barbing salon].

He was a student of the Faculty of Agriculture , Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife before he dropped out (his matriculation number being ANS/2008/002).

Anybody with useful information about his whereabouts should  please call or text  +2347055751407 , send a message to https://www.facebook.com/enaohwo.ma  , or contact the nearest police station.

May your children and other loved ones never get lost. Amen.Thanks.


"Violence" (a novel by Festus Iyayi).



The novel discusses how the rich oppress the poor and force them to pay
violence with violence. There are several cases of oppression in the novel.

Idemudia and his wife ,Adisa , live in a mud house in Benin City, Edo
State, Nigeria. They often have to go hungry and she feels he is not trying
hard enough. Idemudia has had a rough childhood with a polygamous father
who couldn't pay his school fees (making him drop out of secondary school)
and eventually chased Idemudia's mother out with all her children. He can't
find a profitable job in the city. Married 5 years earlier, he has left his
and Adisa's 3-year-old only child (Ogbodu) behind in the village for his
mother to feed.

Idemudia is wondering where to go one day when a Mercedes Benz car runs
into the gutter in front of his house. He helps the wealthy owners (Obofun
and his wife, Queen) get the car out. Queen requests for people who can
help her offload 1 500 bags of cement from 3 trailers, and Idemudia and his
friends jump at the offer. At the end of the day, he gets 5 naira.

Soon the effects of the strenuous work begin to tell on him : he becomes
very ill. There aren't enough beds at the University Hospital so they are
referred to the Ogbe Hospital. Adisa is wondering how to get food and drugs
for her husband when Obofun walks in and alleges that Idemudia has stolen
some bags of cement. After Obofun discovers the truth, he tries to have an
affair with Adisa. She refuses at first but gives in when she can't pay
Idemudia's hospital bills. Unknown to them, Queen sees them and decides to
have her own back.

Adisa later realises she needn't have sold herself ; Idemudia's friends
have contributed the money. She tells her husband that she got the money
(given her by Obofun) from her aunt, Salome (also called Yasha).

Later, Idemudia and his colleagues demand better pay from Queen. Idemudia
is chosen as their foreman. When he goes to Queen's house to negotiate with
her, she tries to bribe him with her body. (That's her usual business
style, her way of getting free supplies for her supermarket,etc from Iriso
and others. Obofun pretends not to know but sleeps with other men's wives
in revenge. Having stashed all his resources, gained from bribery and
corruption, into Queen's account, he can't afford to divorce her. Their
children too are morally corrupt; Lilian is "raped" in her parents' house
by 3 schoolboys without anyone hearing her scream. She only starts
screaming on her mother's arrival). When he refuses, she tells him about
Adisa's affair with Obofun (to hurt him).

As Idemudia returns home, he decides to kill his wife. Adisa doesn't deny
(but weeps in silence)when he confronts her with his discovery. Then he
realises that she has probably done this to pay his hospital bills ( just
as he regularly sells his blood at hospitals to feed both of them). So the
woman is forgiven and the matter forgotten.

OTHER CASES OF OPPRESSION IN THE NOVEL

1. At the Freedom Motel (owned by Obofun), delicious leftover food (which
includes meat, jollof rice, beans and dòdò) are given to pigs and dogs
while human beings like Idemudia go hungry (pages 18-20).

2. Queen and many other employers of labour are reluctant to pay their
labourers or increase their wages but are eager to increase their workload.
Dissenters are often sacked. (pages 17, 35-38, 153, 234-248, 250-251).

3. "Government concentrated on building hotels instead of hospitals in the
midst of so much disease"(page 55). Two accident victims are referred from
the University Hospital to the Ogbe Hospital (where they die the same day)
because the man who brought them there has disappeared (pages 58-59). Many
patients share beds or sleep on the floor, if they are lucky not to be
turned back from the hospital.

4. Adisa's ignorance makes her cover up feverish Idemudia (page 41),
instead of cooling his body with water and buying food with the 5 naira.
Maybe he would have recovered without having to go to the hospital to incur
a 23-naira debt.

5. Idemudia's bedmate (who is from Asaba) at Ogbe Hospital has a terrible
cough and shouts "Anuoha" after each cough (pages 59-60,76-78). Before he
dies (as an "old" man of 45!), he tells Idemudia how his wife Ifeanya was
gang-raped to death, his daughter Itetah kidnapped and his son Anuoha shot
dead, leading to his loneliness and ill health. His supposed journalist
relative, Mr Iyokoh, refuses to identify or claim his dead body or pay his
hospital bills (pages 141-148).

