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In Ibadan, Juju Eyes romances Booksellers

Booksellers Limited, Ibadan, Oyo State, was the venue. The venue of the first location that hosted Sam Omatseye’s newest book, Juju Eyes. The public reading of the book by Omatseye was captivating for Dr. Kolade Mosuro, owner of Booksellers, was delighted to welcome guests from all over. It was an appropriate romantic moment between the enticing Juju Eyes of Shay and the irresistible aura of books that ushered all into the bowel of Booksellers. Edozie Udeze was there.

That the city of Ibadan is the pace setter in terms of knowledge and civilization is never in doubt. There is a place at Jericho in Ibadan called Booksellers Limited. It is located on Magazine Road along Challenge -Jericho axis, two places where the heaviest and largest companies and establishments have been present in Ibadan from time past. Inside the Booksellers sprawling compartments are books. Books on all subjects and themes in the world adorn the stores and the shelves and all corners.

And the owner of the business Dr. Kolade Mosuro knows nothing but the business of books. He smells books; he procures books from all corners of the world to market and sell. It gives him joy and satisfaction when he sees lovers and seekers of knowledge trooping in from time to time to buy books. It was so on Saturday, May 17th. This time the Booksellers headquarters was the venue of the public reading of Sam Omatseye’s new book, Juju Eyes. For three hours or so, the excitement inside the hall was pitch high. Mosuro was in his best element, ever more gregarious, excited and joyous to welcome the author, this exceptional storyteller.

Part of what happens to a new book is that the public gets to know more about it particularly when it is hot and fresh And the reading by Omatseye and some students of Government College Ibadan, Queens School Ibadan and Lead City College Ibadan truly added an accelerated stimulation to the outing. Through them the books spoke to the inner minds of people present. As usual, Omatseye, Chairman of the editorial board of The Nation, an artist like no other, beamed with joy. The glow of the afternoon and the number of quality audience that came to get acquainted with the Juju Eyes of Shay Ekanem, the major character of the book synchronized with the eagerness to find out from the author reasons why he embarked on this type of story. It is a story that situates Nigeria and some other climes in the model way of corruption, exposing all elements of evil that bestride a society.

All these are only embedded in the story, stigmatizing and addressing Shay as the conveyor of everything good, everything bad and all that is ugly. The story ripples with issues of bad struggling over good and evil trying to become born again. It is like an anathema, some kind of incurable situation. Mosuro first fired the salvo. He said Omatseye sits atop the editorial board of The Nation Newspapers where the editorial content of the paper controls and directs the conscience and soul of the nation. “You can now see why and how the author brought that sort of quintessential ideology to bear on the quality and style he exhibited in this book”

All eyes then turned to Omatseye known for his easy but crafty way of distilling stories into poetic nuances. The hall therefore waited expectantly as the students began to read some portions. Soon after, Mosuro teased the audience with the author’s note and the background that triggered the story. A student read the prologue. The prologue states why the story took the shape it is today. Shay, a girl of four years could overpower and destroy a deity, a goddess and then created a confounding confusion that even the author could not fathom or resolve. It is only a woman with an impeccable inner and outer beauty, aura and power like Oluseyi Ekanem aka Shay who is capable of such panorama. The deity now needs a companion, but Shay is like a bone hung on the neck of a dog. The bone cannot fall and the dog cannot eat the bone. A woman made so impenetrable by unseen forces bigger than those of the deity, the goddess and the priestesses, all put together, make Shay a problematic, confusing and all powerful lady.

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It is a confounding tale rendered to symbolize a society on the brink, a society filled with too many confusing elements propelled by evil demons, wickedness in high and low places. Expertly told, the story is more than a fiction and the characters also juxtapose all the issues of wanton leadership overtime. As the student read she said, “suddenly the four year old yelled. And Maami ran to her daughter. She was still holding the heart, but she pointed the mother’s eyes to something else. (Then) a fire started. Maami held her daughter and they started to run. Before they had run a mile, they looked back and the forest was on fire”.

