Ngozi Nwosu Exclusive: ‘God has given me a second chance’

From Left: Bukky Ajayi, Ngozi Nwosu, Abubakar Yakubu, Ibinabo Fiberesima and others. Photo: Amaka Ojo

Friends of veteran actress Ngozi Nwosu who recently turned 50, on Monday, August 21, 2013 held a lecture to celebrate the actress.

The lecture which was held at the Eagles Park, Ikeja Lagos was part of a 3-day event put together to celebrate her birthday.

At the lecture which was attended by Actors’ Guild boss, Ibinabo Fiberesima, fellow veteran actress Bukky Ajayi, Segun Arinze, Charles Novia, amongst others, NET correspondent caught up with Ngozi, as she talked about her health, life at 50, and the future.

Excerpts…

Congratulations on your birthday.

Oh! Thank you very much.

How does it feel turning 50?

I feel great.

Do you feel any younger?

Well, I’ve always felt young and I will always feel young.

What must have been the best birthday that you’ve had?

I think this should be the best birthday really. Considering the circumstances and thanking God as well that I made it to 50. Yeah, this should be the best.

When was your birthday?

It was on the 1^st of August.

What did you do that morning?

Oh! That morning, though I was not in Nigeria, I was in England, I had breakfast in bed. It was after my morning prayers, my girlfriend surprised me by bringing breakfast in bed for me, and I was like, wow! I’ve never had that before. Oh! It’s nice turning 50

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Who first congratulated you?

From midnight I started having calls. People, my friends, my family from Nigeria, and over there.

Did you ever think you’d make it to fifty?

Well, there was a time I thought I wouldn’t, but with God all things are possible; and I never gave up. So here I am today.

You are looking very pretty, how have you been able to get back to this good shape?

My dear, it’s God, that’s all. I just thank God that’s all.

It’s good to know that at some point you were able to back somebody up to get to one million naira at the ‘who wants to be a millionaire’ game show, but it’s also amazing that you didn’t you come out on time to say, this was what was wrong with me. Why?

I don’t think you were here earlier when the doctor was educating us on health issues; like he rightly said, it’s nice for you to voice out your problem on time. But to me I felt it was something I could handle on my own. So it was not as if I turned a deaf ear, no. I was handling it on my own thinking ‘oh it will be over, it will be over’, until God said, ‘no my daughter I think I will handle it the best for you’, and here I am today.

At the time there were so many insinuations, what was the craziest thing you ever heard people say about you?

Ah! My dear, so many crazy things, but I don’t want to think about it. I just want to thank God that I’m alive, and to them all I just want to say, ‘thank you’. In either way, they’ve contributed to making me to be strong, and staying alive to prove them wrong

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What are some of the lessons you’ve drawn from the experience?

The lesson I’ve drawn from my experience is, be yourself, believe in God and always help the needy because you don’t know tomorrow, nobody knows tomorrow. Today it is my turn; it could be your turn tomorrow.

This is Africa where people desert you when you have problems, how was your experience on this issue during your ailment.

My dear, I’d rather not talk about it. To me I am 50 and I’m enjoying it to the glory of God and all those are behind me. They are in the past of my life.

How many more years would you like to live on earth?

My dear, God should just be adding it and adding it until he says, ‘my daughter, you’ve finished your work on earth, come home.’ Then I’m ready to go.

You’ve been spotted on one or two locations, are you hale, hearty, and ready to work now?

One or two locations, no. I’ve only gone to Fuji House, and you know Fuji House I play a key role there and they’ve been waiting for me all along and they’ve run out of episodes. So I just have to be there to play a little of my part just to tell people that I’m still alive, and I’ll still be back on track. That was why I went to shot a Fuji House before I went back to England for my treatment.

But health-wise are you fully ready to get back to work?

Yes! Yes, but I still need to rest. So if at all I’m working now, yeah I will but not going back to work fully now, no.

It was reported that you were on a location of ‘Yaws and Myn’?

No. ‘Yaws’ was shot before I became sick, and then before I went back to England for my treatment I was there just to see them because I was actually supposed to be with them on the second season which I told them I can’t work for that time because I wasn’t fit then. But I just went to tell them well, well done, I’m still with you, I’ll be back.

What has life taught you?

Life is a teacher, and life is by choice

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What are some of those things you think you’re unable to do now, because of your age and health status?

There is nothing that I can’t do because of age now. But because of health for now, if you noticed you’d see that my walking is not really smooth, and that I use walking stick. That’s going to take sometime before I get back to myself, that’s the only challenge I have for now. So if I am walking, it has to be at my own pace for now. But when I’m back to my normal Ngozi Nwosu, (hisses) abeg!

What special gift have you received since you turned 50?

What special gift? Well, I have received the grace of God, that is the first special gift which is (second coming), my life. God has given me back my life; this is my second coming, so it’s a gift I really treasure. Then the second gift I have received again is a wonderful gift of breakfast in bed by my girlfriend in England because I’ve never received that before, and then the third is that, just live your life because nobody knows tomorrow.

You’ve seen it all, in movies and in life, what will you point to as your greatest achievement?

(Sighs) My dear, my greatest achievement is life.

What are those desires you still wish for God to grant you?

Well, what I desire that God should give me is a long lasting life, not like Methuselah o! because I don’t want to live the one that you’d be blind, you’d be crippled, and then they would be rolling you like trolley up and down, and you’d become a nuisance to the society, no! I want a life of even if I am eighty, ninety, hundred, I should be fit as a fiddle. That’s the kind of life I want, and I want to live a comfortable life

Some of your colleagues who weren’t lucky enough to have financial assistance passed on, but you were lucky, you had a good will, the money came on time. What do you think can be done to assist, because there are so many veterans who many people think they are rich but in reality, most of them are not.

That is why I’m happy that my president Ibinabo came, and they now have a health scheme for people. So I would encourage them to please hook on to that, because life is too short. It is important for all of us because the things we think might be nothing may turn out to be something, and nobody knows tomorrow. I know that from the time of my sickness up to now, so many people have dropped dead, while I went through that death and I am still standing. That is why I said God has given me a second chance, and I thank him for it.

Who would you say are your friends in the industry?

In the industry, do I have friends? No!

Any reasons?

(Sighs) when you are rich, they are your friends, but when you are not, they are not your friends. Most of them are a-flash-in-the-pan friends, so I don’t have them.

Much is not known about your family, can you tell us briefly about your family?

No, I don’t want to talk about my family. This is my birthday; I want to celebrate me, and only me.

Okay! When it comes to your health, nutrition-wise, what would you want to do differently?

Well to health now, I’ve learnt that there are so many things you don’t take, especially when one is aging it is important that you get hooked to a doctor and seek advice, because it is only a doctor and a nutritionist that can actually educate you on what to do and how to take care of yourself properly.

People believe that kidney problems have to do with a lot of alcohol intake, and that it is associated with people who drink, does this apply in your case?

I don’t think it has to do with that. Let’s just say, let’s not pray to be sick. There are so many people out there, even kids that have kidney problem; they didn’t drink alcohol, did they? Even babies. So it doesn’t have to do with it, though it could, but it doesn’t really have to do with that. But let’s just pray not to be sick, that’s just it.