Sad tale of female genital mutilation

By Ikeoluwa Adebowale

If any soothsayer had told Mr. Noah Jimoh Onaolapo that his family members (Mother and Brothers) would someday become a thorn in his flesh, he would have certainly declared such messenger as a prophet of doom. But that is exactly what Noah Jimoh Onaolapo, his wife, Omolara Janet Onaolapo and three little children – Heavenly-Gold Tiwatope Onaolapo, Diamond Tiwatayo Onaolapo and King Olanrewaju Onaolapo were subjected to in the hands of his own family, no thanks to archaic tradition – female genital mutilation commonly known as  ‘Idabe’ in that part of the country. Findings revealed that the practice is still cherished and promoted by the community (Kogi and Osun State) where his father and mother, Mr and Mrs Onaolapo hail from.

As gathered, Noah’s ordeals began when he and His wife, Omolara became more vibrant in promoting the values and rights of the girl-child within Ogun State and Nigeria at large. From the findings, his position against Female Genital Mutilation, Child Marriage and Child Sexual Molestation was not compromised and he was a fearless campaigner against what different experts have described as an unhealthy practice.

Noah and his qife are the conveners of People Against Female Genital Mutilation (PA FGM), formerly known as the Child Builder Foundation. A body launched to dissuade people from the practice of anything female genital mutilation, child sexual exploitation and child marriage. The organisation took campaigns to schools, markets and other public places to create awareness about the health dangers and psychological implications that such practice would leave a girl-child with. Noah was said to have invested his time, money and other resources in ensuring that the message was taken to every nook and cranny of Ogun State and Lagos, and the team steadily did so against all odds and fierce confrontations by those who held and hold contrary views to PA FGM’s vision.

However, Noah was more perturbed that most of the attacks he faced were coming from his family members. These traducers from his family believed that Noah had betrayed the age-long tradition of FGM that the ancestral Onaolapos and maternal kindred are known for. Noah said that all efforts he made to convince them that FGM was barbaric and unhealthy proved abortive. Despite being persecuted by his relatives, Noah never regretted being a vanguard and advocate against female genital mutilation and he continued the advocacy without fear or favour.

From his hiding in Lagos, Just as he hoped to soon flee Nigeria for their safety, the distraught Noah spoke with Daily Sun Reporter where he lamented how his life and that of his wife and children were no longer safe. Despite his complaints to various authorities to wade into the matter, Noah found no respite as all the interventions further compounded his woes.

Noah disclosed to this reporter that his family members were angrier with him for standing against their firm belief and what they held sacred and had practised from time immemorial. The father of three described what he went through as spiritual and physical battles that almost consumed him and his household. He revealed that his mother, Mrs Aina, popularly known as lya Ewe was at the forefront and regarded as the major custodian of female genital mutilation in the clan. Therefore, Noah and his wife were declared enemies of the customs and traditions of the community and some sort of antagonists for refusing to put forward their two daughters for the mutilation, and also in preparation for them to be betrothed to husbands at early age being part of the tradition too.

Due to his exposure and level of education; Noah vowed not to allow his daughters to be subjected to female genital mutilation and he stood by his convictions. He said he became more aggressive in his campaign against female genital mutilation having discovered the inherent health dangers that the innocent girls would face all through their lifetime. As Noah vowed not to succumb to family pressure; his relatives swore to overwhelm him at the right time, and the battle line was drawn.

Noah narrated: “Sometime in 2016 after the birth of my first daughter on September 6, 2015, my mother came to my home in Ogun State, and informed me that she and other traditional worshipers would be coming to carry out the genital mutilation of my baby at the set time. I told her immediately that they could not do any such thing to my baby and any of my yet-to-be-born children. But she only laughed it off and told me that I was joking.

“She reminded me six months after that first discussion that my daughter must undergo the traditional knife cutting, but I maintained my earlier position that I cannot be alive and watch my daughter being violated. It was then she reminded me that the community would mock her and question why she could not carry out the act on her grandchild while exercising her traditional power over other female children in the community. All through our discussion, my mother could not clearly state the benefit of female genital mutilation and all my frantic efforts to convince her were rebuked and she insisted that I was too small to question the customs and tradition of the people that has been in existence for centuries.

“The arguments continued for months and years and she got more of the community traditional worshipers involved in persuading me but I stood my ground. In the course of that, I gave birth to my second daughter – Diamond Tiwatayo on 26 June 2018. At that point, my mother and her crew renewed their agitation and became more aggressive at that point.

“I tried hard to educate them on the stance of the World Health Organisation against female genital mutilation but all fell on deaf ears.

“I became afraid when my mother and her team started threatening to physically attack me and my wife and by extension my children if we refuse to present my two daughters for the mutilation. I thought my mother was only trying to instil fear in me so that I could have a change in my, but I was wrong as I soon discovered that our lives were no longer safe.

“On May 1, 2022, being a public holiday, information reached me from a close family member that the community led by my mother and brother (Sunday Onaolapo) had made all arrangements including hefty men to storm my home and forcefully take away my daughters to an unknown location where the mutilation would be done. Immediately I finished the telephone chat with my relative at about 4am, I woke up my wife and the children and ran out of my apartment. About one hour later, my neighbour rang my telephone line that some strange faces comprising hefty men and numbering more than 10 including old women, were in my apartment and had forcefully gained entry. It was at that point that it dawned on me that our lives were on the line. And I kept receiving telephone calls that we could only hide at the moment but we cannot run forever. It all appeared as if I was daydreaming.

In tears, Noah told this reporter: “I need to take my family members out of this country for safety. I have reported to all authorities concerned, including the King of the community where my Mother was born (His Royal Highness Oba Adebola Ajayi. The Aro of Okunran), but they seem helpless and always ask me to reconcile with my community that it was a mere family matter.”

The embittered Noah thanked the Resident Pastor of Miracle Centre Evangelica Ministry, Oluwadunsin Oluwagbenga for the series of interventions made to resolve the issue amicably, particularly to dissuade Noah’s mother and other family members from continuing with the mutilation of the two innocent children.

Noah stated that he would forever be grateful and indebted to any country that would accommodate him and his household, pledging further that he was looking forward to adopt a new home far away from Nigeria.

When asked which country he had in mind to travel to, the disgruntled Noah said he would not disclose that for security reasons. He regretted that all he had laboured for and the business it took him years to build were being sacrificed and abandoned. However, he said nothing was too big and precious to be forgone to save his head and for the safety of his family members.