The consequence of absence in ‘Not My Fault’, by Michael Olatunbosun 

In commemoration of this year’s Children’s Day, we have before us a book written for children. The book is titled: “Not My Fault,” written by Atinuke Shofela, and published in 2018 by Biblophelia.

Atinuke Shofela is a Young Advocate of the Sustainable Development Goals. Atinuke is a pioneer member of the International Young Writers Academy, and she was a finalist at the Ibadan Young Writers Summit in 2017.

In the book Not My Fault, the author introduces Adeewa to us. Adeewa is the only daughter of Mr and Mrs Olayiwola. Her father is a business man who resides in the United States of America, and her mother is a medical doctor resident in Ibadan.

One major theme of this book is that of absent parents and the consequence of poor parenting. In this book, we read that Adeewa is a lonely girl, even though her parents buy all children’s playthings like toys, books and other gadgets. Her parents are essentially focused on their jobs, and she always stays with her nanny, Mrs Adelani.

In this book, we read that at age 13, Adeewa is promoted to SS1, and is attracted to Hammed, a street hawker in the business of selling biscuits and snacks. Adeewa is swayed by the sweet mouth of Hammed, who seems to give her the attention that her parents are not able to give.

One day, Adeewa invites Hammed to their house, and she is alone in the house. Mrs Adelani, her nanny, travels out of town, and her mother has been transferred to a very big hospital in Abuja.

In an obvious lack of adult and parental intervention, Adeewa experiences her first menstrual period in the course of their conversation. Adeewa is completely ignorant of what it means. So Hammed educates her about it.

The absence of parental attention breeds strains of vulnerability in children. A lack of guidance exposes the child to all the whiles of the manipulator. So, we read that Hammed has been obtaining money from Adeewa by trick. He has started taking advantage of the continual absence of her parents and the regular travels of Mrs Adelani the nanny. 

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In this book, we read that Hammed and his friends have now started stealing things from Adeewa’s often deserted home. So we read that on one of those days when Mrs Adelani had to travel for an urgent mission, Adeewa invites Hammed to keep her company and he arrives rather late. That very night, Hammed forces himself on Adeewa. 

In the following days, Adeewa graduates from being lonely to being depressed, and finally to being suicidal. 

Her parents arrive to find her alone in the house, and in very terrible condition. She is looking frail, famished, emaciated, and unable to talk.

Adeewa’s parents are enraged by the atrocities of Hammed and Mrs Adelani, Adeewa’s nanny. They swear to deal accordingly with Hammed and Mrs Adelani. They now regret that they did not have time for Adeewa, and that they could have employed more maids and nannies for their daughter. But this is now too late. 

The deed has been done.

In the book we read that Adeewa is taken to the hospital for a test. The result indicates that she has ulcer, and she is four weeks pregnant, and that she is also showing symptoms of hepatitis!

Her life is now complicated and the whole family is now in trouble. The parents: Mr and Mrs Olayiwola, are now in a deep dilemma. 

But there is no help in sight. Only death lurks in the horizon. Adeewa’s parents can no longer endure the anguish. 

They blame God for their misfortunes and for not being good to them.

In the final analysis, the book: “Not My Fault,” vividly portrays the confusion and vulnerability that teenagers, especially girls can be exposed to if their parents and guardians are not always available to provide the moral and physical counsels they need to navigate their lives. The author successfully points us to the grave danger to which children are exposed when parents assume that buying playthings and toys alone are sufficient company for their children. 

This 18-chapter work, written in simple and understandable language, is a worthy read for young people.

. Olatunbosun can be reached via 0802-351-7565 (SMS and WhatsApp only) and miketunbosun74@gmail.com.

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