Now imagine a little baby girl of four disgracing a bigger witchcraft by setting her forest on fire and escaping pronto. But as the creator of this enigmatic scene, Omatseye has not been able to resolve the whereabouts of the heart or whose own it was. That is part of the intrigue and dilemma and magic of the creative ingenuity and enterprise for which Omatseye and most iconoclastic storytellers are known all over the world But the magic of the heart of a goddess in the hands of a four year old baby far astounds the worst mystery of the creative fiction. And with this confusion and more, Shay became a gifted she-goat, an avowed whore, a woman who decided to torment men at will. She chose to tear down all their wall of resistance. She held in her hands all the men who dared to date her.

The forces behind her, the eagerness with which she destroys men with chronic beauty as her arsenal, Shay has suddenly become an epitome of a rudderless and ruthless society. The story runs from stage to stage, climaxing into immorality and other evils being the centerpiece of it all. For the beauty of a woman can fall the greatest of men, more so when the lady is that ready to unleash her powers and venom on willing men who dare to come her way. The second reading was basically titled A New Phase which is the chapter three of the book. Interestingly, the student read with profusion, proper elocution and phonetical accuracy. They held the audience spellbound with their power of presentation. They made the sweetness of the story sink into the minds of the people. Guests were intrigued. The art of story reading is a craft in itself and students have mastered that early. The joy of the afternoon was more in the choice of the chapters that were read. Foundational chapters, Shay is seen in the University of Calabar as she is propelled to contest for Miss campus. It was her entry and overall win that catapulted her into the realm of the society where she acquired more pride and indeed reinvigorated her prowess to seek to challenge her victims with her aromatic and deadly aura. In a local parlance her type is synonymous with “if you follow Shay, you will enter your grave quick quick”.

The student intoned, “after she won Miss Unical, many admirers including society reporters thought otherwise. They described her as natural on stage. The social media waited for her next exploits. They recommended her for the Miss Nigeria contest. She had become not just a campus belle, or a regional vision. She was a beauty as export. Shay took a while to come to terms with her new status because she was dazed by this fresh flurry of sunshine”.

Chapter seven was also read by one other student. Themed Aboniki, the chapter sensationalizes the role of this powerful balm in the lives of many old people. This is the ointment that Maami, Shay’s mother had almost turned to her second nature. The aroma of Aboniki makes her daughter always want to buy more and more to quench her arthritis. “At quieter times, when the Aboniki gel was not melting in Sheens all over her body, she sipped warm water or slurped pain killer. Her best peace was after she has swallowed her sleeping pills and lapsed into the silence of the night”. This chapter describes Shay’s relationship with her mother, a woman she was not too proud to present to her friends. Yet she never failed to provide her with aboniki to kill the pains of old age.

The author himself read a portion of bornfire, chapter sixteen, a scene he said took place in Ibadan. There you encounter one of the craziest things politicians do to keep their power intact. In actual fact, bundles of naira were burnt in order to secure political future for Osa, someone looking for power. Chief Lambe is a political god father, a political power maker. He decides who goes for what position, as long as you come to terms with his conditions. “He looked with horror when a stove was lit and the flames burst in its blue terror from an oven. The oven was queer. She had not seen its type before. The kilm was like a baking oven, but it had blue flames sticking out like a tongue. It also had its face cover … She was dazed when the first bundle of a million naira was thrust into the tongue of the blue devil and it was devoured”.

When it was time for a conversation with Michael Olatunbosun of Splash FM, Ibadan, as a clever and robust writer, Omatseye parried some questions. He was keen about some; some of the conversations hinged on sensitive issues. Nonetheless, Omatseye was equal to the occasion. He never told us exactly who Chief Lambe was, this chronic money burner. He said it was not Adedibu when prodded nor any other well known political figure. However, the man truly existed and what he did was replicated in reality.

