How I lost my first child to poverty

Nollywood actor Ibrahim Chatta has opened up on how he lost his first child.

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In a now-viral video, recorded during a conversation with colleagues on a film set and posted on the ‘Abiola Orisile Events & Parties TV’ YouTube channel, Chatta revealed that financial hardship cost him the chance to save his daughter’s life.

Opening up about the painful experience, the actor, who rose to fame for his role in ‘Aiyekooto’, a film produced by Sharafadeen Olabode and directed by Adebayo Tijani, said: “My first child is not Malik. My first child was sick and was taken to a hospital, and they needed money, which I didn’t have. I trekked from Ijora Badia and passed through Ojurin to Makoko.

“From Ijora Badia, I went to Orile, Itolo street and passed through all those places I used to hawk puff-puff. I went through Shitta, Lawanson, Stadium, and the Costain railway till I got to Makoko, yet I couldn’t get any money until the child died. The first child I had died.”

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He further disclosed that, after the child passed away, he could not afford a coffin to give her a proper burial.

“We buried her in a crate of Coke, the old wooden crate of Coke,” said Chatta.

Awawu

Additionally, the actor spoke fondly of his only daughter, Awawu, whom he named in memory of his late mother.

He expressed his deep love for Awawu, noting that his affection and devotion towards her stemmed from losing his first daughter.

Chatta said, “When I went to Dubai and bought a diamond anklet for Awawu, her mother was upset and said I should have bought it for her instead of Awawu. But I told her this is my only daughter, and that I had one before, but she died. They all started crying while cooking when I told them, because they had never heard the story.

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“My child was buried in a wooden crate of Coke. I love all my children. God gave me three, but I want to have more. My daughter, Awawu, was named after my mother because she was born after my mother’s death. So I call her my mother. There’s nothing she wants to buy that I can’t give her.”

The actor further noted that, despite losing his first child and experiencing poverty in the past, he still believes God has been faithful to him.

“Even when I’m hungry, I believe that God is merciful to me every day and for the grace of being alive. Some rich people ask God to take their money and give them peace of mind for an hour.

“I don’t get sick; when I do, I know that I don’t have money because I have a lot of responsibilities.”