Until surgery, I took drugs to boost my libido; never undressed before anyone —FGM survivor

It was a gathering that had women and men; talks were ongoing about female genital mutilation, which many people wrongly assume to be female genital circumcision. She was tall, black, and beautiful, dressing in a shirt and pants.

In the group were seven women whose genitals had been mutilated when they were little. After a surgical operation to correct the complications of FGM in January, she was confident enough to tell her story.

“On my genitals is what doctors call a bartholin cyst, and since the 80’s, that has caused me to frequently have vaginal infections. When my friends have occasions that might require me to dress up in their presence, I don’t go. They may look at me and see that the ball-like growth in my genital area is very embarrassing,” recounted a 35-year-old Mrs. Ronke Adekanmbi.

Mrs. Adekanmbi, a married mother of one, from Ekiti State, had undergone a female genital cut as a baby. As a result, she experiences frequent vaginal infections, which become chronic after childbirth.

Ronke’s husband is aware that she had a genital cut before the marriage, but her in-laws were kept in the dark about it.

However, the bartholin cyst, the reason for the frequent vaginal infections, and the poor libido were challenges for her family life.

A bartholin cyst is a type of vaginal cyst. Basically, vaginal cysts range in size from the size of a pea to that of an orange. It is a fluid-filled lump on or near the vagina. It can become swollen and painful.

But it became more pronounced in Mrs Adekanmbi after she had her first baby.

According to her, “I didn’t enjoy sex like others; I was just managing myself, even though I am a married woman. I took drugs to boost my libido until I decided to speak out about the problem last November, and I had surgery done to correct the problem on February 1, 2024.

“I only had a child because I am scared because of what happened to my private part; I don’t know what will happen if I want to give birth to another child.

“Before, at different private hospitals, I was told that it could only be corrected through surgery. But I was scared to have surgery because I did not want to die.”

Mrs Adekanmbi is yet to start working on increasing her family size; rather, she has been campaigning that no other woman or girl should undergo female genital surgery, and there is help for survivors of FGM if they are identified.

“After the surgery, I have been telling other people to have the surgery and assuring them that they will be fine. And the surgical operation is free,” she added.

While Princess Olajumoke Olagbegi, the proprietress of Royal College Ibadan, is not a female genital mutilation victim, her enthusiasm is for educating people, particularly younger people, on FGM and its consequences.

Princess Olagbegi recounted growing up in the palace, where the male slaves are castrated to ensure they don’t impregnate anyone and the female slaves are mutilated to curb them from being promiscuous.

“I recalled when I was younger asking my grandmother why they don’t do this; she said it will prevent a woman who is outspoken from being promiscuous. But to me, it does not matter. A lady could be promiscuous, whether she is cut or not.

“In my school, we have students from different backgrounds, some even staying with their grandparents because the parents are not around. The grandparents might do it for them, but the majority of them don’t know about FGM and the fact that the act is wrong.”

Royal College Basorun in Ibadan was one of the schools that UNICEF’s Child Protection Specialist, Mr Dennis Onoise, and the Executive Director of Trail Blazer Initiative Nigeria, Mr Dare Olagoke-Adaramoye, visited to engender support for zero female genital mutilation.

UNICEF, in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), has spearheaded the largest global programme aimed at eliminating FGM. Recent data unveiled by UNICEF point out that FGM prevalence is highest among women aged 15–48, reaching 58 percent, while for the 0–14 age bracket, it stands at 35 percent.

Mr Onoise added that Oyo, Ekiti, and Osun states in southern Nigeria were part of UNICEF’s targets for eliminating FGM, citing Oyo state as having one of the highest prevalences of FGM in the country.

“So, our visit to Royal College Basorun is to sensitise them about FGM and why girls and women shouldn’t be mutilated. Many people don’t know what its consequences are, and we want them to be aware of the need to live a safe and happy life.

“Even survivors can find themselves in the school; for example, they can come together to talk and ask what they can do to stop other girls in their community from being cut. They can also reach out for help if they are having issues, for example, psychological issues, so that their circumcision does not become an issue for them later in life.”

Director of the Centre for Comprehensive Promotion of Reproductive Health, Professor Oladosu Ojengbede, has stated that female genital mutilation (FGM), the removal of a woman’s or girl’s clitoris, is not only unhealthy but also unnecessary if it is not carried out.

Ojengbede, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, however, urged survivors of FGM to come out for free surgical repairs, adding, “We just repaired many women, including a woman who had a cyst on the area where the clitoris was removed, which was almost the size of a lawn tennis ball.”