Omatseye accepted that while he wrote the story man y other dimensions crept into it.” Yes, it is an opportunity to delve into some issues that bother our nation. The story is the story of Nigeria, all aspects of its everyday life, what the people do and what the leaders also do. Shay is the complication called Nigeria. She is good now, next moment the evil in her takes over. She is not totally in control of herself and her behavior. Therefore she is a vessel through which a society is revealed via this story Juju Eyes “. The audience kept hammering him with questions bothering on how much information he has about the inner workings of government, How Uncle ID deflowered Shay and why such issues happen in Nigeria everyday and no one takes responsibility. The questions showed that people are at home with the content of the book. It was clear those who read still read and even read with clear minds and perceptions. The book harps on religion, on leadership, on miracles, fake and real -a whole gamut of a pretentious society.

Professor Femi Osofisan sat all through with glimmers of smiles on his face. Someone came from the Nigerian Copyright Commission, also from News Agency of Nigeria. Some broadcasters from within and around Oyo State. When it was time to sign autograph, it was obvious that about 80% of those who attended purchased the book. If you wish to see the Juju Eyes in the eyes of most runs girls on how such people operate with reckless abandon, then read the book to know and appreciate. The evening ended well with the Booksellers bubbling with more customers coming from all over to purchase more books, Juju Eyes Inclusive.

On the trip with Omatseye to Ibadan and other places for the purpose of Juju Eyes were two of his blossom pals – Victor and Samuel. Their presence added glamour and influence to the outing. The books were in their custody. It was in their care to handle and dispense judiciously. The moment of the days of the reading and conversations with the author and the book offered them time to make the books available promptly and in good earnest.

May 25, 2025
Nigeria’s many struggles in Omatseye’s Juju Eyes
In this thought-provoking romantic novel, acclaimed journalist, social commentator, and poet, Sam Omatseye ventures into fiction, weaving a complex narrative that links human foibles to the intricacies of society.

With the enchanting title, Juju Eyes, the story follows the protagonist, Shay from her idyllic childhood in a remote village, where she was to be bonded as a life-companion to an ancestral deity, to her ascension as a sought-after belle and famous radio broadcaster, haunted by the memory of unpleasant events that happened in her days of innocence. Through this richly allusive narrative, infused with biblical and classical references, satire, and metaphors, Omotseye crafts a powerful allegory for Nigeria’s struggles with corruption, exploitation and duplicitous leadership.

Events in this contemporary literary fiction published by SUNSHOT Associates (2025) are structured into 51 chapters with subtitles such as Uncle ID, Ese, Area Boys, Osa’s Gambit, Bonfire, Francis and Twins, Madam Lola’s Fear, Esther Weds, Mista Naija Meets Maami, The White Gorilla, Drooling Lips, Lucy Powers, and General Bean as well as 352 pages of lucid prose, woven around the protagonist whose love story unfolds to reflect the vanities of pretentious living.

Juju Eyes has a transnational and cosmopolitan setting as it traverses multiple locations, including various cities in Nigeria-Lagos, Abuja, Calabar, Port Harcourt, and Enugu, showcasing the country’s diverse cultural and geographical landscapes. The setting expands to encapsulate international destinations in the UK, the US, and France, highlighting the protagonist’s broad experiences and the global connections that shape her life. The transnational setting allows the author to explore themes of identity, culture, love, racism, violence, and power dynamics in local and global contexts.

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The plot of the novel revolves around the multifaceted, complex, and fairytale-like protagonist, Shay who embodies the spirit of Nigeria, with various characters representing forces that seek to exploit her beauty, potential, and resources. It unfolds to unveil thought-provoking themes and complex characterizations, inviting the reader to reflect on the intersections of personal and national identity. As an allegory for Nigeria, Shay’s experiences serve as a metaphor for the country’s struggles with exploitation, corruption, and insecurity.