6. While people like Idemudia suffered in the city, village life was also
very rough. Though village people had enough food to eat (from their farms)
and lived in their own houses, farm work often aged them quickly and
shortened their life expectancies (pages 71-72, 283-284).

7. Idemudia and Adisa (at Govt Class 4 and Secondary Modern 2 respectively)
are more formally educated than Obofun and Queen (at Standard 4 and Primary
School respectively) (pages 71-72,283). Queen educated herself informally
afterwards (page 88). Yet, the latter couple are wealthier due to his
father's money (page 72) and the money he got from fraud while serving in
various Ministries (page 29).

8. Papa Jimoh (Idemudia's neighbour) is arrested for an offence committed
by his colleague, a fellow driver. He is locked up for 2 days and 3 nights
with 39 other people in a 12-by-10-feet police cell which has only a
double-decker bed. They all urinate on the floor, pass faeces into a
general bucket and take turns to sit on the bed. The company doesn't
compensate him after his innocence has been proved (pages 79-84).

 9.
One Christmas, Adisa "had bought and prepared a chicken that had died
from an illness...because there had been no money" (page 67).

10.  A play (also called "Violence") ,written by a former patient and
shown at Ogbe Hospital's 25th anniversary, shows how suffering pushes
people into crime. A 38-year-old labourer with 3 kids who gets 14
naira pay per month is charged to court for robbery with violence. So
are a schoolteacher (whose 2 former students embezzled money as
eminent personalities and were retired with full benefits) and a
jobless man (who graduated from secondary school 16 years earlier and
gets 3 naira per day when he is lucky to get menial jobs). The Defence
Counsel in the play said," acts of violence are committed when a man
is denied the opportunity of being educated, of getting a job, of
feeding himself and his family properly, of getting medical attention
cheaply, quickly and promptly. ... When such men of poor and limited
opportunities react,they are only (in a certain measure ) answering
violence with violence"(page 185). See also page 243, where violence
is defined as consisting "not of physical , brutal assault but of a
slow and gradual debasement of himself, his pride as a man". The
judgmental judge's death sentence on all the accused persons is
rendered null and void by the news of his earlier dismissal from
service for bribery and corruption.

................................MINOR CHARACTERS IN THE NOVEL................

1. MR PAPIROS CLERIDES = the thin Greek site engineer employed by
Queen against her own labourers.

2. LILIAN = one of Queen's 3 daughters.

3. ESIE = Queen's 2nd son.

4. AUNTY YASHA (SALOME) is Adisa's aunt, who is separated from her
husband (who used to beat her up after being drunk, neglected her and
her children and even borrowed money in her name). She fends for
herself and her children from the proceeds of prostitution. As a
result of her bitter experience, she often encourages Adisa to leave
Idemudia and rent a room outside like her, until she learns that he
often sells his blood to feed her (pages 46-48, 154-157,254).

5 - 10 . PATRICK , OMOIFO , BERNARD, OSARO, ANYAM, IFEANYI =
Idemudia's friends and fellow labourers. Please don't confuse IFEANYI
with IFEANYA (Anuoha's mother).

11.  RICHARD = Queen's houseboy.

12-13.  PAPA & MAMA JIMOH =  Idemudia's and Adisa's neighbours at Owode Street.

14.  ALUIYA  =  Queen's driver.

15.  IRISO = a Ministry of Agriculture official who gives Queen free
eggs, milk, fish and meat for her hotel in return for sex .

16. DALA = Iriso's friend.

17. MR ERNEST IYOKOH = a journalist mentioned by Anuoha's father as
his relative.

18. THE "OLD" MAN = Anuoha's father and Idemudia's bedmate at Ogbe Hospital.

¤

Sunday, March 13, 2022

"Ọgbọ́n Ọlọ́gbọ́n" by Kẹ́hìndé Adépégba

Àpínkẹ́, a spinster in Ìrírídọgbọ́n village, goes to Ìyá Ìrètí (a hairdresser) to make her hair. She also seeks advice on who to marry between single Fìtílà and married Adéṣeun. Ìyá Ìrètí tells her her own experience with polygamy.

