In The Campus, I Had No Money To Chase Girls

 During my NYSC, I  was infected with syphilis, and almost spent my entire allowance to treat it.

When I noticed pus coming out of my manhood, I quickly visited a herbal doctor, who confirmed it was syphilis. He began immediate treatment and sent me to another herbal doctor, to procure a special oil, from Saudi Arabia used in treating the disease. 

The herbalist persuaded me to patronise him, and assured me of a better service, and so, I switched over to him, and he began treatment, as I abandoned the first doctor.

Some years later,I ran into  the first doctor I had consulted, and he quickly demanded for his balance, which I readily paid him, without much ado, to avoid any embarrassment.

Womanizers often boasted that if you have not suffered any STD, you are yet a novice in womanizing. When we were in the secondary school, one of our students died of gonorrhoea. I remember that guy so vividly. He was always carrying a guitar, and playing one tune, or another. His guy name was Barbarosa. People generally believed that STD are better treated traditionally. They maintain that modern medicine does not provide a total  and a  lasting cure.

After I was treated by the herbalist, I was completely healed. I  had kept all the appointments with the doctor, and had followed all his instructions.

Men are naturally polygamous in nature, and no man gets satisfied with one woman. My girlfriend would tease me about patronising harlots, but I would just be quiet. Mature ladies know that men never made do with one wife, hence the saying that one wife kills the phallus.

Except you are born-again, you cannot be disciplined. I repented in Scripture Union, and has since been responsible.

Throughout the four years I spent in the school, I never had a girlfriend. It is an expensive practice, as those who have girlfriends, spent a lot of money caring for them. Poor students avoided girlfriends. Students from Ala Igbo, minded their business, as there was no extra money to spend on girlfriends.

Some students ate once a day; 0...0...1. Others ate two times a day; 1...0...1. And others 3 times a day . I belonged to that class. Some students train themselves; I had such a roommate. He belonged to the 0...0...1 class. Life nawa. How do you keep a girlfriend when you eat once a day?

The Press Club lampooned a female student. When she and her boyfriend were enjoying themselves; she asked for more. She urged her boyfriend, "do it better... harder... more...more speed. Hit harder..." She was a medical student from Imo State. Her name is Ngozi.

But students from other states, who were given bursaries patronised the girls. There was this tall, lanky, dark-complexioned girl from Ebonyi State. She was in the department of English and Literary Studies; a 200 level student; very quiet-looking. She always carried a small bag by her side. The Press Club lampooned her. Her picture was sketched, and comments made about her deplorable lifestyle.

The Press Club nicknamed her 'federal character', and wrote that she switched from one boyfriend to another. If a student from  Delta State received his bursary, she switched over to  befriend a student from Delta State. As soon as another student from Kano State received his bursary, she switched over to befriend a student from Kano State.

When the girl saw the cartoon, she broke the glass case of the Press Club, which eventually decided to name her, Christy.

In my department, after lectures in the daytime, we attended rehearsals at night from 8.00pm-10.00pm. Each student, from first year, to final year was involved in a departmental drama production. After such rehearsals, we still returned to the class to revise our notes and do assignments, and write term papers. So, little time was left to fool around with girls.

We did three kinds of rehearsals: learning our lines; we did not cram.  We were trained and drilled in enunciation--speaking out loud. We were trained in stage movements. We had a director, a stage manager,  a props man etc. We had stage hands, who helped in moving props.

We had dress and technical rehearsals before productions.

In my third year, I was involved in the production of Dr Faustus, by Christopher Marlowe. The director of the play was Kalu Okpi, a post-graduate student in the department. That night it rained heavily, and I was in a dilemma. No student ever missed a production. I was living in Hall 6, in Malabo. 

I had no choice, so I took my costume bag and left for Duke Town campus, where the performance was taking place. We had not built a standard theatre by then.

As I left for the main campus, somebody muttered, "where this one dey go?" The main road to the campus was very long, and so, we normally used a shortcut, through the cemetery. Since it was night and raining, I avoided the cemetery, and used the tarred road, very much afraid.

At long last, I arrived safely, and by the time I had changed into my costume, it was time for me to enter the stage.

After I became born-again, I resisted the temptation of women. In one school, one lady nearly pulled me down, as a Christian, but  I overcame. I sent her a test message, saying, "you are sweet." She responded in an appropriate language, and romance started, but I was afraid to go deeper. If I was not disciplined, I would have eaten her apple.

I spent a lot of money buying her recharge cards. One day, she duped me. She was arrested by the police for one traffic offence with her brother. She called me on phone, and I quickly went and rescued them, but she was unwilling to pay me. I forgot the matter, because chasing a woman makes a man a fool.

When governor Sam Mbakwe became the governor of  old Imo State, we heaved a sigh of relief. During the students' union week of Imo State students association, governor Sam Mbakwe visited our school, and gave us bursary. I refused to tell my father and managed the money very carefully. I had to open a bank account in the town, and closed the account on graduation. We enjoyed the bursary for two years; that was in my third and final years.

It was rumoured that we  would repay the money on graduation,but up till now, nobody has mentioned that.

One day, I was sent by the school where I taught to represent my school in an NUT meeting. The venue of the NUT meeting was the same venue where Scripture Union held their fellowships. After the NUT meeting, a colleague who taught in the same school with me invited me to a Bible study programme. I willingly joined, and started attending other Scripture Union programmes. Along the line, I became born-again, and became a better person. "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation; old things are passed away, behold all things are new." (2 Corinthians 5:17).