Right from the Author’s Note, Omatseye hints at the metaphoric representation, saying: “I saw my pen running into more historical, political and cultural interstices, involving how my character, Shay, is not a story of a society lady, or what some call a femme fatale but a creature of history. She is also Nigeria-potentially rich, beautiful but tortured…,” (p. iii). The author further describes the character as a guise of beauty, intelligence, faith and the mystical. Conversely, the protagonist is portrayed as a seductive queen bereft of the ability to love any man deep enough, an unrivalled beauty, who aside from winning a campus pageant (Miss Unical), is often mistaken for Miss Nigeria. Shay’s (born Oluseye) famed beauty, charisma and powers are attributes of the regal village goddess, Okumo whose shrine she had innocuously burnt when she was taken there as a toddler to be initiated as the deity’s companion in accordance with an age-long tradition. To escape the villager’s wrath, Oluseyi is taken to Lagos where she grows through her teen years with the paternal uncle, ID.

The novel is a social commentary on topical issues and the idiosyncrasies of high society men and women who conceal their real identities, preferring to live fake lives. Allegorical and socially conscious themes, combined with complex character dynamics, make for a thought-provoking read that invites reflections as the narrative critiques societal challenges such as corruption, sexual and economic exploitation, and the disconnection between public facades and private truths while unveiling the heroine’s relationships with multiple men, friends, and family members as indicative of intricate human connections.

Shay and her mother, Maami believe that the deity haunts and manipulates the temptress, confining her to an illusory and unfulfilling love life. The protagonist’s experiences are presented through the third person point of view, coupled with diverse narrative techniques such as flashback, suspense, inversion, and metaphoric representations. As the heroine navigates the world of facades and deception, the novel sheds light on the disparity between public and private truths, raising important questions about identity, power, and diverse human conditions. Through the characters of Chief Lambe, Chief Awotobi, Madam Lola, and other unscrupulous participants, the author satirically mirrors the political, religious, cultural practices, and the power games, that bedevil Nigeria.

Juju Eyes contains an insightful “Author’s Note” that provides tips into its historical, socio-political, and spiritual dimensions: “During the Covid-19 months, I read a story on social media of a Nigerian young woman whose marriage to a man in the United Kingdom unraveled. She disappointed her lover by claiming to be who she was not, including her education, parents, etc. She was reportedly beautiful, smart with a lot of something common in Nigerian men and women who got by through a guise.”

The subject matter encompasses a wide range of issues corruption, insecurity, neocolonialism, and exploitation of power. As a socio-political commentary, the narrative critiques leadership, shedding light on the failures of leadership and the consequences of unchecked power. By exploring these subject matters, Omatseye unveils the complexities and challenges of contemporary Nigerian society, making the novel a significant seminal material. From the opening paragraph of Chapter One subtitled, “Uncle ID”, Omatseye masterfully captures the essence of Shay’s nightmarish life and the void within her ostentatious lifestyle: “At night in Osa’s apartment, Shay screamed out in her sleep. She had had a nightmare. An unknown man, naked from the waist down, had pursued her into an uncompleted building near a meat shop…” (p. 1).

The author explores several dominant thematic concerns, including insecurity and violence as instantiated in the kidnapping of the expatriate, Mista Naija, subsequent negations on ransom demands, and his eventual release from the dungeons of kidnappers in the creeks of Niger Delta. Myths about ritual killings of infants and albinos highlight the pervasive sense of insecurity and the breakdown of social order in the country as portrayed through the ignoble roles of politicians who embezzle public funds, indulge in extramarital affairs, and resort to ritual killings to consolidate power. Critiquing the abuse of power and corrupting influence of authority, this thrilling novel, “Juju Eyes” unravels as a metaphor for Nigeria, a country endowed with enormous resources, but bedeviled with capricious characters in guise.

