In pre-marital sex, men will waste important children including presidents in their body before getting married - Princess Adunni Adediran

 

Princess Adunni Adediran

Princess Adunni Adediran

Successful businesswoman, publisher, journalist, mother and philanthropist, Princess Adunni Adediran, in this interview with ADA DIKE, among other issues revealed that her project, ‘Appreciating and Encouraging the Virgins in Nigeria’ will hold in August this year.

Kindly introduce yourself to us.

I am Princess Adunni Adediran, a Lagosian and Nigerian.  I will be 70 years old this year. I am a retired public relations officer. The last place I worked was Cocoa Industries as a public relations officer, although before there, I worked for Associated Press Nigeria that later became Smurfit Packaging.  After I left Cocoa Industries, I started my own business, writing stories and later, I made some comedy films known ‘Family Blues’. It had 13 episodes aired on the Nigerian television Authority Channel 5.  Due to lack of sponsorship, it went off the air. I still have about 13 episodes yet to be aired. As a matter of fact, I have written over 30 fantastic interesting unpublished stories due to lack of fund.

As I was doing that something came to my mind. I started thinking of our old people in this country, but help was not coming from anywhere. So I published ‘Fragile Fit’, a magazine that was dealing with weak limbs of the elderly. Alhaji Lateef Jakande loved it and said the publication was even over due. As I was doing that, I dreamt 11 times where I organised ‘Recognising and Encouraging the virgins in Nigeria’. That is how I started the project in 2007.

Why has there not been consistency in organising the annual event to celebrate virgins?

We were doing it and I spoke to who-is-who in this country for sponsorship such Princess Erelu Dosunmu, Late Ambassador Segun Olusola, Omojola and many others. A lot of them indicated their interest to help including the Medical Director of Ekemode Maternity and Women’s Infirmary Hospital in Surulere, Lagos, Dr. Naheem-Deen Ekemode, but we did not get sponsors, except the owner of Emily Millionaire cosmetics, Joe Brown, who was giving us cosmetics. Another person, Rado was given us wrist watches to distribute to the virgins. A woman gave us money, Yemisi Pitan. The one that really touched me was the help we got from the former Arch Bishop of Lagos, Diocese, Olubumni Okogie (retd). I was glad the day he gave us money. I am glad he appreciated that we are doing something good.

In spite of the challenges we are facing in organising the annual celebration, a lot of virgins came from Enugu, Aba, Delta, Onitsha, Port Harcourt, Lagos, Kaduna, Kano and Abuja.

Unfortunately, I could not do it on annual basis due to lack of funds. I even sold my house at Radio in Ikorodu, Lagos to host and encourage virgins and later rented a flat in Surulere, Lagos. My landlord asked me to pack out of his house when I could no longer pay my rent. I had to squat for some years before God built this house (where you’re interviewing me) for me. Since 2010, no help is coming from anywhere. For years, I was walking like a living corpse because I could not continue to host the annual event for virgins. It is unfortunate.

There is attestation of the fact that to see a virgin in the modern day Nigeria is not common. How do you ascertain their virginity?

We did this correctly at first but now, I am in a dilemma. A gynaecologist, Dr. Naheem-Deen Ekemode, who has practised for more than 40 years, was doing that for us. Within a second, he will know whether someone is a virgin or not but some parents started frowning about it. At that time, we were quite sure that some of them were virgins. I have virgins even in my home. My own daughter got married as a virgin at 29. There are many virgins in this country but they are shy to come out because their wayward friends mock at them. They call them fools because they want to spoil their lives before marriage and there is nothing more interesting and good one would be proud of than keeping one’s virginity. There are a lot of gains if one’s keeps her virginity till the day of marriage. In fact, God loves it because I heard the voice several times, urging me to go and encourage virgins, unfortunately, nobody wants to encourage us but I will not stop it till my demise.

Most men complain that marrying a virgin gives them concern. To them, it is like relating with somebody who cannot satisfy them sexually. How would you want to score that?

