By Nehru Odeh
Though his identity still remains hazy, the news making the rounds that an 18-year-old apprentice impregnated 10 girls, including his master’s daughter and a salesgirl, in five months has already gone viral. Social media is agog with what many describe as the randy’s boy graduation from just being a mere apprentice to a master of the art of seduction.
Master of the art of seduction? Sure. How else can one explain a situation in which a young boy learning a trade has proved to the world that he is neither a learner nor a rookie, as many erroneously thought he was, but a master of the art of spinning yarns. The young lad did not just convince the girls to fall in love with him; he lured them to bed, thus putting them in the family way.
“I asked the boy the magic he uses in luring the girls to bed, but he told me he always tells them that he loves them and will like to marry them anytime he acquires wealth,” Mrs Ify Obinabo, Anambra State Commissioner of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, said while breaking the news and seeking help on how to handle a situation, which according to her is beyond her capacity.
By achieving that feat, the boy has not just elevated himself but is well on his way to having his name etched in the Guinness Book of World Records. He has also proved that he has become a master of convincing the opposite sex to do his salacious bidding by merely telling them sweet words and promises.
It also clearly shows that he must have acquired and honed those persuasive skills from reading Onitsha Market Literature, a kind of literature popular in the 1970s and which was every school boy’s most-prized possession at the time, what with the bombastic language and persuasive skills that some of its authors exhibit.
The young boy must have found some freakish titles from the stable of Onitsha Market Literature, which perhaps he had bought in some dusty and cobwebby bookstores in Upper Iweka or Head Bridge (local parlance for Bridgehead) in Onitsha.
Since the young boy hails from Anambra State, he must have found those titles not just handy but also useful. He must have dusted the covers and studied them to acquire those persuasive skills. The titles include: “How to Speak to Girls and Win their Love by Abiakam, “How to get a lady in love” by Felix N. Stephen, “How to write love letters and win girls’ love” by Chidi M. Ohaejesi.
Now that the commissioner is in spin and seeking help on how to go around it, as she wait for responses from the public, it would do her well to ask the young lad what kind of books he reads. If she finds out that the boy reads that kind of help books, that would be something to start with in the process of reorienting him. But if she finds out that he doesn’t read at all, then that is a failure of governance and leadership.
The whole drama, according to Obinabo, started when the young boy was initially sent to serve as an apprentice. However, just three months into his apprenticeship, he impregnated his master’s daughter and a salesgirl. Following the incident he was sent back to his village. To the surprise if everyone, within three months of his return, the boy allegedly impregnated eight more girls in the community.
“I want advice from the public because this one is beyond my capacity,” the commissioner stated. “This boy was sent to learn a trade at the age of 18, and only three months into the apprenticeship, he impregnated his oga’s daughter and salesgirl. He was sent packing, and two months after that, he impregnated eight other girls in the village.”
The boy’s mother, at a loss for how to handle the situation, had reportedly sought the commissioner’s help, expressing her distress over the situation. “The mother reported the matter to my office, saying anytime she sees a girl coming towards her house nowadays, her heart would jump, and that she needs help.“
The commissioner, for her part, noted that the case seemed unusual, and that prompted her to ask the public for possible solutions. She questioned whether the situation could be spiritual, given the boy’s age and the number of girls involved.
“This matter is beyond me, that’s why I want the public to help me come up with a solution,” Obinabo added.
However, the commissioner’s call for public intervention has sparked discussions on social media, with many suggesting counselling, rehabilitation, and community support for the affected families.
And as the public continue to contribute to the pool of suggestions, the commissioner should know that there is nothing spiritual or magical about the young boy’s philandering. The fault, as William Shakespeare says, is not in our stars but in ourselves that we are underlings.
It would go a long way if the commissioner could ascertain the boy’s upbringing, the kind of home he was raised, the kind of friends he keeps, the kind of books he reads and his vision, if he has at all. If he doesn’t read at all, then that means she has a lot to do
This is not an attempt to downplay or rubbish Onitsha Market Literature, its quality and relevance but this writer just finds it useful to play on the boy’s sexcapades, given his state of origin and where it happened in a bid to make a point and contribute to the pool of suggestions that has gone viral.