Even those in a genuine quest unwittingly inflict injuries on her as entailed in Bimbo’s remarks, “God will be with you, Auntie…your beauty is a trap for men and for you” (p.247). Ironically, the following passage reveals that Bimbo too needs such prayers: “Bimbo had the beauty of a village belle…What was more captivating was what Shay saw as her vulnerable air, her naivety. She looked too trusting, and so easily, she could fall into the nest of crafty men.”   The author masterfully weaves in allusions to the bible as in the following expressions, “We should pray against the sort of storm of the sea that followed after Jesus gave the people a miracle of bread and fishes” (p.202), “

Among other traits, the characterization in Juju Eyes unveils nuanced human experiences and relationships that show that individuals can be multifaceted, with contradictions and flaws. The protagonist’s character adds depth to the narrative, inviting the reader to consider the intricacies of human relationships and personal growth. Omatseye presents subversive stereotypes that challenge traditional expectations of women’s roles and relationships. The protagonist is portrayed as complex and multifaceted character with complicated relationships, involving multiple men, complex family dynamics-two mothers, an incestuous, but generous uncle, and friends of divergent character traits. With her multiple identities and complex relationships, the heroine defies simplistic categorization, but she instead of being portrayed as a “loose character”, she exhibits positive traits, endearing her to many younger girls such as Bimbo to whom she is both a mentor and role model.

As instantiated in the excerpts, “Those with a militant sense of history replaced her head with that of the nationalist princess Margaret Ekpo of the Aba Women’s Riot, Funmilayo Ransom Kuti of the Abeokuta variety” (p.216), “We should not forget Captain Philip who was behind the Benin Massacre of 1897” (p.261) and “They said Mista Naija was Mr. Philip, and the man who presided over the killings of coal miners in Enugu in 1949 was also a Mr. Philip,” Juju Eyes is characterized with a fusion of fiction and fact. This is intriguingly unraveled through the protagonist’s marriage to a British oil mogul, Nigel Philip aka Mista Naija, who turns out to be the grandson of the infamous mastermind of the 1949 Iva Valley massacre.

Besides copious references to historic events of the colonial era, the novel is laced with remarkable doses of allusion to legendary writers like William Shakespeare and W. H. Auden, music legends like Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and contemporary artists such as Davido and Burma Boy as revealed in the following excerpts: “Remember what Shakespeare said, ‘There is no art to find the mind’s construction in the face’, (p. 185), “If equal affection cannot be// Let the more loving one be me//” (p.204), “…the special songs rendered by Burma Boy, the rave of an enthralled generation” (p. 199), and “Nigel cruised from one Fela song to another like one driving switching gear in a car…they both chanted, Water, lightie, foodoo, housie…” (p.184).

Mista Naija, a symbolic character for British imperialists, is passionately hated by many for the sins of his ancestor, his wealth from Nigeria’s crude oil, and marriage to the beauty queen, Shay. Neither his philanthropic gestures nor his fascinating adaptation to Nigeria’s food culture and values could correct the prejudiced perception against the Briton who “scoops lumps of pounded yam and dips them into the slimy okro soup with its sundry spices…” (p.184). After reading some blog posts and hate speeches on the social media, he reminisces on the inexplicable hostility, saying, “Just like they don’t want me to feed and be content with fufu and egusi soup, some say I chose the most beautiful girl in the world right before their eyes…” (p. 275).

The language is relatively simple and characterized by an informal, but conversational tone, incorporating elements of vernacular, pidgin and Nigerian English that reflect everyday conversations as instantiated in this excerpt from a dialogue between Mista Naija and Shay: I heard a friend’s steward call his girlfriend, a girl from the neighbourhood that name (Juju Eyes) on the phone. I asked him why he used that name for a human being. He said, “Na because I dey worship am. When I look her eye, my problem vanish.” That is how I feel when I look at you at times…You are my juju. I am your juju priest. You say a lot to me through your eyes without knowing it. They are the shrine of my affection.” (p.206). Conversational features gleaned from enacted interactive situations in church, business, political meetings and other social functions include gossip, chants, dialogues, folkloric songs, and media chats that resonate with readers.

