By Sola Ogundipe & Chioma Obinna
Such was the powerful rendition of the entire Psalm 30 by Pastor (Mrs)
Victoria Olayemi, mother of Nigeria’s newest set of quadruplets.
Victoria’s voice rang out stridently and was reechoed across the
function hall of the Visitors’ Lodge of the Lagos University Teaching
Hospital, LUTH, Idi Araba, where the event held. She was joined by her
husband, Samuel Olayiwola, also an ordained Minister of God and dozens
of well happy family members, friends and wishers.
Pastor Samuel Olayiwola, who became father of quadruplets 17 years after marriage
It was a voice of thanks, delight and appreciation for the Almighty
God who had given her the most wonderful gift on earth – the gift of
motherhood, not once, not twice, not even thrice, but four times over!
Victoria, an ordained Minister of God was the joyous mother of a healthy
set of quadruplets, whose birth, once and-for-all removed her reproach
and restored her life to her hope.
Although the famous Psalm had originally been given as a psalm and
song of thanksgiving for deliverance from death at the dedication of the
house of the biblical King David, it was no less appropriate at the
christening of the Olayemi quadruplets. The babies, three females and
one male were born at the LUTH on Thursday last week through Caesarean
Section.
They were born premature at 35 weeks of gestation. At birth, they
weighed 2.02 kg, 1.85kg, 1.75 kg and 2.02 kg. Since their birth, the
Olayiwola quadruplets have been in the news, not just because they are
the third set of quadruplets delivered at the health institution within
the last two years, but because their birth had been foretold at the
time their parents got married,17 years ago.
Indeed all roads led to the Visitors’ Lodge of the Lagos University
Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Idi Araba, Lagos, as they were christened
amidst pomp. With songs of praises, dancing and prayers, family members,
well-wishers and worshipers from the Living God Preparatory Assembly,
Abule -Egba, Lagos. In a short sermon, Rev. Amos Kayode of the Creative
World Chapel, Ikeja, described the successful birth of the quadruplets
as an uncommon miracle and manifestation of the promise of God.
He admonished Nigerians never to give up or lose faith in the power
and ability of God even in the face of the greatest odds. “It is a
lifetime privilege for us to be present here today, because many of us
may never witness this kind of miraculous event again in our lifetime.
My heart is full of thanksgiving and even the heavens recognise the
uniqueness of this occasion,” he declared.
During the event, Olayiwola told
Saturday Vanguard that he
was the happiest man alive. “God has rolled away the reproach and I just
want everyone to realise one thing. Those that love you in this world
are far more than those that hate you. Many people consider hatred so
much, but I say unto you, do not consider hatred. People do not want me
to make noise, they say that is probably what caused me and my wife not
to have children yet, is because we made noise on our wedding because
but I say no. If I do not make noise now, when will I do so? Just look
at the children, they came with total noise. I never allow my. As you
are rejoicing with us, please continue to thank God on our behalf. That
is the much you can do for us. Thank you for your love.”
Olayiwola, who vowed that his children would grow up to serve God,
however said his immediate plan is to care for them grow up soundly,
physically and spiritually. “I come from a poor background, and being
educated has helped me in life, so their education will be priority and I
will ensure they have the best possible. They will serve God, and I
want them to be unique in society. I will inculcate in them qualities
that are different from the worldly spirit of today.
“I picked Samuel and Olusegun because those two names have been
working wonders for me. Jesus said in John 16: 33, that in this world
there will be tribulation, but he has overcome the world. That works for
me. Whenever I have a problem I declare this promise. God has won wars
for me, that name has been working for so my child shall also be
empowered even if there are wars ahead. I gave the others Ebunoluwa,
Omotola and Oluwabunmi.”
His uncle, Pastor Samuel Akingbile of the C.A.C, Agege DCC, also
recounted the travails of the couple in their search for the fruit of
the womb. “His (Samuel’s) mother was my sister, the first born of our
family. I brought them up and trained them. They were brought up in CAC,
married in 1995; I was there, in Ibadan. When we came to Lagos and
after the firsts few years, nothing happened, his mother called me and
asked what we were going to do.
“Well I said there wasn’t anything we were going to do, but the will
of God. At that time, he himself had been ordained a pastor, and in the
church it is forbidden to leave his wife or marry another, all attempts
were made to, I upheld him in prayer. Even now it is accepted that
marriage without children is not biblical. Marriage is not just for
children, but also companionship and if the children come in it is good.
I made them realize God would always be God.”
