Veteran
actress, Ngozi Nwosu, reflects on an ailment that recently compelled
her to undergo a surgery abroad, writes JAYNE AUGOYE
For Nollywood actress, Ngozi Nwosu,
life begins at 50. Having been to what she calls hell and back, the
fair-skinned entertainer may have finally conquered the storm.
Bubbling in a celebratory mood, Nwosu
was resplendent in a black body fitting dress and blonde weave at an
event organised to celebrate her birthday on Wednesday.
Save for a walking stick placed by her
side, there was nothing to suggest that the buxom actress recently
underwent a surgery. For many years, she brought laughter to many homes,
playing, “Peaceful Peace”, one of the troublesome wives of Chief Fuji
in the Amaka Igwe’s soap, Fuji House of Commotion, until she was
diagnosed to have a kidney related ailment.
Nevertheless, Nwosu said she remained
upbeat throughout the ordeal. “I was positive throughout the experience
but at a point I thought I would die and not make it to 50. But I have
received the grace of God, and He has given me a new lease of life. It
is like a second coming to life. God has given me my life, it is a gift I
really treasure. And my advice to people is: just live your life,
nobody knows tomorrow,” she said.
Unlike some of her colleagues who passed
on before financial assistance could arrive, Nwosu has been lucky.
Fans, colleagues and the Lagos State Government succeeded in raising the
N6m lifeline required to offset her medical expenses in a UK hospital
in December. But before respite came, the Imo State-born actress chose
to keep mum about the true state of her health, which gave rise to a
series of speculations.
Her silence was because she wanted to
handle the situation on her own. She explained to The PUNCH, “I felt it
was something I could handle on my own. So, it was as if I turned a deaf
ear, thinking and praying that it would be over soon; until God said, ‘
No, my daughter, I will handle it the best way for you, and here I am
today.”
Between February and April, she had been
undergoing treatment in the UK. In past interviews, Nwosu, who has
been out of the acting scene in the last two years, said she was
initially diagnosed of pile (haemorrhoid), and had an operation. She had
already resumed working until she discovered that she had developed
some issues with her kidneys.
Choosing not to comment on her personal
life, thick-skinned Nwosu said she couldn’t be bothered about the
speculations at the time.
She, however, declined to give more details on the nature of the ailment and treatment abroad.
“They (critics) said so many crazy
things but I don’t want to think about it. I just want to thank God that
I am alive today. I also thank the critics because they have
contributed to making me strong and alive to prove them wrong. To those
who felt this was the end of Ngozi Nwosu, I just want to tell them that
this is just the beginning of Ngozi Nwosu.”
She also discarded reports making the
round that she had been sighted at various movie locations. She
explained: “I have only gone on the set of Fuji House of Commotion
because I played a major role there, because they had been waiting for
me all along and had run out of episodes. So I just had to be there to
play a little of my role. It is just to tell people that I am still
alive and I will be back on track.”
While she admitted her readiness to
take up new scripts, the key word for now, according to her, is
moderation. “I still need to rest, and if I have to work, I’ll do that
at my own pace. I’m not going back to work fully. You will see that my
gait is not really smooth. For now, I’m using a walking stick and that
is going to take some time. I will be taking everything at my own pace,
until I get back to the normal Ngozi Nwosu,” she noted.
Sounding a word of advice to her
colleagues in the movie industry, Nwosu said, “They should always take
time out to do medical checkups. Since the time I got sick, there are
many people that have dropped dead. But I am still alive, I went through
death and I am still alive.”
On her relationship with fellow actors,
she has this to say, “I don’t have friends in the industry. When you are
rich they are your friends, but when you are not, they leave you. Most
of them are a flash in the pan so I can’t keep them.”
Looking forward to the future with
bright expectations, Nwosu is already dreaming big, hoping to regain
national prominence. “I wish for myself the best things of life. In
fact I just wish someone can come and park the latest car in my house,
and build a house for me. I don’t want my case to be like that of the
Nigerian flag designer, Taiwo Akinkunmi, who almost died before they
recognised him,” she noted.
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