Jambite Rush: The Ekpoma Teen

I’ve seen and attended to her in the clinic once before. She was on admission for I think typhoid fever and was being closely watched by her mum. I won’t blame the mum, her little girl is just 16 years old. The reason I remember her was her extreme fair complexion and the incredulously short shorts she was wearing.

So the next time I saw her walk into the hospital again,
I thought she had another episode of malaria.  As usual her mum was inline right behind her. And a third person, a woman about her mum’s age whom I suspected was a family friend. She was later introduced as the mother’s sister.

But the atmosphere in the consulting room seemed tense. You expect patients to lay their complaints but sometimes you get things like: “Doctor, I have malaria and typhoid, treat me”.  What I got on this occasion was: “Doctor, please I want you to conduct a pregnancy test for my daughter”.

I won’t just jump and fill a lab form, I had to hear her story.

They live in Lagos and her 16 year old daughter had just gotten admission into Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma and the mum had since observed new strange behavior whenever she comes back home, something known in student circles as the “Jambito or Jambite Rush” (first year hyper-excitement). Who didn’t get caught up in the Jambite Rush, we all did, but in different ways.

By second semester, she observed a new set of behavior - spitting, drowsiness, paleness etc. The daughter kept interrupting saying she’s fine, she’s not pregnant.

I asked both women to excuse us. I drew my chair closer, looked into her eyes and said: “I’m going to obey your mum and request for a pregnancy test, if it comes out positive, you’ll get no help from me. Now save us all the stress, tell me, ARE YOU PREGNANT or not”

Next thing I know, she burst into tears and cried…please don’t tell me dad, he’ll kill me. She had missed her period for two consecutive months and had also confirmed the pregnancy with a test strip.

I was disappointed, not because she’s pregnant after all, but because she confessed so easily. She couldn’t even stress me a little.

The mother sank into a chair when I told her. Whatever happens, the dad CANNOT know, he’ll kill all of them. “This dad must be a killer oo”. The mum’s sister was bravest, she reassured them. It had happened to her daughter too. “hmm, So it runs in the family?”. And they had gotten rid of it.

They asked if I could get rid of it. “alakoba”

I answered in the negative and wished them good luck as they left the consulting room.

I had no doubt what would happen. I’ve not seen them again.