21-MINUTE MARRIAGE...
Census enumerator reveals deal with mad man during March 2006
headcount
From TUNDE RAHEEM, Akure
Thursday, May 4, 2006
Mariam Jadesola Okikiola, a 23-year-old and one of the enumerators
in the last national census has recalled how she entered into
21 minutes "marriage contract" with a lunatic before
the latter agreed to be enumerated.
Mariam, a Part Three student of Federal College of Education
(Special), Oyo State, said that other enumerators, apparently
entertaining fear, avoided the lunatic, who was known to be
violent.
She stressed that when they got to the uncompleted building
along Oda Road, in Akure where the lunatic resided, she called
out to the mad man.
According to her, the man came out and demanded to know her
business in his domain. She replied that her mission was to
give him food and water
"At this stage I threw a big bread to him and after receiving
the bread, he asked me whether there was anything to give
him again. I said, yes. I gave him sachet water. He wanted
to throw the water at me, but he relaxed again. After giving
him biscuit, he said, ‘thank you."
The enumerator further said that when the lunatic was eating
the bread, she started moving closer to him and began asking
him questions, like what is your name, why are you here. She
stressed that he did not answer her questions, but after two
minutes, he said, "if you want me to answer your question,
you have to marry me."
Mariam said she wanted to run away so that the lunatic would
not pounce on her, “but I summoned courage again and
I said, I will marry you."
The enumerator stated that the moment the mad man heard that
she would marry him, he gave his name as Igbayilola, adding
that the building he was staying belonged to him and that
he was a trained mechanic.
According to her, the man could not say his age and was even
asking her what she meant by age.
Mariam, while giving the graphic account of what transpired
in the 21 minutes she spent with her "husband" said
“I was watchful and sensitive as the mad man was moving
toward my direction, I was moving back too, while my colleagues
were watching the unfolding scenario from long distance and
signaled to me to be brief with him."
At the end of the discussion with the lunatic, the enumerator
said she was able to get enough information.
According to her, a mild drama ensued when the man started
running after her when she was going. He was calling ‘Tayo
don’t leave me, please stay with me.’
Mariam explained that she could not run fast so that the mad
man would not chase after her. "As he was shouting ‘Tayo,
Tayo,’ I was answering him and was walking, telling
him to wait, that I was going to buy him more bread and biscuit,
that was how he stayed," she said.
Mariam said when the drama was going on, her colleagues ran
away urging her to run too. |
