Recently, the first in the series of the captivating episodes of the 2016
television special, “Who Deserves to be A Millionaire” featured Nigerian artist
and on-air personality, Rotimi Martins popularly known as Alariwo of Africa.
The series is a variant of the famed family game show, “Who Wants to be A
Millionaire?” that airs on NTA, STV, MITV, DBN and Superscreen on Sundays.
The
idea is to select an individual, prominent or not, who is in dire financial
crisis. It’s a tough call because at the current rate of poverty in Nigeria,
almost everyone deserves to be a millionaire. But when other circumstances are
considered, certain individuals have special needs that demand urgent financial
intervention.
That is the story of Alariwo, the artist whose afro sounds ruled the airwaves
in the late 90s. His first album titled, “Yawa Go Gas” was released in 1998. He
had two other albums after that but since his music career peaked; he had been
peddling other entertainment jobs. He is also an ambassador for an orphanage
home and had always championed the cause of charity. In fact, he had been on
the Ultima Studios set some years ago with the ace cinematographer, Kunle
Afolayan to play the game for the sake of a Yoruba actor, Baba Feyikogbon.
In an electronic chat with this reporter, Alariwo whose stage name literarily translates as “noise maker” revealed how his health predicament has forced him to make noise for help to come.
“I
have a health challenge called Varicocele. It occurs when veins deprive blood
transfusion to the scrotum which leads to other set of complications when it is
not immediately taken care of. I cannot explain how this came about. I have
already done a surgery but I require another one which will be done outside the
country. And this is a lot of money,” he said. But it would have been bearable
if his wife wasn’t also dealing with her own health challenge.
“In
my wife’s case, she has a condition called pulmonary embolism. It started when
she was involved in an auto accident on her way to the market. This has
complicated things for us because it happened while I was still trying to raise
funds for my surgery. I had to sell my car, because at a point I was buying
drugs worth N47, 000 daily. It has been very challenging,” he said.
Alariwo
and his wife need surgical operations to survive. His wife, especially, needs a
procedure to correct the blood clots formed in the deep veins of her limb.
Surely, they require strong financial muscle.
“She
urgently requires an IVC (inferior vena cava) filter replacement. Owing to huge
presence of family members and friends that would take care of us after the
medical treatments, we shall be going to America for these operations. Here we
are with virtually nothing, especially with this high exchange rate! Sincerely,
that is the reason we consider the MTN’s ‘Who Deserves to Be a Millionaire’ a
divine arrangement,”he said.
A
total of $46,000 is required for their treatment. Their friends had promptly
come to their aid but they still saw the target from afar.
“I appreciate their good hearts. I remain ever grateful to Ultima Studios and MTN. Also, I am indebted to the gentlemen that played with me in the studio.
They
really did well. I was dumbfounded when Frank Idoho announced the special
treatment I was given in the hot seat. They went down memory lane and it really
added value to me. It has strengthened my resolve to keep volunteering for good
causes, because I did not know I would reap it when Mr Olu Akinlabi invited me
some 6 or 7 years ago to come and play for Papa Feyikogbon. I wish the
organisers of the show the best in life.”
Alariwo’s
wife, Sola Martins expressed her gratitude for the game show intervention.
However, she was appalled by the rumour making rounds that she and her
husband’s call for help is a scam.
“All
I have to say to those people who think my husband and I are just trying to
make money from this, they should wish the same fate that has befallen us for
themselves,” she said.
“My
greatest desire right now is to get back on my feet, and for my husband to also
get well. I have a lot of abandoned projects.”
At the show, top entertainers such as Hafiz Oyetoro better known as Saka and Ade Adefeko played the game for Alariwo winning N2million for him.
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