•Needs N10m for treatment abroad
By Christian Agadibe
Veteran Nollywood actor, Remy Chukwuemeka Ohajianya is terribly sick and needs the assistance of Good Samaritans to get back onto his feet.
The former national chairman of Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) has been diagnosed of severe prostate enlargement, which has affected some of his vital organs.
In this exclusive interview, Ohajianya sheds more lights on his health condition, revealing his seven years battle with the ailment. Here are excerpts:
Tell us briefly about yourself?
I am Chief Remy Ohajianya, a veteran Nollywood actor and former chairman of Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN). I have also served in other capacities such as in the conference of chairmen, Actors Guild of Nigeria and so on.
Can you recall the last movie you featured in?
I have done so many movies that I cannot remember their titles. There are quite some of them that touched the hearts of Nigerians. There is this particular one titled ‘21 Days with Christ’ featuring Olu Jacob as king and me as palace guard who saved the life of a little girl that was to be used as a sacrifice to save the king’s life.
What particular movie brought you into the limelight?
The movie that brought me into the limelight was Rattlesnake in which I played a politician. You know the way and lifestyle of politicians who live, spend lavishly and are careless about people close to them? In the movie, that lifestyle led to my son, Peter living a wayward life due to lack of parental care. The storyline was built around my character. I have also featured in other movies like Evil Passion, Taboo etc.
Would you justify the opinion that actors don’t get paid enough for what they do?
Of course, I have said it many times. The only thing I have not done is to work for nothing. If I agree to be paid a certain amount of money, the truth is that I must be paid. We all know that the job does not always come by and it doesn’t pay anybody’s bill. That is why I am angry with the children of today who are suppose to get employment or learn some trades, but they are parading themselves in the movie industry, dong nothing and achieving nothing.
Would you say you regret being an actor?
I won’t say I regret because behind everything you do, there is a habit. I have never been locked out of my rented apartment as a result of not being able to pay the rent. The only time I needed help as regards rent was because of what I’m currently going through, where every kobo I get goes into buying drugs for my ailment.
How did your health issue start and what was the doctor’s diagnosis?
My ill health started about six or seven years ago, and I remember vividly in 2013 when I went for an event in Port Harcourt, I decided to go for a free test that was organised at the event. Then the result came out really bad, indicating that a lot of things are damaged in my body. But Africans don’t believe anything is bad until it becomes worse. So, it was about a month ago that I sat down and had a recap about that particular test result of 2013, which was nine years after. But it wasn’t until the last seven years that it started getting serious and critical. It started with constant urinating in the night, which I learnt it has to do with prostrate enlargement. I would have given up in 2020 after taking lots of medications that were not working, until someone introduced me to supplements, a pack of which is N20,000. God sent a woman that registered me and made it possible for me to be getting it at cheaper rate. So, whenever I get money, I’ll buy and keep until when I no longer had money to buy. That was when my health went back to square one.
I was also diagnosed of weak body cells. The doctor said my body needs rejuvenation to prevent me from dying slowly. Also, I have High Blood Pressure and diabetes with ulcer, which always go hand in hand. In 2019, when I was working in Ikeja, at a point I felt weak and had to sit down and rested for a while. I took lots of water before I was able to recover. I usually get a sign whenever my blood pressure rises above normal.
Do you think people might not believe you are dealing with health issue because of your weight?
If people want to judge me by my look, they will be making a mistake. People die silently because they don’t want others to know what they are passing through. So, for me, when I am passing through a good or bad situation, you will not know. Anyone who sees me and says that I’m looking healthy, to God is the glory. I want to believe that the supplements I have been taking have also helped me not to age. The result of the test I did recently showed that both my kidney and liver have been infected, and even as I am talking to you now, my feet are swollen and I no longer wear shoes. And the doctors have warned that I must always use earpiece whenever I’m making or receiving calls, because my organs are damaged. The doctors also recommended that I should be flown abroad for treatment. Since then, I always find it difficult to eat.
Is there a particular surgery that is recommended for you to enable you recover, and what do you want Nigerians to do for you?
I have done several laboratory tests, and the India doctors have advised me to be on treatment for a couple of days and thereafter they would place me on drugs. But due to lack of money, I haven’t gone to the hospital. What my body needs now are new organs before I can get back to my feet.
Is there a specific amount of money they asked you to pay for treatment abroad?
Yes, for my treatment abroad I need N10 million and any Good Samaritan willing to assist me should pay into my Zenith Bank account: Willy C. Ohajianya. Account number: 1002955404.
Does the N10 million cover hospital expenses and also flight tickets?
Yes, it covers everything.
We learnt the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) has health insurance scheme that covers ailments like yours or can we say it’s all glamour and no substance?
Yes, we have insurance scheme for when somebody dies or is involved in an accident, but not for situations like mine. We also have HMOs, but it doesn’t take care of such cases as my own. Anyone that doubts me should come out and debunk it. However, I will not deny the fact that I was able to raise over N1 million that I used in getting drugs. The reason I’m saying this is that people will not say they have helped me before.
We also learnt that the AGN has NGOs that caters to the needs of the less privileged. How come they’ve not responded to the medical needs of people like you?
I equally heard that the Actors Guild of Nigeria has an NGO they use for sourcing money to assist people. I can tell you categorically that such help has not come to me. Even after I went on air to seek help, the information got to the chairman of Lagos chapter, Emeka Ibeh, and what he said was that I did not tell him that I was sick. Can you imagine, somebody who is sick and has made it public, how else would you want me to tell you that I was sick, even despite all the elders informing him?
When the National financial secretary, Emeka Duru heard of my situation, he called me and I narrated everything to him. He then asked if the president was aware of my sickness, and I told him yes. He said he would see what he could do on his own to get me some money. I waited for a long time and then had to call him after the burial of Ada Ameh, and he said he had met with people and that they said they just finished contributing money for Ada Ameh’s burial. Then I told myself that maybe they are all waiting for me to die so that they can be running up and down to gather money to bury me. But God willing, I will not die!