Meet University Graduate Who Runs Mad in Oyo Town Eleven years After Completion of NYSC

Mental health problems remain a huge stigma in Nigeria, with most people, even families of victims, choosing to ignore them, in the hope that the problems will simply go away.

The problems, however, rarely vanish, and whether an individual’s problem is severe or mild, if not treated, can result in exclusion from society, loss of work, and breakdown in relationship. 

One of our Editors, BODE DUROJAIYE,  came across a middle-aged woman, who is a University graduate, but has gone mad in the ancient town of Oyo, in Oyo State, Nigeria.

 

She was said to have been in that state of mental disorder for the past twelve years unattended to.Popularly referred to as Mary, her real name is Bose Oyeleru, who hailed from Fiditi, hipin the Afijio Local Government Area of the State.

 Slim, and dark complexioned Bose was said to have attended Fiditi Grammar School, after which she proceeded to the university, graduated and enlisted in the mandatory National Youth Service Corps [NYSC].

 She was said to have joined the Oyo State Police Command after her service year, and transferred to Atiba Divisional Command  within the ancient town of Oyo.

 Bose, according to a reliable source was redeployed to the signa section near th Divisional command, before she had the mental disorder.

 She was said to be happily married with children.

 It was learnt that the lunatic graduate was sleeping within the vicinity of the Police  signal office before she was chased away.

She later shifted base to the Government Reservation Area (GRA), at Apitipiti.

 A mechanic at Boode- Ogbomoso, Mr. Michael Agboola, also confirmed that there is no day  that Bose would not reach the vicinity of the signal section, after which she would come to the workshop.

“Before coming to our workshop, she would first get to the Signal section and later come to meet us here.  She is not violent but used.

to play and stay with us.  Sometimes, when she is a bit normal, she opens up when we asked questions, and that was how we know that she is a University graduate".

What is however amazing about Bose is that besides the fact that she speaks good English and respond intelligently to questions put before her, she also appears neat all the time, as she  goes to beauty saloon for hairdo.

Investigation further revealed that the lunatic graduate would leave her “GRA residence” everyday around five in the evening for a stream where she would bath.

 After the bath, Bose would put on new clothes, often times jeans with T-Shirt and some make –up to match, before leaving for Owode, the Central business district of the ancient town.

 She returns to her abode late in the night.

I cornered  Bose near the  Recreation Club, along the GRA , where she was  washing her dirty clothes.

 Below is the interview with the lunatic graduate:

 QUESTION:       Good day, Madam.  How are you?

Bose:  Good day gentleman, what can I do for you because I am on duty here.  Please  talk.

QUESTION:  What are you doing here? And where are you from?

Bose: I told you am a guard here and a native of this ea, I mean Oyo metropolis.  It’s a long story my brother, don’t disturb me, am
very much on duty.

QUESTION  How do you mean?

Bose: I am  educated,  and a graduate, but don’t know how I find myself in this circumstance.  But thank God, am working here.

QUESTION: You mean ……….. (Cuts in)

Bose: Sorry, do I not smell because I have not taken my bath. Do you love my environment? I know it is dirty and bushy, but am
at work, you may not like it, leave me with my plight, I don’t want to be disturbed here.

QUESTION-Are you married?

Bose; Of course, but cannot locate my two children or their father now. Am fine, any problem and why are you bothered? After-all, they are my children. What again?

QUESTION- Where do you stay?

Bose- Am sleeping at a building [GRA] over there. But wait, do you know that  these people do not allow me to sleep. They come late at night to trouble me and force me into doing it. They come with cars.

QUESTION- Force you to do what?

Bose- Don’t you know what a man and a woman do together when they meet? It is not their fault because they treat me because of my ondition. Hmmmmn. Me. A whole University.graduate.

QUESTION- Which university did you attend?

Bose-Wetin again. Please go and leave me alone. You are disturbing me on duty here.

Several efforts made to locate her family at Fiditi, a distance of about forty minutes from Oyo town were to no avail.

 However residents have expressed concern over increasing number of young people with mental disorders in the ancient town.

 Over three hundred lunatics were said to be residing in the ancient town alone.

.Investigation showed that most of these mentally disorder people, who were non-indigenes, were brought and dumped from outside the ancient town, by some well–meaning individuals after using them for money rituals.

 Some residents were said to have explored the situation by having sexual intercourse at night with female ones among the lunatics.

 Consequently, these female lunatics were abandoned without any care whatsoever after being impregnated. Few good –spirited individuals usually come to the assistance of the pregnant lunatics, by taking them to the health centres, in some cases, as well as provide for their needs to ensure safe delivery.

 Statistics revealed that In Nigeria, 28.5 percent of those attending primary health care setting in an urban area were found to have psychiatric morbidity.

  Concerns for job security and the economic survival of the household  were said to put enormous pressure on individuals that may in turn affect their mental health.

 The study also revealed that the adolescent age group was found to have higher psychiatric morbidity when compared to the adults in Oyo State.

 It underlines the effect of family structure on the mental health of the population, adding that marriage was found to be associated with mental stability in the state.

Those separated from their spouses, divorcees and widows, the study indicated had a higher mental morbidity.

 “Sticking to acceptable family structures may create mental tension in the communities. 

Aspiration to meet up to the community standards is usually a common source of mental illness, large family size and

unemployment was also found to be associated with increase in psychiatric morbidity”, statistics indicated.

 The adolescent period is a turbulent period in life when there is a transition into adulthood and self-autonomy.

 While stating that the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity is high in the state, the study stressed the need for mental health promotional services for the rural population.

 It further added, ’’basic essential needs to be provided by the government in both rural and urban areas, especially made available to
the younger generation and promotion of family planning to reduce family size, would help to reduce psychiatric morbidity, and improve quality of life in the Africa population’’.