In a very revealing interview with City People this week,
Hon. Adijat Adeleye Oladapo, a lawmaker in the Ogun state House of Assembly,
opened up about her life, of how she got pregnant when she was in secondary
school, how the baby daddy denied the child and how she had to relocate to have
her baby only for the child to die 18 months later. In this very deep
interview, Hon. Oladapo talked about what she did to change her life. Read
below...
"While I was in secondary school, I was a brilliant
student. In my primary school I came second best student in our G2 exams but
unfortunately, I started moving with some people who were more experienced and
exposed than I was. One way or the other, I got pregnant when I was in SS1. The
person who was responsible denied it because I was young and naive. I usually
keep to myself a lot. My parents didn't know I was pregnant after four months
and the guy also didn't know until about 4 months, although he equally
impregnated about 2 other girls at the same time. He was a big boy in secondary
school, the Senior Prefect, very brilliant.
It all started by exchanging novels and textbooks. I had to
leave Akute where my parents stayed to live with my paternal grandfather in
Kajola, a small village which was hard for me to endure because the viallage
had nothing. I had my baby in December 1991. After the naming of the baby, my
family held a meeting and asked me what I wanted to do and I told them I wanted
to go back to school. My paternal grandmother was totally against it, simply because
she felt it was a waste sending a girl child to school after what I had done
but my father was ready to give me another chance which I will forever be
grateful for. I enrolled in a school not far from my house because of my baby
and I repeated my class. Unfortunately, the child died at 18months in 1993. It
was like double jeopardy for me, nothing
to show for the stigma and missing school. When he was buried, I went to his
grave and requested from God to help me because I was determined to be
successful which was like a vow. I even cursed the boy who got me pregnant
because he denied the pregnancy, that he would not be greater than me in life.
I don't know his level now but I am grateful for what I am today.
I have forgiven him. After my secondary school, I decided to
leave home to begin my journey. In 1998, I was admitted into the University of
Lagos, things were tight for me then but someone introduced me to a job which
was thrift collecting and daily contribution. I started working there and for
years, I collected daily contributions in Ketu market and some other popular
markets in Lagos state. I didn't have enough time to attend classes. I had to
trek some places so my money would be enough. It was while I was working as a
thrift collector, while coming from the office one day I stopped at my mother's
shop to take some foodstuff from her shop. I met a man there who bought most of
the foodstuffs and we started talking. That was the man I married and we have
two kids. After then, my life changed" she said
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