Yeah, you read the title well. It will seem so shameful to some, but I watched it. 
Let me say clearly for starters though, that watching that movie was not a natural impulse for me, but haven watched it, and the way my mind works, I have no regrets. Jennifa, Starring Funke Akindele (tell her to contact me for an interview – should be interesting) is interesting to watch. Buy and watch, don’t watch it on facebook, let the artists prosper!
Jennifa was a slightly exaggerated and humorist view of what is happening in our society. It is also moral in the traditional yoruba kind of way – as the traditional yoruba stories always have a lesson for you to learn. Jennifa has tipped as a film, I started getting interested one day when I saw about 30 people of different ages, mostly ladies gathering at a bus-stop steering at a TV set on the street. I thought they were watching football, but as I drove past, I saw they were watching Jennifa. Haven watched it, I’m somehow happy they did watch it, and I’m happy for the team that put it together that their movie sold. There were some observations I made however in my special watch, and some lessons I want to crystallize.
A good number of the things that happened in Jennifa are things I’m aware are going on with ladies in our higher institutions and in society. Jennifa has interestingly brought them to limelight. Please bear with me as it may seem I’m a swinging a little towards the ladies side today, obviously its because this is based on Jennifa. Sadly however, guys, some of us are the cause and the drivers of most of these issues.
Observations
Please if you are a parent and you have daughters in school, please pay close attention to these, these are the current facts. We pray for change but these things are no mere jokes, they are happening for real. The first line are observations from the movie, and the others, just a few thoughts from moi.
1. A good percentage of our tertiary institution students don’t speak good English.
I have interfaced with over 10,000 students as candidates, and please take my word for it. Witnesses?
2. There are many people in school who have been there for years, that are not students of that school or anyone at all for that matter.
I have personally hosted a lady that agreed with me that she lives in Oduduwa hall in Ife, after she mistakenly claimed to me to be a student of OAU. Can I have a witness on the net?
3. Most nights in school, you see lots of flashy cars, even in far away schools where you think social civilization is centered around the schools. Most of those cars are owned by Aristoes – Older men with pot bellies who have come to pick up ladies.
hmmm. Witnesses?
4. Tertiary institution ladies have become regular accessories for any party happening in town.
I have personally seen luxurious buses in schools packed full of ladies being sourced for a party 2-3hrs away from their campuses. I have heard of corporate functions and end of year parties loaded with campus “Bigs Girls”. I have heard of a Bank regional heads meeting, where campus babes were used to cool off. A friend told me about an incident that made him publicly shout “Jesus!”. The interesting thing is I know there are people out there who’ll say, “Deolu, you have seen nothing” – Witnesses?
5. There are people in higher institutions who come from humble backgrounds and get lured into a life of pressure and competition by hanging out with the wrong gang. Some of them also in trying to escape the stigmatization of village girl live extreme lives, change their names to Tracy, Jennifa and Becky.
Sorry to say, but these names have become the brand of prostitutes. If I meet a lady in Nigeria for the first time and she’s from the west and introduces herself as Tracy, I wonder.
6. Exam malpractice’s are real.
Ladies and guys, none are left out. People that spend their times on the wrong things, usually end up wanting to desperately excel. Witnesses
7. Some ladies have sex with lecturers for better grades.
I’m sure this is common knowledge. In the university I went, one of the most decent in Nigeria by all standards, I have heard of different types of stories. I have heard of an elderly lecturer who gets it done on his office table. I have heard of a lecturer who fainted in one of such acts with the lady running out creating a scene, I have heard and know of people who actually don’t have what is going on so coded.
8. In society, there are ladies (high profiled) who meet up with Jazz men to give them what will make them able to keep in bondage any man that has had sex with them.
Just like there was “Magun”, now there is “Malo”. I haven’t heard much about this, but it kind of like figures. Any Witnesses?
9. “Bigs Girls” are getting higher returns from having anal sex with top shots.
I actually heard about this in a gist outside the shores of Africa. In the story I heard over a year ago, it actually has gotten so bad for some of the ladies, that they now wear pampers. Top shots? I hear that’s our leaders, in whatever capacity you want to describe it. I can’t shout.
Lessons Taught.
I like the way the movie ended in both parts. It ended sadly, and truly the end of these types of lives can’t be well. I advice that people learn from these lessons and quit while they are ahead.
1. Hanging around for parties called by anyone may actually lead to death.
Some ritualists also organize events and the easiest preys today are ladies. Sadly. I have seen some of these ladies around, and trust me I’m not into hanging out for parties, and sometimes it just touches my heart when I wonder if these people have families.
2. Sleeping with lecturers does not always produce the desired result. Jennifa was almost doing twice daily and it still backfired. Sleeping with lecturers hands you a skill that you may need to do to get along in life. It’s demeaning, and reduces the user into a mere tool. You’ll rather not start.
3. We usually never see the end of what we are doing, the beginning of it always looks glamorous, but the end is not so celebrated. Before you do something, ask yourself, what are the possible ends of these and who are the successful long term role models.
