Some of us are very, very lucky – and music producer and crooner, OJB Jezereel, is a typical example. Diagnosed with a kidney problem, he was not only able to raise the millions needed for a transplant, he also had a successful operation in India, with one of his wives as the donor. At a special thanksgiving service at St. Leo’s Catholic Church in Ikeja, Lagos, YES International!’s GBENGA SHABA got the survivor and two of his wives to tell us their happy story. They also looked back on the gloomy days – before things changed. Enjoy…
Why did you cry inside the church?
I was moved by what God has done. And because of what I have now than in those days that I didn’t have. You know it’s been a blessing, and telling you I’m overwhelmed by it is because even right there in the service, I had to hold back my tears because it is a different ball game for me. I’m the one experiencing it; people out there may not know how it feels to lose one’s life for like 2-3 times and you are able to still survive. It is something else.
Is this why you have decided to launch a foundation?
Well, the thing is that the whole idea about the foundation is for us to find ways to subsidize things for people who are in this kind of situation. You know we did this surgery for like eight to nine million Naira, but we are having a foundation that can do it for ten thousand Dollars or less. That is what we are working on. It is not about us raising money and giving people money, it is just about us finding ways to make it easier for people who are in need of this kind of surgery; like you need about one thousand to one thousand and five hundred Dollars every month to survive. But we are looking at how that same money can take you for about seven months instead of just one month and that is what we are working on.
Why did you choose to do your thanksgiving inside a Catholic Church despite the fact that you are a polygamist?
It was because of my late mother. My mum was a Catholic, so it’s not just a service for me, it also means honouring her, because my mum, myself, my daughter, we all had strange experiences and when I look at the three of us, I’m the only one who survived it. It means a lot for me to honour her and that was why I did it here.
How soon would you go back to the studio?
I’m working on that. Man must eat now (Laughs). You work before you eat. You can’t start begging Nigerians again that ‘I beg o, I don come back from India, come raise money make I take chop!’ They would tell you, ‘come on, get up on your feet for what God has done for you’. I mean, I need to start working as soon as possible.
What is going to change about you now that you are back?
A lot. But I’m still going to be doing music and entertainment. The only thing is that. I care more now about impacting lives. Not only with money, but maybe with the words I say, the way I appreciate people. All I want now is to be more conscious of the fact that I need to impact lives more than ever before.
It was also said that you intend to come out with a book. What is the book all about?
Well, the book is meant to clear all controversies. When I said “Celebrated Beggar”, the whole idea is to let people know that you will get to a point in your life as a celebrity it won’t be that easy again. You are buying the big cars, big houses, but after a while, things change and you might find it difficult to do or replicate those feats again. For example, three years, back-to-back, I was managing this ailment myself, but it got to a point that I couldn’t push it beyond that. I had to reach out to people. So, the truth of the matter is that I’m being real, I don’t want to be fake about it and if not for the people that supported me, I don’t know where I would be right now.
Was there any point you thought you might not make it?
Very well. That was why I cried in the church. I mean, on the surgery table, three to four times, they had to try and revive me. After the surgery, the same thing happened twice again. So, that I’m here sitting down today is enough for me to be happy and that joy means more to me than any other thing.
When was the most trying moment in the entire experience for you?
I think the most trying moment was actually getting to that part where I needed to do the transplant and again getting the donor.
Are you now an activist for kidney and heart-related problems?
Definitely, I am.
Have you forgiven some of your friends that you thought should have contributed but who failed to do so?
Yes! Like I said, the bottom line is that when you are alive, you don’t even remember those things again. You don’t even care. It is between them and God. He only knows why they did not give. I’m not in their pocket or heart to know what was going on, but what is important is that I’m alive today.
What would you say to people who are in your shoes but are losing hope and faith that they might not make it?
The only word I have for them is that it is understandable and normal to be afraid. I think the real tension starts when you are trying to prove that you aren’t afraid, but you are! I mean, I am afraid of dying even as I’ve come out of this. At least, I’ve seen people come out of this and still die; so, I’m afraid! I wouldn’t lie to myself, but I’m afraid. So, I will do everything with consciousness and I believe that with God everything is possible.
Is this going to change your genre of music?
No. That is a different ball game entirely. The music goes on (E fe kin jeun ni). Don’t you want me to survive?
What do you have to say to that special person that donated her kidney to save you?