Adétutù is warned by her father, Orísunwọ̀n, against marrying Àkànbí (from Àgbábú Village) because the oracle says he is likely to take a second wife. Her mother (Olúfúnkẹ́), impressed by Àkànbí's wealth, tells her to get pregnant for him to force Orísunwọ̀n to consent to the marriage. She obeys her mother and becomes Àkànbí's first wife. She bears 3 children (Adéṣẹwà , Adépéjú and Adéolú) before he marries Ọmọ́ṣọlá. One day , while their husband is away, Ọmọ́ṣọlá fights Adétutù and accuses her of being behind her 5-year childlessness. After chasing Adétutù into her room, she later admits (in a soliloquy) : (a) being naturally childless ; (b) being behind the deaths of Adéṣẹwà and Adépéjú; (c) her readiness to kill 6-year-old  Adéolú too, in order to make Adétutù ("the favourite wife") childless like her. Adétutù overhears her, quickly packs her belongings and flees with her only remaining child. On her way to her parents' house at Ìrírídọgbọ́n, night falls and she spreads a mat to sleep with her son by the roadside. When she wakes up the next day, Adéolú is nowhere to be found! When she gets to her parents'   house and tells them, they send Tàlàbí (her younger brother) to summon Àkànbí. Tàlàbí comes back to report Àkànbí's death in his sleep.

Adétutù remains single because: (a) no bachelor will want to marry a mother of 3 ; (b)she doesn't want to marry a married man and face the problems of polygamy again. Her hope of finding Adéolú makes the people around her nickname her "Ìyá Ìrètí" (= Hope's mother).

14 years later, Agbọmọlà (who inscribed Adéolú's traditional facial marks in childhood at Àgbábú village) sees him working on a farm in Onírèké village. After noticing the marks and asking for his name, Agbọmọlà asks to see his parents. His adoptive parents, Akínbámi and Ìbídùn, admit seeing him wandering about as a 6-year-old and remembering nothing else except his name, Adéolú. They follow Agbọmọlà to hand him over to his mother at her village. Adéolú takes good care of his mother and doesn't even want her to work for money but she doesn't want to be idle.

Even though nobody is contesting Àkànbí's property with her, Ọmọ́ṣọlá decides to eliminate  Adéolú. While reciting the incantations over a pot of charms, the charms boomerang on her and she runs mad. She confesses her atrocities (including killing  Àkànbí) before she is stoned to death by a crowd.

Àpínkẹ́ now decides against a polygamous marriage. Let's hope  the bachelor she marries won't marry a second wife after her. After all,  Adétutù too married a bachelor.

Monday, February 28, 2022

"Ìsújú ọ̀sanyìn" by Olú Owólabí

THE CAST

* Adéjọbí and his wife Àdùkẹ́ (Kúnlé's parents)
* Fẹ̀hìntọlá and Adébísí (Àdùkẹ́'s friends)
* Sẹ̀gilọlá : Adéjọbí's girlfriend.
* Sùnnbọ̀  : Sẹ̀gilọlá's housegirl.
* Ifádìran and Bángbádé : spiritualists.
* Kàsálí, Àdìgún and Babátúnde : Adéjọbí's friends.
* Àníkẹ́ and Jọláadé: Sẹ̀gilọlá's friends.
* Èjìrẹ́ : a businessman at the bank.
* Dòkunmú: Prosecution counsel.
* Àdìó: Defence counsel.

THE PLOT OF THE PLAY

Adéjọbí complains about his poor financial status despite being educated and working for the government for over 28 years. His wife, Àdùkẹ́, urges him to take things easy and not rush into trouble. His girlfriend, Sẹ̀gilọlá, tells him to find "ìsújú  ọ̀sanyìn" (a charm that will make them invisible while committing robbery). Only twins will be able to see and expose them.

Ifádìran is too principled to give Adéjọbí the charm so he gets it from Bangbade. Sẹ̀gilọlá's spiritualist "polishes" the charm . Adéjọbí finds 3 men (Kàsálí, Àdìgún and Babátúnde), who insist on their all swearing a blood oath to punish betrayers. Adéjọbí and Sẹ̀gilọlá try the charm at a supermarket and it works for them. When Àdùkẹ́ cautions Adéjọbí against keeping late nights, he beats her up. Sẹ̀gilọlá's friends, who are also married women, blame Àdùkẹ́ for being nosy and beg Adéjọbí to forgive her. She then decides to mind her own business.