4. Parents need to educate themselves. If the parents have zero insight into how the higher institutions operate they are powerless to help or direct their children. The old concept of collecting money for Dic, for Tion and for Ary, in the bid to cheat parents who should have paid for Dictionary has taken on immense proportions. Ask your child where she or he got that phone you didn’t buy for them from.
5. People change, and players can find true love.
Tracy decided to get a new start, and it paid off. Even though the consequences of the seeds we sow will not abort before harvest, we still have the opportunity of beginning again and getting it right.
6. Everything you do in life has it’s reward. They all paid dearly for their conduct, Becky was rewarded with a damaged anal section and body odor, Jennifa with AIDS, and Tracy with a broken womb.
7. Miracles can happen, and that might be the theme of part 3
Feel absolutely free to share and circulate this, I fear that many just watch films and never learn, maybe this can help make it vivid enough. What we sow, is what we’ll reap, here or hereafter. Or sontin li dat, you know, as in, later
I have only seen the part1 and I intend to watch it agian despite the fact that I am not a movie freak, be it Nigerian or American, I simply do not have the time.
I left Unilag over a decade ago, although things were a bit more sane then but I could still identify with many characters potrayed in the movie.
What has made it worse along the years is the fact that many guys/gals in the Univ. have no business being there.
In Warri, there is something they call ‘Fall in’ someone who abandoned school in SS1 years back, will suddendly want to ‘fall in’ so he/she gets someone to write WAEC&JAMB at ‘special centers’. She probably wants to do that to move up her game since University girls tend to have access to high society men different from the petty petty ones she deals with in her community.
This person cannot pass any exams and she knows it so she does not even bother with studying.
The same thing with the guy, he probably becomes the lecturers’ agents and explore other avenues of making money and passing exams.
@ Bimbola,
Whew! This is a completely different tangential direction. I don’t even know where to start to show you what I think.
There is a lot that goes on in the universities, movies will usually sell if they are able to present a mixture of entertainment and a connection to reality. I like your passionate suggestion of ideas on what would be better rather than stereotypes, I’m sure you can share some concepts to make them appealing and interesting to watch by all and sundry.
I love the diverse views!The fact that God made us all different is for us to display our different sides as it would have been boring if we all spoke one language, he saw this in genesis 11 and in verse 6, scattered the people to go their seperate ways!lol.
Am truly passionate about Nollywood, so those of us like Christopher and Bimbola that believe in taking the industry to the next level should do something about it, you can start by getting involved in any way from having seminars for the practitioners, writing great scripts, providing equipments and finance to support a director that has a great story that would be worth seeing etc.Tyler Perry, a Producer,Director,Playwright,Screen writer and now a Studio owner in America started releasing his famous films as a result of his own personal experience and today, he is a success and has defined a new path for the blacks in the industry!I believe Deolu is doing his part with his analysis and from here, he will become a playwright,producer, director and will do those cameo appearances once in a while!lol. Jokes apart, its criticism and views like this that will help us talk less and do more!Kudos all!
http://www.bridgetelesinspeaks.blogspot.com
I’m glad we’re begining to see some good in our own thing. Maybe I should ask Deolu what prompted him to sit down with such a film, or he’s been watching them before?
I think there should be a way of showing the film on some campuses so that the message could go in better.
Cheers bros!
it took mii a while getting to the bottom of the comments list, but oga the i remember some of the stories. Well done Bro
WOW…See comments….Deoluakinyemi.com kan, Jenifa kan
Just dropping by to say a big congratulations to Funke Akindele for winning the Future Awards for her role in Jenifa et all..I couldn’t find a better place to send my congratulations message except on this no 1 blog/site…
I am happy you said parents should ask their daughters about that mobile phone set that they did not buy for her, but not happy that u did not dwell on it a thinny whinny bit more. I am male almost 40 years from a middle class background (grew up in apapa – maybin road/point road), I remeember twenty years ago my mum taking me to task over some clothes and shoes I had just bought and I am amazed that NOBODY bothers to question an 18 year old (male or female) with a fifty thousand naira phone. PARENTS SHOULD PLEASE LIVE UP TO THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES – NOT JUST PROVIDE FOOD, CLOTHES AND SHELTER, BUT ALSO MORAL GUIDIANCE – NOT BY SAYING IT ONLY, BUT ALSO BY HOW THEY SAY IT AND DOING IT.
…..deolu,
guess u u av a witness in me!!!remember SCM(OAU) in those days…..u practically were an act to my pal(seun olatoye-ojo) and I…..the movie under review here has surely done a lot of good to the public awareness on gender enslavement (if i my classify it as such)cosd by our evolving race….it stands out of the lot and really want to wish jenifa(funke akindele) a fruitful career….maybe she could go OSCARS(i dont think kate winslet’s act in THE READER was better…)less i forget, deolu, u wont believe aw real that picture portrays actual events!!!!just d other day, a typical sulia walked ryt in2 my office!!!!………….i @ first tot it was an act, but alas!na so e be!!!
av a swell year ahead oga mi!