Rev. Amos Kayode, of the Creative World Chapel, 5, Tajudeen
Ajorin Street, Ikeja, is the bosom friend of Pastor Samuel Olayiwola,
father of the quadruplets. In this interview, he tells of the couple’s
challenge and how they overcame.
I was ready to give him one of my children
How long have you known them?
It’s quite long. It is like growing up together, we are not really quiet close at that time.
Did you know them even before they got married?
No, I will say we have not been very close at that time because at
that time he went to University of Ibadan, UI, and I went to Abuja
University.
Were you aware of their challenge?
Yes. I got married a year before him. Two of my children are already
in the university. You know it has always been a pain on my heart.
Anytime I come across them, I feel their pain. You know, he is my bosom
friend even though we refer to ourselves as uncommon friends. He’s
always been there for me and I have always been there for me. He is a
very interesting, straightforward and honest person. A man of integrity.
I did not come into the ministry from the scratch. I was already in the
academic environment.
From
left (standing) is Revd Amos Kayode, Uncle to the quadruplets’s father,
Pastor Samuel Akingbile of CAC, Agege DCC; Mrs Victoria Olayiwola (quad
mother) and Pastor Samuel Olayiwola (father) durin the naming ceremony
at LUTH
I was lecturing in the university and he was directly in the
ministry. Then, when we got to know ourselves very well, there were a
lot of challenges. It is then I got to know he has this challenge. He
loves my children to the point that you will not believe they are not
his biological children. I have three children. When they heard about
this, they were all shouting on him on the phone. They were very happy.
He has been a wonderful person to me.
The first time I was to fly out on ministerial opportunity, though I
have travelled out during my academic period, you will not believe he
was the person that was supposed to go but he could not make and he said
my friend you should go. He told me that I should just make myself
available. And I was not having money then, but he told me that I will
get money in Jesus name. Eventually I travelled out and I came back. I
decided to tell him that we just have to make a move. Since that time
there have been so much happenings.
So, when this one happened, though we’ve been together in it. We have
been together finding solutions to the problem. When it now happened we
were finding a way to fly her abroad. We consulted so many of my
friends who were doctors who can help.
All through that time what was the problem?
Incidentally, there was no problem. The usual things you hear, is
that you need some things and all that. You know, I am a scientist.
Sometimes you have reasons why some things happen. They were married as
virgins. There are people who can confirm it today. It is not as if
something was wrong with them or somebody did something. I contacted
some of my friends who were doctors in South Africa and we were able to
secure a hospital where she could go abroad. But by the time the paper
came out she was already due. The problem we have in Nigeria is facility
problem. The moment I heard that this thing now happened, I said God
you are awesome. I preached in his church last Sunday. I and his wife
were very close. At a point, it became a reproach. He was shedding
tears. When everyone abandoned him, I said no, a friend in need is a
friend indeed. I was there for him. In fact, it got to a point that if
he wanted me to give him one of my children, I would have done that. He
is very open handed money wise. I believe you will know him more. You
can never know that he has masters in economics from UI since 1989. He
is a humble person.
Was there a time there was pressure to look for alternative?
For me, I didn’t feel that and I did not subscribe for that. For me,
when I was about getting married, I told myself, as I pick this person, I
have picked her for life and death. It depends on who dies first, but I
said whether we have children or not, that should not put us asunder.
In Africa, there is stigma when you don’t have but outside the world,
you may decide not to have. As I am talking to you know, the only thing I
was tempted to present to him was a statement accredited to one other
friend who said, why don’t you tell you friend to adopt a child? And
when he told me this I looked at it, then one other day, when we were
now talking, I said to him, look at what this person said, that why
don’t you adopt a child? And I said well, I am thinking about it.
He just looked at me
and said, God knows why and he knows that one day He will do something.
Eventually, I didn’t subscribe to that. It takes two people to agree to
that. I was considering the wife as well even then. I have no problem
with him. I just named a baby a member of my church just adopted. She
has been looking for a girl but has boys. I told her, why will she want
to kill her self because a girl? So it is not a crime to adopt. Sure
enough, there were times they have a little bit pressure. Sometimes, you
know as men, there are times we have issues with our wives and they
will say we are not caring even when we are caring. I will tell them to
exercise patient. And I thank God that at the end of the day, it has
come to pass.
But he made mention of something four years ago, he said to me friend
God wants to give me children. He will start from four upwards. So it
was not funny to me when it now happened that the scan said it was four.
And the parents of the wife are all abroad and that is why they wanted her to come over. They are covenant children.”
Comments are moderated. Please keep them clean and brief.
No comments:
Post a Comment