The linguistic features reflect influences of digital and social media, internet culture, a blend of contemporary and eclectic elements that add depth to the narrative, making it accessible and relatable to a wide range of readers.
- Lagos-based journalist, Chukwuma Ajakah, is a researcher in the Department of English, Faculty of Arts, Lagos State University, Ojo.
May 21, 2025
JuJu Eyes goes to Ife

Sam Omatseye‘s latest literary offering, JuJu Eyes, will appear at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife, Osun State. Date is Tuesday May 20.On that day, Omatseye, chairman of the editorial board of The Nation newspapers will read some portions of the book. Venue is auditorium 2 of the faculty of Arts

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According to a statement by the HOD of English, Omatseye, an almunus of the university will use the opportunity to regal the gathering on the exigencies of JuJu Eyes, a literary tale like no other.

The audience will include lecturers, students and all lovers of story telling on campus.

May 18, 2025
Juju Eyes for the downfall of many

Title: Juju Eyes

Author: Sam Omatseye

Reviewer: Edozie Udeze

This tale, Juju Eyes, is in all facets and facts the typical story of a runs girl, a high-class professional whore. But it is also the story of Nigeria, more so a young lady, beautiful to the hilts who set out to wallow and prowl in the euphoric impulse of a society. It is a society peopled by fraudsters and Oluseyi Ekanem now code-named Shay cleverly keyed into it to spill and strut a life of lies and tricks and all sorts of dubious mannerisms and nuances. The author actually uses the tale about Shay to explore and describe and indeed mirror into the society that is riddled with all manner of characters, who come ready to swindle, squabble and hoodwink the world. Shay is only a vessel through which this tale is told and embellished. And it is told in a way that there is hardly any aspect of this frosty and fake society that is not included in the story.

Shay is an embodiment of the perilous times where the beautiful live as a prey and a predator, where lies have taken over the place of decency. What else can one say when Sam Omatseye, this ubiquitous author of this encyclopedic tale impugns the person of Shay as, “She did not come from this land, which, for lack of proper translation, meant Shay did not belong to this earth as we knew it. On some afternoons she looked so fair skinned, she became spectral, an “albino”. Sometimes, she was set to devour-a sleek, charming canine. At other times she looks so meek, all the children wanted to be like her, just like Jesus wanted little children to come unto me. At such moments her beauty contrasted with what Mista Naija would later call Juju Eyes. At times she was thin, spindly.

On some nights like a gala event on a month ago, the same legs shone like the flame of an ethereal polish…at other times too she was a clipped goddess…” (pg. 48). The truth of this fantastic tale by one of Nigeria’s greatest and most prolific story tellers is that Shay is expertly used to explore the larger Nigerian society. A goddess of beauty in the real sense of the word, Shay comes fully prepared to expose and exploit the many inanities of the kingdom of evil and the not so evil, in Nigeria. The author does not spare the big and the small-dubious leaders, people in high places who are indeed the primary attention of this tale.

Using Shay who is born Oluseyi Ekanem to an Efik father and Yoruba mother the author delves into more complicated and profound ways the society is run and run dubiously by criminals in human clothing. It is run by those whose intentions have not been too luxuriant or hopeful for the common goals of the people. So, chancing in on this, Shay surreptitiously decides to be a whore, a whore that is bigger than all whores. She preys on them, both rich and old. She is like a hawk who knows how to catch her preys. She operates with no draw backs or regrets. Her conscience is often deadpanned and she reaches out to those ready to do her biddings. She also often has her libido handy for the highest bidder. Often enough her libido is determined and controlled by her immediate need for it.

Here is a lady who was first deflowered by her uncle, Uncle ID. From then onwards the monstrous urge and the penchant to have men, to deploy her beauty and charm and infectious aura with the juju eyes in tow, she enwraps and destroys men and their destinies. Here again Shay symbolizes all the runs girls and their wayward life and all their activities in highbrow areas like Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja and so on. At Lekki in Lagos, her type abounds. They live exclusively on their bodies and the bodies and pockets of men they reach out to.