On the D-day, Adéjọbí wears the charm on his head and goes into the bank's vault naked. The other men stand armed at the bank's entrance while he hands over the money to Sẹ̀gilọlá outside the bank. Suddenly, Èjìrẹ́(a twin) sees Adéjọbí and raises an alarm. The others now see Adéjọbí and get him arrested. The 3 armed men are also arrested after Kàsálí has shot dead the policeman at the entrance. Sẹ̀gilọlá runs home with the whole loot.

While in police custody, Kàsálí mentions Sẹ̀gilọlá's name and address. Sẹ̀gilọlá initially denies her involvement but later bribes the policemen when confronted with indisputable evidence [ (a)the bank notes found in her purse bearing the numbers on the notes stolen from the bank ; (b)Sùnnbọ̀'s testimony about Adéjọbí being Sẹ̀gilọlá's regular visitor and her going out with the 4 detained men on the date of the robbery before returning alone]. The police make Sẹ̀gilọlá the prosecution witness against the 4 men and teach her what to say in court. The men (with Adéjọbí being the only one married) are executed publicly.

Sẹ̀gilọlá does not go scotfree. She sees the four men trying to kill her in her sleep and even when awake. She is forced to confess her involvement in the robbery before her friends and Ifádìran (whose efforts to save her fail). She then faints and dies. 

Don't seek money through crooked means.

Monday, November 08, 2021

The hymen and virginity

The hymen is the piece of skin sometimes covering a female human's vagina.
It varies considerably in shape and elasticity, but is generally either
stretched or torn during the first attempt at sexual intercourse. A virgin
is someone who has never had sex. Contrary to popular belief, an intact
hymen is not a conclusive proof of a woman's virginity.

1. NOT EVERY VIRGIN HAS A HYMEN.

Some babies are born without a hymen. They were not deflowered from the
womb, were they? Of course not.

2. MOST HYMENS HAVE ONE OR MORE OPENINGS, TO ALLOW THE OUTFLOW OF MENSTRUAL
BLOOD AND VAGINAL DISCHARGE.

A hymen without any opening (i.e. an imperforate hymen) needs to be
perforated to allow menstrual flow. The various types of hymen are depicted
in the picture attached to this article.

3. NOT EVERYONE WITH AN INTACT HYMEN IS A VIRGIN.

As stated earlier, a hymen is either stretched or torn during the first
attempt at sexual intercourse. A woman in her teens or 20s usually has an
inelastic hymen that breaks easily and bleeds at penetration. Even then,
new tissue grows to fill up the hymen within 6-12 months of abstinence from
sex or any other penetrative activity, making her pass for a virgin again.
(a) If you are a woman who has just been used and dumped, abstain from sex
for the next 6 months, keeping any new suitor as a platonic friend. Then
squat, part your inner labia and check your vaginal opening with a mirror.
There is no harm in experimenting with abstinence. (Virgins should not
experiment with sex or married women starve their husbands sexually in
order to carry out this experiment). (b) If you are a man, staying away
from your wife for 6-12 months and then checking her vaginal opening can
confirm her fidelity or otherwise ONLY IF her hymen is the inelastic type.
An elastic hymen will always bounce back into place after sex and fool you.

The hymen of a woman in her 30s usually becomes very elastic, due to
exposure to higher amounts of estrogen. It (whether "follow-come" or
regrown) usually stretches (sometimes all the way to the cervix) without
breaking during sex and bounces back to the vaginal entrance afterwards.
It can allow deep penetration and let semen flow into the womb for
pregnancy to occur. Unless she or her lover learns to stretch her hymen
with her fingers (by pushing in the finger and letting it stay there for a
few minutes before slowly removing it and going to another spot on the
hymen) regularly before sex, penile penetration will be more difficult for
her each time she has sex than for a younger lady (whose hymen will quickly
break and stay that way unless she goes on a long sex fast) because the
typical guy will thrust in fast. An elastic hymen (when stretched
beforehand ) increases a man's sexual pleasure by touching his sensitive
glans throughout the sex act.

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

So there you are. Only a woman knows for sure whether she is still a virgin
or not. Don't ask her unless you are ready to believe whatever she chooses
to tell you. Her current moral values and her health status (HIV status,
genotype, blood group,etc) matter more than her virginity (which can be
lost through rape). If you are about to marry a woman you haven't slept
with, take her for a pregnancy test to prevent paternity fraud.

"Valentine's Day Mistake " by Adewale Oyewo. 

Clara and Tina are close friends at the primary and secondary schools. Clara is an extrovert while Tina is an introvert. Clara...