All I can say is that the person is wonderful because for me, it is not all about husband and wife things. If you go by this, you get carried away and you think that she owes you to have given you a kidney. But when you look around, as a human being, you know it is her decision to give you or not. So, forget that she is my wife. I so much appreciate the fact that she gave it to me.
Any word for all those that contributed towards your treatment?
I have said it a billion times. My thank you is endless and I will never stop. But above all, the truth is that it is only God that can reward them for all they have done. I’m not a respecter of who gave millions or one thousand; the bottom-line is that I pictured somebody going to the bank with N500 or N1000 to donate. It’s not as easy as we see or say it. So, I appreciate them all.
I DONATED MY KIDNEY BECAUSE OF LOVE, OJB’S 1ST WIFE (MABEL)
What is going through your mind now?
Joy, happiness, gladness.
A lot of sweet words have been said about you since the transplant. What made you agree to donate your kidney?
Yes o! And it is overwhelming. I don’t know. I have been thinking about it also, but I have found no answer to it. But I think it is just the grace of God; not by my own understanding. I just believe that I had something in me that someone else needed and when I was tested, I was certified ok to donate; that our kidney matched. So, why would I withhold it from my husband? I can’t, because if I did that, we are not going to be here rejoicing today. He has a lot to do in life, so why should something just cut it short? Nothing should cut it short. And God has used that to pass a message that anything that might happen to us in life, we should not lose hope, but give freely.
Did you consult any of your family members before the donation?
Not at the beginning, but after it. I mean, not before the surgery. But a little time before the surgery was done.
What thought came to your mind when the transplant was about to be done?
In fact, I decided to think about only God, because if I decided to think about anything, I’m sure I would have a change of mind. But I decided to just allow God to take control. Like I said, I froze my mind. I didn’t think about anything at all.
Why did you do it?
I did it for love, for God; I did it for my children and I did it for the entire family because if not, we won’t be standing here to rejoice.
What advice do you have for other women that might see this period as a time to file for divorce?
I advice them to stand by their husbands, no matter what may happen. It doesn’t matter what he has done, what he is doing, who he was before and who he is now. Marriage is for better for worse, in good and in bad times; in times of plenty and times of need. In times of joy and times of sorrow, just like we are having now. You must always stand by him. It doesn’t matter, and you must look on to God.
What is it about you that we are yet to know?
My name is Mabel Babatunde Okungbowa. I’m into business.
HE’S NOW CLOSER TO GOD, 3RD WIFE (KOREDE)
How are you feeling now?
Whao! Is there any explanation for being happy? I’m very, very happy, because all I have been expecting is just for us to be able to come back to church and give back all glory to God, because He deserves everything. We are happy and glad that we are able to come here and do this. We thank God for everything.
What first came to your mind when you found out your husband needed a kidney transplant?
I was not surprised because we had been in the process of treating him for quite some time. So, when we finally resolved to do a transplant, all I could do was just pray and just hope that God will do everything and God has been so faithful because He knew we had nobody except Him and He was able to support us to pull through. We thank God. There is nothing anybody could have done in our situation than to just pray and hope.
Would you have donated one of yours if your kidney had matched his?
It did, but I just gave birth like a month before the whole transplanting process started. So, they had to exclude me from the list of possible donors because I had a surgery during childbirth also and that was why I could not do it. But the three wives’ kidneys matched his own.
When was the most challenging moment for you during the period?
The fact that I had to wake up every morning and not knowing what and how he felt. You don’t know if he is happy or sad because he can wake up happy and feel better, eating well and you are happy and the next minute something else is happening. So, he was unbalanced and I know nobody should live like that, nobody should live to go through this. It is not a very good thing to go through, but we thank God at the end of the day.
Was there any moment you lost hope?
I am a Christian. I have never lost hope. I believe so much in God and all the while, I always told God that he was not going to die because if God is alive, then everything is possible.
If you are to turn back the hand of time, what would you like to see or change about him?
I would say this should not have happened. The sickness should not have happened to him in the first place, but God knows best. So, we will never regret anything that happened to us except for us to keep thanking Him.
As OJB’s wife, what has changed about your husband since the transplant took place?
He has become a more God-fearing husband. He loves God more now and knows that God really exists and has become closer to Him and we are happy about that.
What are your plans for his newly set up foundation?
I’m going to support him with everything I’ve got. You know, with prayers, assistance, being a good wife and a caring mother. I will keep doing that to support him.