Shay is not your everyday type of lover girl. She pretends to love but it is short lived. Y0u can’t make her your pet either. Her aim is to seek, find and devour men along with their wealth and powers and connections. In making the story carry on with the weight of a tale that is all engrossing, Omatseye subtitles the chapters. The purpose is to be deliberate in which it provides enough rooms to involve all the numerous escapades of a ravenous young woman given to an insatiable gusto of all sorts. From the moment when she was born, Shay even as young as four years old had chosen to be an absurdity. She was meant to be a priestess of a goddess. But her powers overwhelmed that of the goddess and this made her a bigger disaster. That disastrous outing immediately helped to set her on a part of societal perdition.

Shay is therefore both a witchcraft and a priestess who destroys all the powers of witches. She is indeed on a mission to implore her juju eyes at random. Her juju eyes are wired by the goddess and other evil forces of her kingdom essentially to achieve her aims on earth. And so, she lived a stupendous life, lugubriously so that the well to do in the society are attracted to her easily. In this case it is both wealthy men and sometimes the well to do women in the society. Her pride remains in her propensity to be rapacious, self-centered and tricky in all her dealings with both genders. She only goes where her bread is buttered and her road is paved.

With her crown as the most beautiful girl at the University of Calabar and later at the NYSC orientation camp, Shay chooses on time to parasite on politicians and their allies and co-travelers. Her story progresses with measured acumen and accuracy, Omatseye is painstaking. He is deliberate. He creates a bigger room for other interesting characters, some good, some innocuous to join her in her obnoxious world of fantasy and deceit. The story rigmaroles, often summersaulting, touching on the fabrics of the society. It meanders. It goes on and on rippling through the lives of Governors, Senators, political hoodlums, political bandits and thugs. It touches on fake men of God, fake miracles, fake and dubious society women and their lifestyles, fake friends and so many others. Shay is comfortable when she tries all these, but yet comes out of it all. When she is depressed or have some regrets or under the spell of the goddess she seeks for deliverance. Meanwhile this is short-lived as she goes back immediately to her vomit. She belongs to life of cosmetic friendship.

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Her life revolves around the whims and caprices of a typical ogbanje. So, from one man to the next she pitches her tent, mesmerizing at her own pace and dictate. She catches a man, leads him on until the man loses his guard, then in a flash Shay disentangles and begins once more to look back to her first love, Ese, on campus. Ese her first love is her idol but she lost the opportunity.

It indeed shows that those evil forces which she refuses to honour will never let her be. One moment she goes for deliverance, the other time she is back to continue where she stopped. Yet they all turn into a façade. Shay is one of the reasons why some men fail to bolster their star. Politicians squander money, public money in hard currency to satiate her. This story has to be read by those who love faction – a story of facts turned into fiction, the story of the real runs girls of this generation. They have no qualms about their immoral exploits. They owe no one the decency or otherwise of their groins. For them life is meant to be lived anyhow it comes. Money is the master and it counts in all situations. They are not accountable to anybody, not even to their folks or men of God they run to when too much confusion beclouds their sense of rationalization.

Then after the several rollicking scenes, Shay suddenly runs into Negel, a white man who turns himself to Mista Naija. It is there like it is said in smattering English, wayo jam wayo. And so, the tale goes on and on and on as Shay makes Mista Naija the center of her life. And in return Negel, the rich and regal Mista Naija hits the nail on the head. He tells Shay “You have juju eyes”. And Shay truly uses those bewitching eyes for destructive tendencies and to achieve her aim and get what she wants.

In all, it is an overview of the story of a rotten society in all facets where everything goes and no one cares. Decorum and decency have taken a flight in this clime and Omatseye has not hesitated to lay them bare.

As an audacious novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, journalist and public commentator, Omatseye is critical in matters of literary offerings. He is daring, sincere and profound. His works elucidate. They explore and teach and are sometimes exclusively different and penetrating. So JuJu Eyes shows Shay as a gifted sorcerer who is able to hold the entire society in the jogular ,almost choking all to death with her incessant evil deeds and demands. What a story. What a society. What a narrative.

May 11, 2025