When one of the most famous side chics of all time – Monica Lewinsky, decided to give President Bill Clinton a blowjob and stored the evidence by preserving the semen he ejaculated on her blowse, she knew exactly what she was doing. After, viewing the confessional video of Chidinma Ojukwu, the side chic that killed Mr. Usifo Ataga, I had a feeling the murder might be premeditated, and we have not heard the final note of what really transpired. The calmness and implications of her narrative which is that she killed him out of self-defense is a narrative most lawyers can use to get her freed or given a manslaughter conviction with few years of incarceration. The more I think about this double tragedy of a dead husband and a criminalized young woman, the more our present reality in Nigeria begs for urgent attention. Unfortunately, our present religious and political leaders have no clue whatsoever about what to do. Most of them are either active participants or collaborators in the phenomenon that resulted in the death of the CEO of Super TV. Most politicians have special assistants for side chics who supply them with fresh starlets like Chidinma. Many financially independent men have a sizeable part of their income dedicated to satisfying their crave for young hot girls.

History will continue to repeat itself when we fail to learn from it. Not too long ago, there were videos of wives publicly confronting their husband’s side chics. There was a particular husband who threatened to upgrade his side chic to wife status if his wife publicly confronts his side chic and embarrass him. When I read this comment then, I realized that many Nigerian men see extramarital affairs as something close to normal behavior that their wives must accommodate. The irony of this situation is that it is becoming cultural. Many women do not expect faithfulness from their husbands. They feel men will always be men, which implies that men will always cheat. The death of Mr. Usifo will most likely not serve as a deterrent to husbands. Some men have complained that after marriage most wives become overweight and neglect their overall appearance. They also say most wives transfer their affection to their children and leave the husbands no choice but to seek comfort from side chics. Even if there is merit in these accusations from men, the side effects of having a side chic ranges from the extreme, of death as was the case of Mr. Usifo to polygamy and divorce which has been the experience of many outwardly good-looking marriages.

That an innocent looking 21-year-old can stab a full-grown man multiple times to his death is still a mystery the Nigerian police should investigate properly. But we must all know there are many Chidinma out there. And there are many Osifos who have created a demand that has created a flourishing prostitution market in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions. There are many male and female pimps on campus who are always on the lookout for wealthy clients to make their girls available to. This unregulated market is huge and ultimately the girls are the victims. The men of means like Osifo are the reason why this market exist. Often, they have beautiful wives, but they crave for new experiences that deform the reality of these girls who eventually cannot be satisfied by their husbands. This is a vicious circle that continues to debase our already debased society. All hands must be on deck. Because we are all guilty. Religious and political leaders, fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, friends and well-wishers must play their role in correcting this abnormality. We must discipline ourselves as husbands and keep ourselves as damsels if we do not want history to repeat itself.

Ata Ukuta, Editor – www.towncryyers.com