I don’t know what men want. They are saying it because they are in doubt of the authenticity of our claim that there are still virgins. They know that if they marry a virgin, the have assurance that they are marrying somebody who has not tampered with her womb or who has not contracted sexually transmitted diseases. You cannot compare used engine with a brand new one. Men are not realistic. All these they are talking that it is difficult to get virgins is not true. It is the beginning of insanity in our girls. It is the beginning of inability to have children because of consistent abortion. Some men will use these girls, de-flower some of them and at the end of the day, they will jilt them and run after another girl.

We are in year of 21^st Century with internet associated sexual activities. How do we check that?

That is not our business. Our business is to encourage virginity, to wake up parents and tell them to make a change in life of a girl in their hands. God does not want what some ladies are doing now. It is like Sodom and Gomorrah. God will never like it that is why we can see a lot of bad things like turbulence, air crash and earthquake happening in the world. Let us stop these girls from following what is in vogue these days. Men will do it and go free, although some of them will contract virgins and won’t be able to impregnate their wife. Men too should remain virgins till they marry. In pre-marital sex, men will waste important children including presidents in their body before getting married.

How do we help these girls?

We can help by talking to them. Let them come out so that we teach them how to keep away from the prying eyes, from their uncles, cousins, teachers, lecturers and friends that are jealous of them because they are still virgins. Let them come, we will teach them how to minimise going to places where they will put something in their drink and rape them. Even as a virgin, it is not good to remain a virgin till above 30 years. When you are in your 20s, pray and ask God to give you a husband. ‘Don’t go in the late hours.

Don’t let anyone spoil your virginity’, is what parents should advise their children. I have a 21-year-old virgin living with me. She has gone to work. I always advise her to keep her virginity.

In terms of sex, who loses?

It is women. Men don’t have anything to lose except God wants to show them that they can keep themselves. They can contract disease like (HIV). There is spiritual aspect of it. You pour out children and have armed robbers as children.

Does the Lagos State Government participate in this project?

We wrote a letter to the Lagos State Government but didn’t receive a reply. But they gave us the Banquet Hall where the event took place. Financially, an important personality in the Lagos State Government gave us N250,000 in 2009.

Have you ever been challenged because of this project?

I have got a lot of embarrassing questions and comments but I am not perturbed because of the positive contribution of this project to the society is immense.

Some people sent me text messages and some of them called me and said that I am crazy. One of them said, “Why are you blocking us from enjoying the virgins God made available for us?”

What are the criteria for winning the first prize at the Face of a Virgin Contest?

I told them to wear clothes that get to their knees because I want ladies to be dressing decently. So the intellectual prowess, legs, faces and carriage are parts of the criteria. We are more interested in the beauty from inside so we want to know how intelligent they are. The winner maybe ugly provided she gets all the criteria.

How would you sustain this laudable project to ensure that it outlives you?

I want Nigerian ladies to get married as virgins and it is my earnest desire to sustain this project. But the challenge I am having is in the area of funds. If we get sponsors, we will do it in all the 36 States of the federation including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

What did you miss as a child?

I missed a lot of things. If it were not God’s intervention, I would have not been who I am today. I read journalism at late hour because I was playing without having any regards for education. I was intelligent but never bothered to further my education till late. I then registered for foreign correspondence. Youngmen Christian Association also coached me in journalism between 1968 and 1969.

Are you in collaboration NACA?

We wrote a letter to them but they did not reply. We will like to collaborate with them and we will be happy if they can sponsor this programme. This project supposed to be a collective responsibility of every Nigerian.

Where would you want this project to be in the next five years?

By the grace of God, the virgins will be able to contest with other virgins abroad.

As a mother and grandmother, what advice do you have for ladies in Nigeria?

If you are a virgin, remain until you are married. If you are not, put a stop to having sex till you get married. If you have been cheated by an opposite sex, take heart.

We want to catch them young and make sure that some sexually transmitted diseases are reduced to the barest minimum in Nigeria. They are doing it in Ghana, South Africa, Japan and so on.

I want Nigerians to come together and help curb sex before marriage to save our future.

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Since 2010, no help is coming from anywhere. For ears, I was walking like a living corpse because i could not continue to host annual event for virgins.