While rejoicing with Funke Akindele on the seeming success of JENIFA, i would also want to point out that most of the comments was based on the comical relief the movie presented. It was good that Deolu point out lessons to be learnt from the movie, albeit what obtains in our institutions. However, talking from a professional point of view, JENIFA was a whole load of rubbish. Disjointed storyline, occasioned by bad plots, directing was less than average and just as was pointed out earlier, the language spoken by Funke was not what is spoken in AYETORO, where the great COMPREHENSIVE HIGH SCHOOL (COMPRO) is situated. What this simply means is that our script writers do not do enough research on their subject matter before churning out scripts. JENIFA also fail in bits and pieces of continuinty, especially with Sulia’s language. For the benefit of its lovers, the story was more than one semester. Go back to where Jenifa was rusticated for her continued ‘cheating’ during exams. So in all these time frame, she who obviously was eager to be ‘bigs’, would still speak her so called Ayetoro language. She missed it and that is a problem of poor directing. I have seen another movie directed by the same guy who directed JENIFA and such lapses also flawed that. While i wholeheartedly support the young ones to aspire and hold position of authority and power, I believe they should do so after having practised and learnt from knowledgeable elders. I admire Funke’s vision and ambition and believes she is on the way to excel, but that is only if she learn to collaborate with tested professionals. JENIFA, a good watch for its comedy and rich display of female anatomy but from a film critic point of view, JENIFA can only score average.
Whao!
Lessons well outlined. Oga Dee, see how many comments Jennifa generated.:) You could as well add movie blogging to your artillery. lol
God help us all! There truly great lessons in the movie.
“Everything you do in life has it’s reward. We usually never see the end of what we are doing, the beginning of it always looks glamorous, but the end is not so celebrated. Before you do something, ask yourself, what are the possible ends of these and who are the successful long term role models.” Deolu, I also saw the film, it is just the true painting of our society today from the campus perspective. There is a lot of work to do on the Home front. The family need to bring up their Children with the right value system. They stand the chance of surviving this den of a university system. Deolu, Thanks a Million.
I watch Nigerian film whether transmitted in English or Yoruba, though i am disgusted with the extreme copying of moral decadence of western culture of waywardness. Such as lying on a lady that is not your wife, profusely kissing every women on stage in the name of film making. Frankly speaking Nigeria is a falling nation.
However Jenifa film is wonderful, the issue dealt with are not really new to an average Nigerian. Nigerian are generally liars, seeking to live a false life, that is why bribery is a way of life to fund life he/she cannot afford. Nigeria go to church but does not belief in righteousness, he/she call on Jesus Christ’s but detest his.way. The ills highlited in Jenifa film is a common currency among corrupt ridden Nigeria society.
these issues you raised are just so correct that even the girls themselves will agree with it.
as a matter of fact, i was in school today and my lecturer analyzed the strategies used by our politicians to nail people with integrity and moral value. he told us how they use campus ladies to seduce these men so they could easily use that for blackmail and thereafter leave them with two options, whether to resign or be impeached. it all dovetails into the facts that these girls have allowed themselves to be used and dumped, thereby reducing and destroying their market value.
he made an anlysis of a road construction project where adjorning soils are excavated to fill a road course. by implication he was sayng that today, campus biz girls are presently been used by men wicked men old enough to be their father and grandfather to satisfy their immediate pleasures and whenn they even need to marry a wife they go to the village and bring a decent lady and make her their wife.
this is a lesson to biz girls (business girls)
i know of a hotel where campus biz girls drop their phone numbers for the hotel staffs so they could easily contact them incase a foolish man wants their service.
thanks soo much CHAIRMAN.
like somebody asked where is GATEKEEPERS ON STV today. men who do not appreciate class and stamndard have thrown it out of the screen. what a pity to NOLLYWOOD
i feel your opinions on the relationship btw jennifa and nigeria campuses. it’s one of the best Nigerian movies i ve watched. The government and parents should take these issues seriously. Our girls are turning to prostitutes on campus and nobody is batting an eyelid.
Deolu, You got it all. It’s quite unimaginable, what goes on, on ‘campushes wa’ these days. Gone were the days of morality. The decadence has proven too much. You ever wonder why higher schools are introducing dresscodes? Despite this, immoral dresses have really ‘skyrocketed’. You might need to expatiate on lecturers as well. Some of our ladies are being threatened by lecturers and our society does not really give a damn about what happens to these victims. Maybe when a couple of lecturers are jailed or ‘punished’ for what they do, then there might be a lil’ difference. On the matter of Aristos, I honestly do not have anything to say. Choosing to go after an Aristo is a matter of choice. Take one of our Nigerian actress for an instance, for sure, whether confirmed or unconfirmed rumor, she is still suffering the pains. Do not ask me what I mean.
body odor is nasty that is why i always take a bath twice a day.;”;
body odor is nasty that is why i always take a bath twice a day.*~,
Wow Very interesting… I din’t know about the anal sex thingy, but I did have a friend that told me that every Nigerian man she meets asks her for anal sex. I thought it was weird that any man should ask a woman that they have just met for any kind of sex, but didn’t think anything more of it.
I agree with your comments, the fact’s are loud and clear. Keep up the excellent posts!