knowledge

His elder Sister was a teacher in the secondary school in Aba, Abia State. She was even posted new there from the private school where She started her career. It has became a trend that most teachers in Nigeria start their teaching career from private schools that litter every nook and crany of the Country.

         Another noticeable trend is how the teachers try seriously to cross over to government Institutions after five years in private sector. They garner five years experience for their CV then they start worrying about pension.

         The woman, Mrs Ojiakor was new in the School when She noticed a girl that seem to be doing all the works other girls are drawing back from. Mrs Ojiakor became interested in the girl as the girl was interested in becoming friendly with the teacher for points, for Mrs Orjiakor noticed from her observation that the girl is not all that bright. It was the girls strategem of making sure she is safe in promotional exams by simple dictum: “Be kind to the teacher, and someone will for sure remember you when it matters most”. Some refers to it as kowtowing. To the girl again, they can call her action whatever they like. One must have plans and strategy of actualizing them. Kowtowing or not, as they call hers.

         Agatha was worrying about School work, but nature has other plans for her in that place. Mrs Ojiakor has immediate younger brother that was searching for wife. It is tradition of the Biafran’s that anybody that wants to Marry, be it man or woman. both family will inquire about the character of the family they ward is seeking marriage from. If what they heard or witness is favourable, the parents will give their consent. If not, the parents will advice against such union. If both intended couple persist that they must marry each other, the parents and elders of the family will tell the person that when what they saw began to manifest, the victim must not complain. The headache is your. you must bear it in silient. 

         One Christmas, Mrs Ojiakor asked Agatha to accompany her to her village which is about one hour drive from Agatha’s village. her idea was for her younger brother to view Agatha at close range. What her brother saw impressed him and the introduction as it were,coming from the eldest daughter of the family, the family did not even care to inquire about girl’s family for Mrs Ojiakor has attested, for her behavior. The following year, marriage was contracted and both the traditional wedding and church wedding done, new brand family was added to the list of families all over the world. It is important to note that Agatha and her husband could not control themselves. The forbidden fruit they ate before church wedding was about three months and was visibly showing that the priest was forced to asked Agatha to tie coloured wrapper on top of her wedding gown to signify uncleanness. The wrapper was removed before the photo shoots after the vows.

         It was agreed by the new family after the wedding that Agatha will live with her husbands parents in city till after birth for her husband was living in a two room apartment in Abuja. It was also opportunity for her husbands family to know her better.

 On the delivery day, she went into labour around one am in the morning and her husband”s immediate younger brother was called to drive her to the hospital. She gave birth around 2:30 am to a baby boy. After about three months, she went with the new born to Abuja to join her husband. When the baby was around five months, he started manifesting babies restlessness.

The mother not having previous experience of the new born babies was at first Agitated on why the baby is disturbing. She don’t have knowledge of how to handle the situation. She believed that Mothers that attends ante-natal class in hospitals were women with nothing to occupy their time with does. after all, she argues like her Mother… where and how many antenatal classes did her Mother attended before giving birth to her and her other six siblings.

In Antenatal classes, as they were told in the church benefits both mother and baby. It assists in screening, diagnosing and managing or controlling the risk factors that might adversely affect the pregnant woman or pregnancy outcome. Even after birth, it is where the expectant mothers were taught different reasons why babies cry. Like when hungry, sleepy. Fed too much, caffeine, clothing dirty diapers, pain and colic.

        Just Like exactly the restlessness that was the first sign of colic that Agatha baby developed in the first place that made her to be agitated due to ignorance. When the baby started crying at odd hours and at nothing, she never knew that it was sign of deeper problems. She tried breast feeding to no avail, she tried feeding the baby oil food that she recently begun feeding the baby, the result was the same. When the baby rejected food for a day and was losing weight at alarming rate that made Agatha and her husband to take him to the hospital, they met one quack doctor as they were everywhere in this Country, the Doctor after doing some drama in the name of examining the baby, prescribed drugs for them and told them that it was nothing to worry about. They took the baby home and the story remains the same. The couple became afraid and started calling their family members in other cities, and reporting what was going on. Everybody was offering help left, right and centre that left the couple more confused.

         Their fear was heightened by the fact that an in-law of Agatha’s husband lost their first issue in similar circumstances a week earlier. The baby was crying non-stop and the couple being ignorant like Agatha's, don’t know how to handle the situation in the middle of the night. and when the baby died around 2am in the hands of the husband, the wife thought that the baby has stopped crying and was sleeping till around after five when she woke up and went to relieve her husband of the baby.

         It was God that intervened in Agatha’s case in form of their landlady. A middle aged woman that was observing all the events happening with the new couple and their baby. On noticing how worried and stressed out the couple were, asked Agatha whether she has started given the baby oil food, and she answered yes. She told them that it was worm that is disturbing the baby. that they should go to the pharmacy to buy babies medicine for worm. The husband rushed to the nearby pharmacy to buy worm medicine, and after administering it to the baby, the baby excreted and got up on his own marching into kitchen and started opening pots.