Dada Margaret Wuraola

Our house was backing a hill. We always climbed the hill to play and fetch firewood. We visited my mum’s auntie, Eye mi Idanre as we fondly called her, at Aba Oniyewu. Ha! We had a neighbor; he was a teacher and heavy drinker. He was always drunk and falling inside gutters, he would even poo or pee insider his plate, and he was always hailing himself, “emifunrami Adigegege”. Several years later, he was transferred to our town, he was still the same.

Again, my parents were transferred to Igbara Oke. Dad was posted to C.A.C Primary School while mum was posted to St Joseph’s Primary School; dad was later transferred to L.A School and Mum to C.A.C School. My younger siblings and I were in my mum’s School while sister Thessy had gone to St Louis Akure. We first lived at Mr Adegoroye’s house, I mean baba Tokunbo. We later moved to Mr Kayode’s house (Baba Gau), hunnnn! We were there when his wife died. He remarried but the arrival of the new wife altered the happy life Toyin and Funmilayo were used to. Wicked woman! I remember the day she asked them to go and blend pepper, Toyin carried it on her head and it poured on her, the woman was more concerned about the pepper than for Toyin. Funmilayo told her sister that such wouldn’t have happened if their mum had not died. The woman’s response chocked me, she said, “se eminimo pa iya yin ni”( did I murder you mother?). I was barely 10 years and older than Toyin and Funmilayo but I knew that her statement and actions were mean; I have since been praying that maa se iya awonomo mi (I will live to take care of my kids)..

“Mama Wura open this door, I say open this door” that was baba Kayode, banging the door. You wonder why my mum locked the door. She was giving me the beating of my life. That was one of the days I will never forget. My half brother, Oga Bunmi, came with us to Igbara Oke as we returned from holiday, he was to return home same day. Mum asked me to make eba for him. As I opened our pantry window, I saw my friend Dupe Kayode, I put the water on stove and off I went to Dupe’s house. We chatted and by the time I came back, my brother had eaten and left. So will you blame my mum for beating me blue black?

My maternal grandma, Madam Oyindun Igeomo Jogbodo, died late 1977, my mum, being the first child, had to stay at home, so we moved to Igbara Odo while mum was plying Igbara Oke everyday. I went to St Paul’s Primary school for two terms and wrote my Primary School leaving Certificate Exam. I remember, I always took coins from my mum’s bag to buy groundnut from the Urhobos beside the School apart from that, I used to scoop my brother’s Nan n Nutriend (milk powder) to School. Ayo Owoeye, Agbaajo Sunday, Afuye Fideli, Akinlabi Patrick, Owoeye Olu, I owe you a knock each on the head for all the troubles you gave me then. As for you Ayo Owoeye, you will pay for that name “Osunlemlere” that you gave me. Don’t mind Sisi Kobo. He was and still is a naughty boy.

Let me tell you of another day I will never forget. It was a beautiful morning in my Year one at Anglican Grammar School Igbara Oke. The assembly prefect was done with us and the Principal, Mr Adewole, was about to address us when I started hearing some noise. Our Senior Prefect, Senior Ojo Akinuliola would climb the stage and asked us to keep quiet but immediately would come into our midst and the noise would begin. Before I knew it, there was pandemonium; the school was vandalized including the principal’s quarter and vehicle. Everyone was holding leaves and tree branches. I was sore afraid, I didn’t know what was happening, didn’t know what they were saying, I was crying. To worsen the situation, I could not find any of my friends, Funke Kolawole, Dupe Kayode, Tolani Adego, Dele Atayese, Funmilola Ajiwe and Toyin Alofun of blessed memory, were nowhere to be found.

Suddenly, it occurred to me that my parent’s School, The Apostolic primary School was just across the road. I knew if I could pass through the unlawful path, get to the main road and cross it, I would be in my parent’s School safely. I was wrong. Some seniors were hiding there waiting for people like me. After beating me, they gave me tree branches and asked me to go back to school to join others. As we were singing “Coaster e gbe jade coaster”, a Policeman came into the compound on a bicycle. By the time he got to the front of the dining hall, it was too late for him to turn back. He got down from his bicycle, his cap fell down, the students picked it up, and those on the volley ball court in front of the dining hall would throw it to those on football pitch across. The Policeman will never forget that day.

That was how Mr Adewole was transferred from our School and Mr Olajide replaced him. The Coaster bus was bought to replace ‘’blue omo’’ our wooden Lorry which was our school bus until that riot. But for God, our school would have been closed down. As a result of this riot, I didn’t witness or participate in any of the riots that took place throughout my four years at University.

Some beautiful things I enjoyed growing up were, checking my dad’s finger and toe nails for whatever, combing his hair and putting parting, listening to him and mum telling us moonlight tales – Aloapagbe and aloapamo. I enjoyed visiting eye mi Oliyo, a day to our towns market day, that is during holidays, this is because I would eat otiili (a kind of beans), then on the market day, we would buy Egute (grounded roasted dried corn), sugar cane. Also, it was fun eating late Auntie Vero Adekia’s rice wrapped in green leave, always very delicious. Hun! She has nick names for her two daughters, ‘’Olojudidan’’, ‘’Aje Igbara Oke’’. Also we enjoyed visiting Lalabaye, the barber for our hair cut. He was a stammerer and very funny. The moonlight plays like ‘’bojuboju’’, ‘’mudesi’’, ‘’elewoworo’’etc. The staging of the end of the year drama at various streets/ compounds was also very interesting. Then age grade dances early in the year after the New Year’s seven days prayers. Each age grade was always in special uniform, and would either dance round the town on a chosen day or gather in front of the house of their patrones for their party. The year I partook of this dance, we wore Okunbi wrapper and ‘’alaisan n gbategun’’lace; we danced to ‘’gbara n gbakun gbaran ’gbara n gbakun gbaran gbakun gangan dididindi’’ beat (onomatopoeia, derived from the sound of drums and gongs). It was very interesting. But you know what? All of these have died off. I also enjoyed all the travelling up and down especially because I loved looking at the trees running after our lorries, so I thought then. Did you also ever felt like that as a child?

The only challenge I have with being a daughter of teachers is when I am to fill forms and they ask for Schools attended with dates. How many Primary Schools am I supposed to write?

–Dada Margaret Wuraola (B.Ed, M.Ed, MA.Ed.) lives in The Philippines with the husband, Pastor Dada John Ayedun who is a missionary.