FEGHAWEI MUST LIVE: The Unending True Love Story of Ebimobowei and Tarelayefa
By Prince Agbedeyi O.D. | Edited by Seigha Dora Ayedi
Published in Egbema Egberi Media International
They say love is sweet, but when it starts inside a fishing canoe, under a mango tree, or behind a WAEC timetable — it comes with pepper, crayfish, and sometimes, pregnancy.
This is the true story of Ebimobowei and Tarelayefa, two young lovers from the tranquil but spiritually alert town of Ofunama. It all began one hot afternoon in 1995, during Ebimobowei's final year in secondary school. His brain was focused on Mathematics and Economics, but his heart was deeply distracted by Tarelayefa — the girl who could fry garri and fry his sense of reasoning at the same time.
Ebimobowei had dreams: to pass WAEC, enter university, and become the next big thing after Fela and 2Pac. But as fate would have it, a single thunderclap of romance led to an unexpected rainfall—Tarelayefa got pregnant.
The Panic and the “Concoction Olympics”
That pregnancy shook both families like an earthquake from the River Nun. Ebimobowei’s parents shouted, “How can you disgrace us before promotion?” while Tarelayefa’s mother cried so much she nearly joined the choir of angels prematurely.
Then came the secret mission: Operation Abort Destiny.
Ebimobowei, a science student, began researching local “remedies.” Coconut water in the morning, watermelon in the afternoon, orange juice at night, and bitter kola to pepper the child out of existence. One night, they even tried bathing in the rain while singing Psalm 23 backward. Nothing worked.
Born to Live
When Feghawei was finally born, Ebimobowei held him and whispered, “You na correct stubborn pickin, but na you be my first fruit.” And just like that, he named him Feghawei, meaning He Who Must Live, because clearly, he was not a mistake — he was prophecy.
Ebimobowei went on to ace his WAEC, and a few months later, he gained admission into the university. As for Tarelayefa, education wasn’t in her cards. She was raising Feghawei while the world spun fast around her. There were nights she cried. There were days she smiled, watching Feghawei crawl and giggle like his father. But deep down, she was unsure if love could survive semester breaks and long-distance heartbreaks.
Even Ebimobowei, in the heart of the university, couldn’t promise the moon. He was a realist. He loved her — but he had no money, no job, and no clue if love could pay house rent in the future.
So, life took its course.
The Twist of Fate
Tarelayefa got married. Ebimobowei graduated. They moved on — or so they thought.
But Feghawei grew. And the day he wore his convocation gown, Ebimobowei stood in the crowd pretending to be just a “family friend,” but his heart beat like generator with low diesel.
“No be like. I am your father. Ask your mama.”
Feghawei the Game-Changer
Feghawei didn’t just stop at convocation. He went on to study medicine and later migrated to Canada as a practicing medical doctor. He didn’t forget his roots. He didn’t forget the hands that fed him pap under a leaking zinc roof.
Ebimobowei, now older but unmarried, had never settled with anyone else. And Tarelayefa, after years of struggling in a troubled marriage, had finally walked away from her abusive husband.
With grace, forgiveness, and a son now taller than both of them, they stood at the town square and said what they couldn’t say 25 years ago.
“I still love you,” said Ebimobowei.“Na me still dey here,” said Tarelayefa.
And with that, love returned, older and wiser — and the three lived happily after.
A Toast to Feghawei
Today, whenever Ebimobowei sees Feghawei, now a doctor, working smart, speaking fluent English with Warri seasoning, he lifts his eyes and thanks Teme-Owei — the Almighty — for refusing to grant his youthful, foolish prayer.
“Had I succeeded in aborting him,” he tells his friends,“I for don abort my destiny!”
Moral of the Story:
When life throws you a pregnancy during WAEC, don’t panic — just name the child Feghawei and buy more coconut water (for hydration only!)
💔 A Final Note on Abortion:
Too many destinies have been flushed away in fear. While every situation is different, abortion should never be the first solution to shame or hardship. Sometimes, that “mistake” is the very child who will build a future, heal a nation, or bring two broken people back together. Choose life. Always seek counsel. And remember: destiny must live.
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