TOMIWA
My name is Omobolanle Agbaje. I met my boyfriend when I was in the University. We loved ourselves very deeply. He was in year three in University of Lagos when I got admitted into the same school.
It happened that on my first day on campus, I was looking for my department, Home Economics, to do registration. So I looked around and saw a guy standing close to the school hall, I moved close to him and asked where the department was. I said "Please, my brother, can you direct me to the Home Economics Department?", he answered "I won't just direct you; I will also take you to the place".
While we were going, we began discussing. He told me that he was a Human Kinetics student in year three and his name was Tomiwa Aderounmu and that he was also very popular because he played for the school team, from our discussion we also discovered that we came from the same town, Ibadan. He told me the history of the University and our Faculty. From there on, we became good friends.
what surprised me to make me write this piece about my life history was that Tomiwa never wooed me. It was the very first day when I asked him to direct me to my department that we knew each other and became friends and from there we had became inseparable. Tomiwa was a kind guy that knew the real meaning of love. He was never a playboy.
In school we were always together. It was later on in my year two that I realised how popular my boyfriend was and how the University held him in high esteem. He was very brilliant and also played for the school team. In two years he won six gold medals for our school, and also a team member of the Lagos State Sports Academy.
When we were going around in the school, his name was on the lips of everybody: Tomiwa! Tomiwa! Everybody wanted to be friends with him.
It happened that a lady called Kemi Adewale really fell for my boy but he was not interested. The girl tried all avenues to get Tomiwa all to no avail. One day, as I was coming from the library in the evening, I just saw a person who passed by me and gave me a hard hit on my shoulder.
When I looked up I discovered that it was Kemi and two of her friends. As I was about to talk, Kemi started raising abuses on me that "can't you see me or are you blind?" "But you hit me first." I said. She was about to raise her hand against me when somebody coming stopped her. "What is wrong with you girls, why are you fighting?" "Is this what you come to do in school?" Asked the passerby.
"She is a husband snatcher, she is trying to get someone else's boyfriend", said one of Kemi's friends.
"But I saw you, (pointing at Kemi) you hit her first", said another passerby.
"She is too wayward for our liking; she is trying to get what is not hers". Kemi said irritatedly.
"Okay, please, let all of you go in peace. You have come to study in school not to fight over boyfriends." "Is that right?" said the first passerby.
"Okay ma," we answered.
As I was going, I heard Kemi say "we shall see". I didn't utter a word. It was from there I realised Kemi was stronger than I am. I went straight to Tomiwa's hostel. When I gave him the report of Kemi's action, Tomiwa was mad.
"Do you mean, Kemi did all that to you?"
"Yes!" I yelled.
"But is this girl mad, is it by force that I must be her boyfriend", said Tomiwa.
You could imagine how Tomiwa mobilized his friends to Kemi's hostel. They gave her the beating of her life and made sure the whole school heard how she fought over what was not hers. She became talk of the town. Kemi really regretted her action. I was happy and thanked my God for giving me the kind of man like Tomiwa.
When I looked up I discovered that it was Kemi and two of her friends. As I was about to talk, Kemi started raising abuses on me that "can't you see me or are you blind?" "But you hit me first." I said. She was about to raise her hand against me when somebody coming stopped her. "What is wrong with you girls, why are you fighting?" "Is this what you come to do in school?" Asked the passerby.
"She is a husband snatcher, she is trying to get someone else's boyfriend", said one of Kemi's friends.
"But I saw you, (pointing at Kemi) you hit her first", said another passerby.
"She is too wayward for our liking; she is trying to get what is not hers". Kemi said irritatedly.
"Okay, please, let all of you go in peace. You have come to study in school not to fight over boyfriends." "Is that right?" said the first passerby.
"Okay ma," we answered.
As I was going, I heard Kemi say "we shall see". I didn't utter a word. It was from there I realised Kemi was stronger than I am. I went straight to Tomiwa's hostel. When I gave him the report of Kemi's action, Tomiwa was mad.
"Do you mean, Kemi did all that to you?"
"Yes!" I yelled.
"But is this girl mad, is it by force that I must be her boyfriend", said Tomiwa.
You could imagine how Tomiwa mobilized his friends to Kemi's hostel. They gave her the beating of her life and made sure the whole school heard how she fought over what was not hers. She became talk of the town. Kemi really regretted her action. I was happy and thanked my God for giving me the kind of man like Tomiwa.
Tomiwa graduated and went for his youth corps service in Bauchi, a state in the northern part of Nigeria. He was sad that he would leave me behind in School, likewise myself but we had no choice than to accept our fate. It was in this dreaded service year that my Tomiwa lost his life.
In Bauchi, a day never went without Tomiwa phoning and sending me love text messages. If he sees somebody coming to Lagos from Bauchi, he would give them 'something' for me. All these love play was going on interestingly when we heard of a terrible fracas in Bauchi. I did not first know, it was Tomiwa's sister, Bimpe who informed me that they showed it on Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) that Bauchi was boiling. That they were killing corps members because they believed it was they who helped the government to co-ordinate the 2011 election and the expected party of the 'Almajiris' did not win. This news brought a halt into my life. I became very scared and thought of my boyfriend. I also did not hear from him again. Then the news! It was his friend who came home to announce his death. He said he was coming from the field where he and his friends went to play ball when one of the hoodlums who recognized them as corps members announced to others. As Tomiwa and friends ran into a police station, the hoodlums wet the station with some petrol and burnt the whole place. That none of them inside the station survived it. I did not see him or his dead body. The Bauchi government gave them a mass burial. This news tore me apart. I thought of what will become of me after the death of my Tomiwa and I pitied myself. What a cruel world.
Balogun Sade
In Bauchi, a day never went without Tomiwa phoning and sending me love text messages. If he sees somebody coming to Lagos from Bauchi, he would give them 'something' for me. All these love play was going on interestingly when we heard of a terrible fracas in Bauchi. I did not first know, it was Tomiwa's sister, Bimpe who informed me that they showed it on Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) that Bauchi was boiling. That they were killing corps members because they believed it was they who helped the government to co-ordinate the 2011 election and the expected party of the 'Almajiris' did not win. This news brought a halt into my life. I became very scared and thought of my boyfriend. I also did not hear from him again. Then the news! It was his friend who came home to announce his death. He said he was coming from the field where he and his friends went to play ball when one of the hoodlums who recognized them as corps members announced to others. As Tomiwa and friends ran into a police station, the hoodlums wet the station with some petrol and burnt the whole place. That none of them inside the station survived it. I did not see him or his dead body. The Bauchi government gave them a mass burial. This news tore me apart. I thought of what will become of me after the death of my Tomiwa and I pitied myself. What a cruel world.
Balogun Sade
