After one year, Agbani's fortunes began to take a deep. The crowd around her began to thin out too. She suddenly found herself alone, used and dumped. A year or two later,there was a rumour in media circles that because the modeling contracts were not coming, she had hired herselfout as a baby-sitter somewhere in Europe. I immediately asked a friend in London to help me investigate this story. Although he could not say exactly where Agbani was at that time, he nevertheless stated that the story could not possibly be true. Later on, there was another report that things had become so tough for Agbani in Europe. In fact, she was so frustrated that she had to send a frantic message to an acquaintance in South Africa, who came to her rescue and helped ferry her over to Mandela's land. She was said to have resolved to lie low, accept lowly jobs that ordinarily should be beneath her as Miss World 2001, and avoid publicity until things improved. I do not know how well she had done for herself since then. In fact, I had practically forgotten about her, until last week, when a sickening photograph of hers appeared in the weekend edition of the Independent Newspaper. She had come to Lagos to catwalk, and before an audience that ogled at her, and camera lenses that flashed unceasingly, she bared the whole of her slightly dropping breasts to every eye that could see.

Darego (pix: Unknown)

As I saw this photograph, I was filled with disgust and pity for this wickedly misled girl. What kind of desperation would lead this little girl into this kind of madness? And why would some men be so wicked and heartless to exploit the stupidity and desperation of a young girl to make her bare the pride of her womanhood to the world? What else will Agbani Darego bare as life becomes tougher and tougher in the days and months to come for this cruelly misled university dropout? What kind of dress was that, by the way? Can the designer say in all sincerity that he would get customers for a dress like that which was opened in such way that the wearer's entire breasts are left starkly bare, or was it specially designed so he could entertain his guests with a generous dish of Agbani's breasts? But has Agbani become so brainless and penniless that she would agree to flaunt her bare breasts to the world? Are breasts no longer part of a woman's "private parts"? Is this shameless exhibitionism and pornography worth any price? Indeed, even on a prostitute, the ill-fitting outfit Agbani wore in that photograph would still be considered indecent. In fact, no prostitute would dare to walk even the most notorious red-light districts in such over-revealing attire.

Time has come for Nigerians to rou

breasts were spilling out of their very tiny bras, and he was merrily shooting. What are they going to do with those photographs?

Agbani has become Nigeria's ambassador of shame. She needs to be rescued before greater desperation drives her into more heinous acts. Somebody should, also, please walk across to her parents and talk some sense into them. I am sure her admission at Unique UNIPORT is still valid. She should retrace her steps before it is too late.

All these make one wonder aloud at the depreciating value of the female body in our society these days. Our ladies are just too desperate to bare it all for anyone once cash is flowing. Sometimes, it could happen in the most sickening and ridiculous way. For instance, a street boy somewhere in the alleyways of Ajegunle wakes up one morning and jumbles up some noise, sound and gibberish and calls it music.And as he goes to shoot his"musical video," all he would need for countless big, fine, educated and polished girls to struggle to dance for him is just to flash some money. Once hepays the right amount, he may decide that the girl should be scantily dressed, and it is left for him totouch wherever he likes in the course of the dance! Never mind that the boy's armpits may be stinking like Lagos gutters, that his breath emitted repelling scent, and that his unwashed undies now wet with abundant, slimy sweat, induced nausea. Don't ask me what happens each time he opens his mouth to sing.

Indeed, anybody with money to spare today can make women do whatever he wishes. Just say you are organizing a reality show, and that the dress code for all housemates, male and female, is that every chest must be left totally bare before the cameras! I can assure you that even some parents would come begging to have their daughters enlisted, so long as the pay, at the end of the day, promises to be good. That is where we are, dear reader. Poverty, being religiously created by a totally wayward and heartless government in Nigeria, has destroyed the moral fibre of our people and reduced our girls to mere playthings in the hands of prurient millionaires. It is just a pity.