IMBECILITY?: One would want to add imbecility in the mix but the subject purports to be a graduate. Not much is in the public domain about her schooling but as one of the photos here show, she had served in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), which is precedent upon tertiary education in Nigeria.
It follows therefore that the recently demised Osinachi Nwachukwu (nee Nmadu) may have completed tertiary education.
Then again, if we allow that her luxuriant voice, perhaps the best in Nigeria’s song industry today, is an especial celestial endowment, but she is a songwriter and composer. People with mental challenges don’t write songs. No, let’s say that they don’t write great songs. Not the type of hit songs Osinachi has bequeathed us with.
We may therefore tick it off that Mrs Osinachi Nwachukwu, singer, songwriter, recently demised under some phoney circumstances, wasn’t mentally handicapped. At least, not deficient to the point of not being capable to run from a life threatening danger. From the foregoing, Osinachi can be said to be mentally equipped enough to understand good and evil and to flee from the latter if her life was threatened.
MISOGYNY?: Could it be that Peter Nwachukwu, husband of about 15 years to Osinachi is a misogynist. This is a dysfunctional state of mind in which a man has strong dislike for and prejudice against women. If it be true that Mr Nwachukwu virtually battered Osinachi to death as has been claimed by many relations and friends of the singer, then it would stand to reason to describe him as a woman-hater and sadist.
Late Osinachi by all measure, was beautiful and talented. Most men would be deeply honoured to have her as spouse. Most men would pamper her and treat her like the proverbial golden egg never to be set down. She was obviously the cash cow of the family and no childbirth issue has been established. Lack of child/children in a marriage could evoke such apathy in a man. Some online outlets suggest she had a net worth of about $300,000. She is such a huge asset to Peter her husband and all their extended family members. My then would Peter be a monster to Osinachi as we have been regaled through numerous accounts?
Some of the tales are so chilling and touching that they require no corroboration. Speaking with the BBC, after the death of her daughter, Madam Oriaku Nmadu said for about eight years after her in law married her daughter, he shut out the family. No calls, no visitations and worst of all, she never was invited to omugwo through the entire four births of her daughter.
In Igboland, one of the greatest joys of motherhood is to go babysit for your daughter one day when she gives birth. In Igboland, it’s almost akin to not having a female child if you never went for omugwo. If this be true, Peter Nwachukwu must be one of the most heartless of men if he denied his mother in law the privilege of coming over to babysit. And it must be too much to bear fir any woman who gave birth to four children and her mother never came for omugwo. This singular action says it all about the nature of Peter Nwankwo.
Tales abound of ostrasizing both his in laws and members of his own family from his household. The impression is given that he never allowed anyone to associate closely with his family; he managed to cage his wife and children perhaps to have them isolated from his dark world.
Osinachi’s mother and sisters reported that at a point, due to intensive abuse and maltreatment, they had to forcibly bring her back home for about eight months after which Peter came begging and took her back.
They tell tales about hubby slapping the singer in public and also going away with the car and leaving her stranded after church service and functions; there are stories of how she was deprived of the use of cars she owned and phones. Osinachi’s children are reportedly on tape telling Paullen Tallen, Nigeria’s Women Affairs Minister, how their father tormented their late mother. Fellow gospel singer, Frank Edwards was first to speak, accusing Osinachi’s husband of eventually vanquishing her just as they had feared. He promised to tell the world all he knew sometime.
MASOCHISM?: The horrible tales of abuse, humiliation and indignity the star singer was reported to have suffered trigger another conjecture of a possible case of masochism. This is the perverse psychological condition whereby sexual or other gratification is derived only through inflicting severe torture and pain on self or with the help of another. Like homosexuality and lesbianism, it’s a severe form of depravity which requires extended counselling and psychotherapy to heal. If truly Osinachi’s husband had caused her dead through physical abuse, why would any wife endure such prolonged sadistic treatment from a husband if they weren’t practicing masochism? Was so much pain she allegedly endured mere sado-masochism?
Why would she not confide in anyone even up to the point of death? As reported, why would she always go on her knee to plead with people not to expose her husband? It’s rather extraordinary and beyond human capacity for anyone to silently bear so much punishment with nary a protest. From all indications, she could have easily confided in her pastor, sought refuge in his household and also gotten help for her husband to heal and repair through spiritual counselling and management by the Dunamis Church where he is a pastor? This was one sure way to help her pastor husband if all she wanted was to pray him out of his condition.There couldn’t be no better way than calling in the General Overseer whom he reports to. She was never reported to have called in the church to help her and her husband. So were they victims of sexual depravity of sort? Could there be a hint of masochism inherent in the relationship? Was it the case of a pain she enjoyed?
MARTYRDOM?: Finally, was the beautiful and highly talented singer billed for martyrdom? Was she a citizen of the kingdom? Was she a spirit-being sent to earth to help campaign and end domestic abuse against women? Some people who spoke about Osinachi described her as a true apostle and minister of God who truly believed she could pray her husband out of his seeming perverse state. If this be true, it suggests that Osinachi achieved martyrdom by chosing to die instead of reneging on her matrimonial vows. For better for worse she pledged at the altar and so shall it be, even unto death.
But we do not know. We may never know. Investigations are on, autopsies are being scrutinised, hopefully, we may have some trail to lead us to the root of the Peter- Osinachi saga.
One thing we are sure of is that Africa is rife with wife abuse and domestic violence. Cases, especially unreported ones are legion. Many men in Africa are still conditioned to make slaves of their wives and the women in there lives. Wealthy Africans are practically worshipped and they do nigh whatever they wish with women. Many would take as many women as they desire without regard to religious vows or traditional norms. Hardly are men challenged by the society where they are deemed to be able to afford their ‘woman-nicing’! Conversely, a lot of women too don’t seem to mind being even number seven, or sex toys, or mistresses, or concubines. Many are treated shabby under this milieu and they don’t care.
In other words, domestic violence against women is sometimes self-induced by the womenfolk, sometimes due to poor social standing, crave for material things, poor self-esteem and even psychological depravity.
But is our late songbird a saint or a villain? We shall find out when the time is ripe.
- STEVE OSUJI/18.04.22