Dame Pauline Tallen must read this story

By Usman Adams

This is a pathetic story of a 64 year old retired Civil Servant of the Plateau State Government named Esther Barde nee Tardok. She now lives lonely along Miango Road around the wild Life Park. She is a native of Langtang Local Government area of Plateau State I met her in 1971 when she was in her second year at Shendam Government Secondary School when I led the students of the then Provincial Secondary School Kuru, now Government Science School Kuru for a debate between the two schools. During the course of the debate, she was introduced to me by her classmate, Grace Agbaje and the acquaintance was kept green through my Higher School Certificate course which ended in December 1971 after which we lost contacts until many years later.

An intriguing part of Esther’s story is that Esther got married to a man whom she had never met by proxy.

Her uncle whom she was staying with was a friend of her primary school head master whom introduced Esther’s would be husband to his uncle while Esther was still a primary school student.

Throughout her secondary school days at Shendam she was always referred to as ‘madam’ by her classmates and even the teachers at the time when she had not yet set her eyes on the husband.

Esther formally got married to this man three years after she had finished her secondary education at the Shendam government secondary school. She was aged 23, above the 18 year limit allowed by the child’s right act. The marriage was blessed with three children, all males.

About four years ago Esther retired from the state Civil Service after 35 years of meritorious service and I kept on asking her if she was receiving her pension regularly after her husband had died leaving her as a widow and the three children 20 years after.

I was happy when she always answered me in the affirmative and praised Governor Lalong whom she described as ‘Mr Alert’ for making the pensioners always happy by paying them regularly.

I am a great supporter of Gov. Lalong because I have a personal sentiment because my father had told me at an early age the Ankwai people of Shendam LGA and Agatu people of Benue State were kith and kin of Kwararafa Empire. Because Esther was always telling me the full story of the man and Sir Joseph Ari director General of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), my contact with her was always constant.

Then came this rude shock about two months ago, Esther called me early in the morning of that fateful day that she had just had one of her legs amputated above the knees. I remained speechless for a while I thought I had not heard her out very well as the phone went off. She later called me to reaffirm the story. Now she is left almost helpless with one leg which greatly inhibits her movement.

The story of Esther can be replicated in several homes as far as the issue of gender is concerned. This is because Esther was married to a man whom she had little knowledge of.

The Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development of which Mrs Dame Pauline Tallen is a Minister greatly frowns at a prearranged marriage at which women are lured to marry a man they have very little knowledge about. The immediate need of Esther however, is the rehabilitation to put her life together in the new situation she has found herself.

Happily, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development Dame Pauline Tallen is from Esther’s home State of Plateau and the Ministers sister Angelina Katem was also Esther’s classmate at the Shendam Secondary School a generous, kind hearted and compassionate lady, all eyes on her to come to the immediate assistance to rehabilitate this once vibrant and active lady. The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development headed by Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq should also come to the aid of this woman who has put her youthful age to the service of this nation and now needs all it takes to lift this great burden off her.

The number of visits that Esther has received since this unfortunate incident by sympathizers and well-wishers amply testifies to the fact that Esther is a good woman loved by all and this has also given her the strength to bear her set back with fortitude. It is expected that succour would soon come her way so that she can put this setback behind her.

The courage with which Esther has taken her present condition is typical of the resilience and the mental attitude of the average Plateau woman to the extent that some political watchers are saying that if Nigeria is to have a woman Vice President in the immediate future, that woman may come from Plateau State.

Finally, perhaps if Esther had had enough money to take care of her diabetes with good and appropriate food to nourish her, the situation she now finds herself may have been different. This is however not a time for lamentation but a time for all and sundry to rescue this lady from the grief associated with her present pathetic condition.

Usman Adams writes from Abuja