The
saying that what an elder sees while sitting on a chair, a child, even
if they climb to the tallest mountain, would never see it, aptly sums up
Ejirooghene Obareki, the mother of Branama Queen, Kefee Don Momoh’s
non-support for her daughter’s first marriage to producer, Alec Godwin.
Speaking in the episode of the Supermom
Celebrity edition which would be aired this weekend, Kefee recalls that
contrary to her expectations, her mum, whom she had enjoyed a robust
relationship with from infancy, demurred when she informed her about her
choice of husband. “She was not in support of the marriage from the
outset but because she wanted me to be happy, she consented grudgingly,”
Kefee says.
As time went by, Kefee’s mum’s fears
came to pass as the marriage broke down irretrievably. On her return
home, and much to her consternation, “My mum welcomed me with open arms
and encouraged me to see what happened as a part of life. She also urged
me to go back to Lagos and focus on my career so that I could be a
bigger and more respected star. If not for her encouragement and
support, I can’t say what would have become of my career,” Kefee says.
In her recollection of the trials and
tribulations of the past, which have combined to make Kefee a strong
personality and a musical force, the older Obareki recalls that she went
through a lot raising the singer and her other kids.
According to the matriarch, Kefee
almost lost her life years back while growing up. As a devoted
Christian, the family was to fast every Friday. Then, one day, Kefee
slumped and was unconscious for six days. Considering that she had lost a
child before, Obareki couldn’t bear the pain of losing another one, and
not Kefee. “I would roll on the ground, crying and praying that God
should restore my child to good health,” she recalls. Obareki’s story is
touching, and she did not mince words telling it all on the Supermom
Celebrity show.
Paired with Kefee’s mom in this week’s
episode is Cecilia Awotoye, the mother of one of Nigeria’s hip hop
pioneers, Tony Tetuila, who tells the heart-rending story of how she
succeeded in raising her children, especially Tetuila, against all odds.
According to her, although things had
been tough generally for the family, the worst of her ordeals started
when she noticed a lump growing on Tetuila’s chest. “I cried every time I
looked at him. I prayed endlessly to God to spare his life and I didn’t
give up hope.” As any caring mother would, she took him to the places
she could afford but no remedy came through until she visited the
General Hospital in Ojuelegba, Lagos. There, he was operated on. But her
ordeal was not over.
Months later, just when she was
beginning to rejoice at his recovery, she realised the kid who would
later become Africa’s music golden son couldn’t walk. “We started
visiting hospitals again and every time a doctor said my son would never
walk, I prayed and cried to God. I never stopped telling them that my
son would walk again! There was one day I was returning to the hospital
and I had to trek all the way with him on my back because there was no
means of transportation; former Head of State, Mohammed Murtala had just
died and there was a bit of unrest in the country then.”
Culled from Punch Newspaper
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